Essay Help

Hey all,

I need your help in trying to narrow/finalize my thesis for the final written assignment…..it was originally “good education standards are a product of any dominant civilization” and I was going to support this with historical examples. But I think this thesis is too broad…and I should narrow it down to something specific like “the USA-USSR rivalry and its relevance to how different standards of education affect technology/scientific advancement in both countries…” ? If you guys have any other ideas I would really appreciate it!

Thanks !

DB Week 04/19: Science Fiction & Socialism

Ok, this is more of a "ground-testing" of my final written assignment, which focuses on the socialist tint of the plot, characters and action in most SF seen today. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some pre-draft thoughts from you guys, since I really hadn't finalized my thesis until middle of last week.

You may answer any (or all) of the questions below. If there's something related to this, but not covered in the questions below, please don't hesitate to air your opinions.

1. Does the extensive relationship between science and power spill over into the dynamic between science fiction and power?

2. Is there an ideal power structure advocated in SF genre? If so, of what kind is it: bureaucratic, aristocratic, socialist, capitalist, utopian or dystopian?

3. Is SF merely an outlet for futuristic technological speculations, or is the main purpose of SF to air your political/social views in an unbiased context?

4. What do you think ultimately resolves the conflict set up in works of SF? New technology, luck, act of God, change in power structure, protagonist's actions (bravery, sacrifice, maturity, etc.) [note: these are not mutually exclusive]. Are these really very different to other forms of fiction?

It would help if you'd post something before Friday (when my draft is due). I know I'm asking a little more than usual, but this is after all, the final DB week... so let's sign off with a flourish!

Star Trek: Episode viewed on Monday

In the Star Trek episode viewed in class on Monday how does Spock’s supposed character as a Vulcan compare to what his actions say about him? Why do you think Spock admitted guilt towards the end and asked to be arrested?

Science Power and Societal Perceptions

So as you all know we recently just finished (or if your like me your still working on) thhe second written assignment which if you decided to follow the prompt had something to do with science and power. As I was reading through my comments etc on my rough draft Something that Hasan suggested on mine was to discuss the way scientific knowledge affects our perception of other people/societies. Although I did not end up including this in my essay for lack of sufficient research time (thanks to my procrastinating self) I thought it was a really interesting idea and thought that maybe you all would like to discuss it here. So.......how does science affect our perception of other cultures?