“Third Times the Charm” “Third Times the Charm” Science Fiction at Wofford College Dr. Deno Trakas (English Department) Professor Steve Zides (Physics Department)

Learning Communities at Wofford Thematic combinations of two (otherwise) disparate courses Common student enrollment Dual faculty instruction Student preceptor involvement Emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking and experiential learning

Typical Week in Humanities 101 Monday ---- “Private Eye” Tuesday “Minority Report” Wednesday “Minority Report” Friday --- “Different Kinds of Darkness” “Private…” and “Different…”

Same Week in Physics 104 Monday -- The Standard Model and precognition Tuesday “Minority Report” Wednesday -- Properties of light EM waves, telepathy and psycho-kinesis Friday -- Optics and the human eye

In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.

Precognition and determinism Future technology Right to privacy Refinement through iteration

Topical Ordering of the Community Related Films Gattaca Minority Report StarMan Sunshine Blade Runner Back to the Future Rough Topical Outline Genetics and the Brain Particle Physics and Determinism Space Travel and Extraterrestrial Life The Solar System Future Technology and Artificial Intelligence Quantum Mechanics and Time Travel

Iteration Theme in Science Fiction “Ripples in the Dirac Sea” by Geoffrey Landis When a mathematician invents a time machine he learns that there are physical laws that cannot be changed, including “Actions in the past cannot change the future.” But what happens then, if you try to use your own time machine to escape your own frightening destiny? What is life like hanging on to the infinite moments in time between when you are, and where you must inevitably be?

Humanities 101 Assessments Daily interactive discussions Weekly quizzes Weekly writing exercises Critical analysis papers (two) Creative science fiction scenes (two) Final electronic portfolio of student’s best work

Physics 104 Assessments Daily interactive discussions Weekly quizzes Weekly lab experiments Three major exams

“Third Times the Charm” “Third Times the Charm” Science Fiction at Wofford College Dr. Deno Trakas (English Department) Professor Steve Zides (Physics Department)