Why all undergrads should take at least one course where they watch sci-fi movies in class

Watching complete science fiction movies in class might seem an inefficient use of time. But it can equip students for the future in ways few other approaches can.

Ex Machina is one of 12 movies we watch in class, beginning to end, with no interruptions. It’s awesome!

In 2018 I created a class that broke all the rules.

I was looking for a way to help undergraduate students from any discipline or background better-understand and appreciate how advanced technologies are changing the world, and the profound opportunities and responsibilities this entails.

The result was a class where, each week, students sit down with their classmates, relax, and watch a science fiction movie. From start to end. And with no interruptions.

Now in its seventh year, I’m more convinced than ever that The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future course at Arizona State University is a class that every undergraduate should take — not because it’s required, or fulfills a general studies check-box, but because it provides insights into how the technology is changing the world that they simply cannot get anywhere else.

That said, I still find it hard to convince people that watching movies in class is a valid teaching method.

So I though it was probably time to talk through why we do this in The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future, and why I think it’s so important.

Creating Transformative Learning Environments

There’s a conventional perception of teaching that assumes the role of a professor is to cram as much stuff as you can into the heads of students, as fast as possible.

It’s an efficiency model that places quantity before quality, and calls into question methods that don’t use every available second to squeeze more knowledge into the people you’re teaching.

It’s also a dangerous model in that it risks placing education before learning, and outputs (such as assignments and grades) ahead of outcomes (such as transformed lives).

It also excludes students who, for many different reasons, don’t thrive within more formal or conventional classes.

This is a problem where a topic or area is vitally important to every single student, not just a small subset. And this is very much the case when it comes to equipping them to thrive in a future that is being transformed by advanced technologies.

Here, there’s a need for learning environments that are inviting and inclusive, that are accessible, and that open up new possibilities.

This is what we set out to achieve with The Moviegoer’s Guide to the Future. To do this, we built the course around twelve science fiction movies which, when approached in the right way, have the ability profoundly open up ways of thinking about the future that transcend traditional academic disciplines.

Each week we watch a sci-fi movie together in class. These are carefully curated, and there’s a very intentional structure around the course that supports a clear set of learning objectives. (You can read more about what we cover and how we cover it here).

But for around 2 hours or so each week, students have the chance to relax, forget about other stuff that’s going on in their lives, and enjoy the experience of watching a movie with others.

And it’s transformative.

A surprising number of my students confess to rarely watching movies without distraction, and admit that the class is a novel experience for them. More than this though, there’s a tangible buzz in the class each week that’s only possible to achieve through experiencing a movie together — and this is part of the secret sauce of the learning environment we create.

This buzz sparks new ideas and creative thoughts. It feeds into the discussion we have after each movie. And it continues way beyond the class.

I have students each semester who carry the conversation home to friends and family, because watching the movie together has lit a fire in their imagination. This is something we could never achieve by asking students to watch the films on their own (and of course, most would not watch it anyway in this case).

The result is a class that feels a long way removed from formal education. Yet it works.

Students often come for a good time, or to take a breather from the craziness of their degree, or for an easy grade. Yet they leave with a brain brimming full of new ideas, and a transformed vision of the future and their place in it.

Of course, this is only possible because there’s a lot more to the class than just watching movies together. Peek under the hood and you’ll see a solid foundation of pedagogy that is driven by key learning objectives and supported by highly effective assignments.

But the bottom line remains — by building a class around an inclusive, creative and low-stress learning environment, we are providing the students who take it with a unique and profoundly important understanding of how technology is changing the world, and how they can be part of ensuring that this change leads to a better future.

And it’s a learning environment that starts with watching movies together.

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For anyone who’s interested, there’s extensive information about the class — including the current syllabus — on the ASU Future of Being Human initiative website.