Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will learn about different ways how the future is imagined, constructed, and negotiated in the intersection between art, science, technology, and business. They will also learn about the history of future-orientated thought. After the course, students are equipped to reflect on their own understanding of the future in relation to their disciplinary background.
Credits: 3
Schedule: 26.10.2020 - 30.11.2020
Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022): Juuso Tervo
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Juuso Tervo
Contact information for the course (valid 15.09.2020-21.12.2112):
juuso.tervo@aalto.fi
CEFR level (applies in this implementation):
Language of instruction and studies (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022):
Teaching language: English
Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
This course investigates the various ways how future is produced in the present, either through predictions, speculations, or narratives. The aim of the course is to offer a wide array of approaches to future-orientated thought, particularly focusing on how different disciplines use the future in their attempts to understand the world.
Throughout the course, we will address the following questions: What do visions of the future tell about the present? What does it mean to examine the future historically? How does one navigate different futures across disciplines?
The course consists of weekly lectures, group work, and a final project. Weekly lectures may include guest speakers, screenings, and short group exercises.
Applies in this implementation:
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
80 % attendance, final project
Applies in this implementation:
Basic Information
You have two ways to participate in this course: synchronously or asynchronously. Asynchronous participation is meant mainly for those students who cannot attend the study sessions due to a significant time difference or other similar challenge.
Synchronous Participation
The course consists of six study sessions. We begin each session with a short lecture, after which you have one hour to reflect on the lecture and the accompanying material by yourself. Then, you will have 45 minutes to present and discuss your reflections in small groups. Lastly, we will come together to share some concluding remarks and insights from your groupwork. In other words, each study session is scheduled in the following way:
15:15 – 16:00 Lecture (will be recorded and posted on MyCourses)
16:00 – 17:00 Working on your personal response and reflection + uploading it on MyCourses
17:00 – 17:45 Presenting your reflection to others in small groups and formulating 1-3 follow-up questions and/or observations together + uploading them on MyCourses
17:45 – 18:00 Concluding remarks
You will find more detailed descriptions of the assignments below.
Asynchronous Participation
If you cannot attend the study sessions but would like to take the course anyway, you have a possibility to familiarize yourself with the course material and reflect on it on your own time. If you choose this option,
Monday – Wednesday: Watch the lecture and familiarize yourself with the lecture material. Write/compile a personal response of the material and post it to MyCourses by each Wednesday at 29:59 Finnish time.
Wednesday – Friday: Read other students’ responses and comment on at least three of them by each Friday at 29:59 Finnish time. You can read and comment responses from both synchronous and asynchronous participants.
Note: The deadline for submitting responses will be each Wednesday (personal reflections) and Friday (responses to other students) at 23:59 Finnish time. If you fail to meet these deadlines, you will be counted absent and this will affect your possibilities to pass this course.
Assignments
Personal Response (all participants)
The aim of the personal response is to offer a possibility reflect on the topic discussed during the lecture and give you a break from immediate online presence. When working on your response, you may start with the following questions:
1) What did the lecture and/or the lecture material make you think of?
2) How do the lecture and/or lecture material resonate with your other studies and/or your own discipline?
3) In what ways might you communicate and share your thinking with others?
Note that the term “response” should be understood broadly. You use and combine texts, images (produced by you or found online), videos (produced by you or found online), sounds (produced by you or found online), or their combinations (e.g. memes, .gifs, etc.). The only limitation for the reflection is that it has to be sharable in MyCourses.
Synchronous participants should post their personal response on MyCourses by 17:00 and asynchronous participants by Wednesday at 23:59.
Group Work (for synchronous participants)
The aim of the groupwork is to share and discuss your personal response with other students. Since personal response means, indeed, a personal response, there are no right or wrong responses to the lecture or lecture material. This means that the group discussion is meant to be a possibility to learn from others, and reflect together on the issues presented during the lecture.
As a group, please formulate 1 to 3 questions and/or observations that summarize the issues you have discussed. Post these questions/observations on MyCourses by 17:45. Please remember to include your names in each post. These questions/observations will be used in the final project (see below).
Online Discussions (for asynchronous participants)
The aim of the online discussion is very similar than the group work for synchronous participants: to share and discuss your personal responses with others. In order to initiate discussion, please take your time to read through other students’ personal responses and comment on at least 3 of them. When commenting, please explain how did you interpret their responses, why did you interpret them the way you did, and what kind of questions do you have for them.
Since you should post your responses by each Friday at 23:59 Finnish time, please make sure you have posted your personal responses on time.
Final Project (all participants)
The aim of the final project is to offer you time to reflect on the topics discussed and make further connections to your own discipline. You are more than welcome to extend, discuss, challenge, and/or comment on the insights presented during the course.
Write a 5-page reflective essay where you respond to at least one of the questions or observations formulated in the group work sessions. Please do not choose a question/observation that you have participated in formulating, but take your time to read what other groups have posted.
The essay can include images and/or links to images, videos, songs, etc. Note that the text part should be five full pages, 12-point font, double spaced (that is, if you include images, the number of pages increases).
Attendance and Participation
Attendance and participation are crucial parts of this course. Please note that 80% attendance is required (i.e. you can miss one class session). Attendance and participation will be monitored through your posts on MyCourses. This means that if do not post your personal response, are not part of a group work, and/or do not post your online responses to others on time, your attendance will not be counted.
You can make up a missed class session by writing a 1-page mini essay on the topic discussed during that week. Please post your mini essay on MyCourses.
Workload
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Lectures 18h
Individual and group work 50 h
Reflection 13 h80% attendance required
DETAILS
Study Material
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
Study material will be provided during the course.
Prerequisites
Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:
No prerequisites
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