| Course title | Fiction and Reality of Theory in Practice |
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| Course code | KOL/VFIRE |
| Organizational form of instruction | Seminar |
| Level of course | Bachelor |
| Year of study | not specified |
| Semester | Winter and summer |
| Number of ECTS credits | 4 |
| Language of instruction | Czech |
| Status of course | Compulsory-optional |
| Form of instruction | Face-to-face |
| Work placements | This is not an internship |
| Recommended optional programme components | None |
| Lecturer(s) |
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| Course content |
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(1) Introduction, organizational instructions (2)-(4) Brief history of Anglo-American science fiction (from 1920s until the present day) Crowley, J.: Snow (5)-(6) Theory of everything Clark, C., A.: The Nine Billion Names of God; Dozois, G.: One for the Road Egan, G.: Distress; Weinberg, S.: Dreams of a Final Theory; Aldiss, B., Penrose, R.: White Mars; Hawking, S.: A Brief History of Time; Hawking, S.: Black Holes and Baby Universes; Prigogine, I.: Čas k stávání; Penrose, R.: The Large, the Small and the Human Mind; Hawking, S., Penrose, R.: The Nature of Space and Time; Prigogine, I. - Stengersová, I.: Order out of Chaos; Coveney, P., Highfield, R.: Frontiers of Complexity; Coveney, P., Highfield, R.: The Arrow of Time; Gleick, J.: Chaos; Hey, T. - Walters, P.: The New Quantum Universe (7)-(8) Artificial Intelligence Egan, G.: Learning to be Me; Asimov, I.: The Machine that Won the War Egan, G.: Permutation City; Egan, G.: Axiomatic; Egan, G.: Diaspora; Petrů, M.: Možnosti transgrese; Searle, J.: Minds, Brains and Science; Lem, S.: Tajemnica chińskiego pokoju; Gáliková, S. - Gál, E.: Antológi filozofie mysle; Kelemen, J.: Kybergolem; Mařík, V. et al: Umělá inteligence I; Thagard, P.: Introduction to Cognitive Science Asimov, I.: I, Robot; Asimov, I.: I, Asimov; Asimov, I.: Good-bye to Earth; Heinlein, A., R.: The Door into Summer; Heinlein, A., R.: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Ellison, H.: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream; Čapek, K.: R. U. R; Šulej, P.: Elektronik café (9) Darwinism Hamilton, E.: Devolution Bear, G.: Darwin§s Radio; Bear, G.: Darwin's Children; Dawkins, R.: The Blind Watchmaker; Dawkins, R.: The Selfish Gene; Hamilton, E.: Devolution; Darwin, Ch.: On the Origin of Species; Darwin, Ch.: Sexual Selection; Blackmore, S.: The Meme Machine; Komárek, S.: Dějiny biologického myšlení; Wolpert, L.: The Triumph of the Embryo; Watson, D., J.: DNA: The Secret of Life; Rádl, E.: Dějiny biologických teorií novověku; Flegr, J.: Evoluční biologie (10) Self-organization and emergence of living shape Sterling, B.: Swarm; Bear, G.: Petra Bear, G.: Blood Music; Kauffman, S.: Investigations; Markoš, A.: Tajemství hladiny; Kelemen, J., Markoš A.: Andělé, berušky a stroje, Markoš, A.: Život čmelákův; Margulis, L.: Symbiotic Planet; Capra, F.: The Web of Life; Barbieri, M.: The Organic Codes; Lovelock, J.: Gaia; Bertalanffy, von L.: Robots, Men and Minds (11) Cyberpunk between the matrix and nanotechnologies Gibson, W.: Neuromancer; Gibson, W.: All Tomorrow's Parties; Sterling, B.: Mirrorshades; Gibson, W.: Burning Chrome; Gibson, W.: Count Zero; Gibson, W.: Virtual Light; Stephenson, N.: Snow Crash; Stephenson, N.: Diamond Age; McAuley, P., J.: Fairyland, Williams, J., W.: Hardware (12) Alternative worlds, alternative science Miéville, Ch.: Perdido Street Station; Miéville, Ch.: The Scar; ; Miéville, Ch.: Iron Council; Wilson, R., Ch.: Darwinia; Gibson, W. - Sterling, B.: The Difference Engine; Nesvadba, J.: Peklo Beneš; Dick, K., P.: The Man in the High Castle; Noon, J.: Vurt; Noon, J.: Pollen; Asher, N.: The Skinner; Asher, N.: Gridlinked; Swainston, S.: The Year of Our War; Swainston, S.: No Present Like Time (13) Predictions, science of the future Clark, C., A.: 2001: A Space Odyssey; Crichton, M.: Jurassic Park; Crichton, M.: Disclosure; Crichton, M.: The Andromeda Strain; Crichton, M.: A Case of Need; Crichton, M.: Five Patients; Crichton, M.: Rising Sun; Clark, C., A.: Songs of the Distant Earth; Asimov, I.: Foundation; Asimov, I.: Foundation and Earth; Asimov, I.: Foundation's Edge; Asimov I.: Second Foundation; Asimov, I.: I, Robot (14) Stephenson, N.: Cryptonomicon - Wilson, R., Ch: Spin (15) Science fiction without science New wave of science fiction, science fiction before cyberpunk (the so-called humanists); for instance Ellison, H.: Dangerous Visions
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| Learning activities and teaching methods |
| Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook) |
| Learning outcomes |
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The course will investigate extrapolation of science fiction from science. Science helps define science fiction - the course will discuss the meaning of such definition. Science fiction texts will be confronted with texts of popular science, theory of science fiction with scientific theories, fictional worlds of such theories with the real world as it is interpreted by science. Classes will consist of introduction of concrete scientific topics and their illustrative presentation. Each class will then attempt to verify the extent to which the concrete scientific topic is manifested in concrete texts of science fiction. The class will formulate whether scientific background forms merely a set piece or ornament in construction of the fictional world, or whether it is employed in plot construction, the ways in which scientific aspects can be manifested in construction of the text's point, etc. History of science fiction and its changing relation to science, various scientific topics and application of scientific knowledge in text will be introduced in brief. The course will also introduce alternative scientific contexts - fictional worlds based on falsified scientific theories (such as the preformism theory), or completely made up worlds with imaginary laws and theories of science.
Basic knowledge of seminal texts of science fiction Basic knowledge of scientific theories (biological, physical, etc.) |
| Prerequisites |
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unspecified
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| Assessment methods and criteria |
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Student performance, Dialog
(1) Active participation in class (required reading) (2) Examination |
| Recommended literature |
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| Study plans that include the course |
| Faculty | Study plan (Version) | Category of Branch/Specialization | Recommended semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2021) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Lingvistics and Theory of Communication (2014) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Lingvistics (2021) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Lingvistics (2022) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Lingvistics and Digital Humanities (2020) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2021) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Linguistics and Communication Theory (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): General Lingvistics (2019) | Category: Philological sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |