Concept Map November 4, 2009
Posted by katelsea in Uncategorized.trackback
Since my updated concept map is at the tail end of last week’s post, I thought I’d repost it here to make it easier to find.
I’m still looking for a sense of direction within this concept map, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Here’s the link: http://bubbl.us/view.php?sid=432400&pw=ya5GnofBhbpYAMjE2cTlKdDFQUDduMg
I’m afraid I’ll not be of much help on narrowing your focus—that seems to be a particular weakness of mine.
That said, I’d like to throw out a couple random ideas. First, Lt. Cmdr. Data could easily be added to your “Robots” tree, presenting a scientist to add to you protector, humanist, and whatever-the-I, Robot-robot-would-be-called.
Next, the movie Gattaca would work very well with the Identity discussion; if you’ve not seen it yet, go watch it. Now.
The Knight Rider series would provide another example of human assistance, but the movies from that franchise are so embarrassingly awful, I hesitate even to bring it up. However, if you expand your focus (I know, I know) to include television, it would work.
I don’t see what the “Exchange of Ideas” branch is doing in your chart. Would that be a thread you carry throughout your discussion? I don’t see it adding much to your conversation or structure. I see it being a valid an interesting point to bring up somewhere along the line when you get an interest and relevant example of that exchange, but I don’t see it warranting a separate discussion. (Just my 2¢.)
A part of me wants to suggest comparing the different paths you’ve identified (robots, identity, overpowering, and assistance) as they change over time, showing how cinema reflects either advances in technology or contemporary social views. But that sounds like it’s a humanities paper more than a T&T paper.
Brainstorm idea: could you argue that the technology of cinema is required to explore this future of technology, suggesting perhaps that an “advancement” from print to screen was necessary for the development of our ideas of human-technology interactions?
You beat me to mentioning Gattaca, Chris. As soon as I looked at the concept map, I thought Gattaca would make a good fit either with identity or maybe technology overpowering humanity, at least in some way. Maybe even both. I know that doesn’t narrow the focus much, but like Bryan says in his comment below, perhaps narrowing the question would help the direction better.
Your main question is a little broad for a 12 page term paper.It’s probably why you’re having some difficulty with the direction of your map. I would pick one of the sub-areas in which you have a lot of sources(“Identity” , “Technology Overpowering Humanity” etc.) and concentrate on that – it would narrow your focus and probably get you moving in the right direction.
I agree that narrowing it might help more. That’s what I had to do with mine. I actually deleted a ton of bubbles when I made my second “draft” of a concept.
Also, I still think you’ll need to address the fact that a lot of literature (especially SciFi) has turned out to be prophetic, as well. Perhaps you can focus on whether the change from literature to film has increased or altered the ability for fiction to properly depict the future of technology?
Maybe that would take it in a totally different direction. Just throwing out ideas!