Long Essay Questions / Possible Final Paper Topics

Below are significant questions to ponder when viewing the movies in this class. The following questions could be used for a final paper and/or you could be asked to comment on them in homework assignments. You should periodically review these questions.

• Comment on what the films that we cover in this course have to say about what it means to be human? Are the robots different from the humans in these movies and if so, how? What do these movies say about our humanity?
• Many of the films that we cover contain a negative view of the future and of computers and robots. How do these films reflect our fears about ourselves and our place in the world in an increasingly technological society? Is it the portrayal of the computers and robots that is so negative or is it the future world, and how are they connected. Comment on this question from a psychological and/or economic and/or historical perspective.
• What do these films say about the nature of reality?
• How do these films portray the computer scientists and programmers that build or use the computers and robots? Is the portrayal postitive or negative. Comment on this and how this portrayal might impact the real discipline of Computer Science.
• How are computers, as reflected in these movies, changing the way that we communicate and what impact does this have on people and society?
• If we view the portrayal of computers and robots in film over time, are there any clear patterns? How might this patterns be influenced by what is going on in he world. As a separate but related question, "How do current events impact these films?"
• Metropolis is often referred to as the mother of sci fi films. Discuss the influence of Metropolis on other movies (Blade Runner, Star Wars, etc.) and pop culture in general (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna).
• How do people interact to the robots in movies such as Blade Runner, Terminator, Robocop, etc.?
• One of the puzzles raised by Blade Runner is whether we can definitively distinguish between real humans and artificially engineered replicants. Suppose that no test (either objective or subjectively introspective) could show this for sure. Would that mean that a given replicant/robot is fully human? How should such robots be treated by humans? Is it ethical to create such robots?
• One of the dramatic philosophical points made in The Matrix and Blade Runner is that we cannot trust our memories: they may have been implanted in us regardless of how true they seem. Can we trust our memories as more or less accurate accounts of our past events? If we cannot, what is the significance of this?