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More human
than human?
a rap about
Brave new world and Blade
runner – Director’s cut to support
HSC
English Advanced course
Module A: Comparative study of texts and contexts
Program and Planning
Introduction
to Brave new world and Blade runner rap
Introductory
activities
Rap point 1
Rap point 2
Rap point 3
Rap wrap up (Concluding
activities)
Questions for further discussion
Additional activities or possible assessment
tasks
Additional resources
Background readings
Credits
Introduction
to Brave new world and Blade runner - Director's cut rap
This rap is not intended as a complete unit
of work. The rap could be used to complement a class unit of
work, to provide additional perspectives and activities, or
as revision. During the rap, experts available online will comment
on class reponses in order to enrich
the learning experience.
It
is assumed that students will have had considerable access to
both Brave new world and Blade runner.
Students
may benefit from working through some of the activities on these
texts provided on HSC
online English Elective 2: In the wild.
Class
activities focusing on plot, characters, setting, issues, historical
contexts, genres, and techniques should have been completed
prior to commencing Rap point 1 (Week 5: 24 February 2003) so
that students can demonstrate knowledge, skills and understandings
of these aspects of the texts.
It
is recommended that all students keep a learning
journal for the duration of the rap. This will be particularly
useful as a record of the student's responses to various aspects
of the rap and will enable them to reflect on their own processes
of learning (Outcome 13: A student reflects on own processes
of learning).
Introductory
activities (Week 4: week beginning 17 February 2003)
During
this week, students continue activities suggested above, and
teachers could introduce students to the concept of a rap, how
an online rap works, and the timeframe for this rap. In discussing
the purpose and conventions of a rap, teachers could also refer
to appropriate Rap FAQs, and selected examples of email messages in the Archives of email discussion from previous raps. To view previous raps simply click on the Raps and Book
raps buttons on the menu bar at the top of this page
and go to Past book raps or Past raps and select the rap or book rap
you wish to view.
In
this week students would
- Compose
and submit a class introductory message to the rap (whole
class messages are sent to the rap, rather than individual
student messages) once the teacher has approved the final
message. Details such as name of school, location, class,
and number of students can be given. See the FAQs for email protocol, including signatures. Discuss
email etiquette, purpose and audience for the email message.
- Compose
questions they have about the texts that they would like answered.
Keep a class record of such questions though do not post them
yet. If these questions are not answered during the rap, submit
them as a class during the Rap
wrap up (concluding activities) week.
Rap
point 1 (Week 5: week beginning 24 February 2003)
As
a time traveller, you have recently visited London A.F. 632
and Los Angeles 2019. Compose an article for a scientific journal
of today outlining your perceptions of humanity in these futuristic
societies.
Post the class response to the rap after the teacher has approved
the final draft.
Note that rap responses should be kept to a maximum of 600 words
and should be sent in the body of an email, not as an attachment.
However, if students also wish to submit longer pieces of writing,
perhaps those individual responses drafted and shared in preparation
for the final class response or responses further polished by
students, they may send these to the Rap Coordinator. Relevant
instructions will be posted on the teacher rap. These longer
responses may be commented on by an expert and then be posted
to an online gallery for viewing by students and teachers, and
feedback from our online experts.
English
(Advanced) Outcomes |
Suggested
teaching and learning activities |
Resources |
6.
A student engages with the details of text in order to respond
critically and personally. |
Use The
nature of humanity from HSC online English Elective
2: In the wild as the basis of a class activity on each of the texts.
Students
work in groups to rank these human qualities in what they
believe to be the order of importance.
Then
students consider which characters in the texts display
human qualities, and those characters who do not display
these qualities.
- What does The Tyrell Corporation's slogan ‘More human
than human’ mean in the context of Blade
runner?
Could this motto also be applied to the inhabitants of
Huxley's New World?
Groups
report back to the class.
|
Reading
a film sequence |
| 7.
A student adapts and synthesises a range of textual features
to explore and communicate information, ideas and values,
for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts. |
Read
some articles from Scientific
American.com and consider the particular structure
and style of these articles. Use some of these as models
for writing an article for a scientific journal.
Collect
a glossary of scientific terms from each of the texts. Some
terms you may consider are:
from Brave new world
- Bokanovskification
- Hypnopaedia
- Malthusian
belt
- Neo-Pavlovian
conditioning
- Soma
- Viviparous
- Podsnap’s technique
and
from Blade runner
- Director's cut
- Replicants
- Voight-Kampff test
- Nexus
model
- Esper photo-enhancement
- Blade
Runner
|
Scientific
American.com at
http://www.sciam.com/
feature_directory.cfm |
| 11.
A student draws upon the imagination to transform experience
and ideas into text demonstrating control of language. |
Work
on individual responses to Rap point 1. Swap work with a
partner for editing and comments. Share suggestions with
the class.
As
a class construct a group response to the Rap point, drawing
on the individual responses. Alternatively the class may
select their favoured individual response.
Post
the response to the rap once the teacher has approved the
final draft.
Collect
and read responses from other schools. Compare and constrast
the various viewpoints offered.
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Rap
point 2 (Week 5: week beginning 3 March 2003)
Write
an interview with both Aldous Huxley and Ridley Scott in which
you elicit information on why they chose to compose their text
in the manner they did.
Post the class
response to the rap after the teacher has approved the final draft.
Note that rap responses
should be kept to a maximum of 600 words and should be sent in
the body of an email, not as an attachment. However, if students
also wish to submit longer pieces of writing, perhaps those individual
responses drafted and shared in preparation for the final class
response or responses further polished by students, they may send
these to the Rap Coordinator. Relevant instructions will be posted
on the teacher rap. These longer responses may be commented on
by an expert and then be posted to an online gallery for viewing
by students and teachers and feedback from our online experts.
| Preliminary
English (Advanced) Outcomes |
Suggested
teaching and learning activities |
Resources |
| 5.
A student demonstrates an understanding of the ways various
textual forms, technologies and their media of production
affect meaning. |
Students
could work in groups reading an article from those listed
in the Resources column. As a group, they should
write a synopsis of the article and a critique of the article.
These responses could be presented to the class.
In
groups students could list the type of questions an interviewer
may ask the two composers. Through contributions from various
groups, a class approved set of questions should be compiled.
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Some
Internet articles worth reading are:
Brave
new world: The cost of stability
Brave
new world? A defence of paradise – engineering
Huxley's
Brave new world: A study of dehumanization
Embodiments
and contextual difference in Brave new world
"Brave
new world: Soma, Shakespeare, and suicide: The terrors of
Techno Utopia"
|
| 8.
A student articulates and represents own ideas in critical,
interpretative and imaginative texts. |
Teachers
may like to incorporate a role play situation in which there
is an interviewer to ask questions of the composers of the
texts and speakers to respond as Huxley and Scott. There could
also be appointed recorders to make a note of the responses.
These could be incorporated in the class response to Rap point
2. |
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| 12A.
A student demonstrates a capacity to understand and use
different ways of responding to
and
composing particular texts.
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As
a class, in groups, or as individuals, students construct
their interviews, drawing on the list of interview questions
the class has approved. Students should construct their
interview to suit a particular medium and an intended audience.
For example if the interview were to be presented on an
ABC Radio science program, it would be different from a
presentation on a program like Rove live.
Once
the teacher has approved the final draft, post the class
response to the rap.
When
posting the response, indicate the type of program and audience
you have constructed your interview for.
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| 13. A student reflects on own processes of learning. |
Students
read responses from other schools. In their learning
journal students reflect on how they have synthesised the information to arrive at their conclusions and how other
Rap responses may have modified or reinforced their original
ideas.
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Rap
point 3 (Week
7: week beginning 10 March 2003)
Create three to five personal diary entries
for one of the characters from Brave new world and one of the
characters from Blade runner - Director's cut.
Post
the class response to the rap after the teacher has approved the
final draft.
Note that rap responses should be kept to a maximum
of 600 words and should be sent in the body of an email, not as
an attachment. However, if students also wish to submit longer
pieces of writing, perhaps those individual responses drafted
and shared in preparation for the final class response or responses
further polished by students, they may send these to the Rap Coordinator.
Relevant instructions will be posted on the teacher rap. These
longer responses may be commented on by an expert and then be
posted to an online gallery for viewing by students and teachers
and feedback from our online experts.
| Preliminary
English (Advanced) Outcomes |
Suggested
teaching and learning activities |
Resources |
| 8. A
student articulates and represents own ideas in critical,
interpretative and imaginative texts. |
Students
brainstorm reasons why a person may keep a diary or journal.
Make a list of these possibilities. Consider whether or
not there is an intended audience and, if so, who?
Look
at samples of diaries or journals as models of this text
type. What is distinctive about this mode of writing?
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| 11. A
student draws upon the imagination to transform experience
and ideas into texts demonstrating control of language. |
Students
work in groups to select a character from each text as their
diarist. Decide why these characters would keep a diary.
Focus on a scene or scenes from the text that would be recorded
and commented on by your diarists.
Share
these ideas with the class.
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Individually,
write some sample diary entries for a chosen character. Share
these with the class. |
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As a
class, discuss and compose a response to Rap point 3. The
class response can be posted to the rap once the teacher has
approved the final text. |
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Rap
wrap up (Week 8: week beginning 17 March 2003)
| Preliminary
English (Advanced) Outcomes |
Suggested
teaching and learning activities |
Resources |
| 9.
A student assesses the appropriateness of a range of processes
and technologies in the investigation and organisation of
information and ideas. |
Students
discuss:
- similarities and differences in the responses of participating
schools through the rap, and points the class had not
previously considered
-
different
interpretations of Brave
new world and Blade runner - Director's cut
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| 12.
A student reflects on own processes of responding and composing. |
Students
compose a press release for Year 10 cohort providing an outline
of the Rap process and its merits in a study of text in the
HSC course. |
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| 13.
A student reflects on own processes of learning. |
In
their learning journal students review and reflect on the activities they have engaged
in during the rap.
Students
could prepare some concluding comments in which they evaluate
their engagement in the rap, outlining the values of using
computer technology in this teaching and learning experience.
Students may wish to include quotes from individual members
of the class.
Post
concluding responses to the rap once the teacher has approved
the final draft.
If
any of the questions the class listed during the introductory
activities have not yet been answered in the process of
the rap, these could now be posted to the rap. For this
posting, insert the words ‘Unanswered questions’ in the
subject of the message. Class groups are welcome to comment
on these questions or use them for their own reflection.
Our online experts will also provide feedback.
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Questions for further discussion
Outcomes:
2; 3; 4; 6; 8; 10
How
far can science interfere before a human has to be considered
post-human?
What
gender discourses are evident in Brave
new world and Blade runner?
To
what extent does the text's setting reflect characters' conflicts
or anxieties?
Additional activities
or possible assessment tasks
(Assessment
criteria, marking guidelines and specific task details have not
been included here. Teachers may develop tasks to suit the particular
needs of their students.)
Read
the following extract. Imagine you are a delegate to a world ethics
conference. Prepare the speech you would deliver at this convention.
If
replicants are just technological constructs, destroying
them would be no more immoral than destroying a car or toaster,
and creating them would require little moral responsibility
for their actions. However, if they are "more human
than human," killing them must surely be murder, and
creating them must surely require the same moral commitment
as parenting. Here, then, is the heart of the film, in the
form of the questions: what is it to be human, and when
is something human enough to be human?
From:
‘Eyeballing
the Simulacra: Desire and vision in Blade
runner’ by Cathy Cupitt. |
The
following are articles from Scan; copies of Scan articles
can be requested from your teacher-librarian.
Atkins,
H. ‘Community participation through book raps at Nowra Public
School’, Scan 20(1)
February, 2001, pp 3-15.
Bowie,
B. & Mackinnon, G. ‘Book raps: be tempted’, Scan 19(1) February 2000, pp 4-5.
Longworth,
A. ‘Book rapping at Hay War Memorial High School’, Scan,
19(1) February 2000, pp 10-11.
Sinclair,
A ‘Maddie: a perspective from Deniliquin
North Public School’, Scan,
19(1) February 2000, pp 8-9.
Taylor,
K ‘The Maddie book rap at Barham High
School’, Scan, 19(1)
February 2000, pp 6-7.
Thorne,
B. 'Integrating technology in teaching and learning: reflections
on recent book raps', Scan 20(3) August 2001, pp 8-15. (Includes perspectives from W. Chapman,
R. Clarke, A. Longworth, J. Scheffers,
V. Douglass, N. Grannall, L. Fitzpatrick)
Underhill,
K. & Lovell, G. ‘How teacher-librarians can support Stage
6 English teachers and students’ Scan 19(4) November, 2000, pp 20-22.
Credits
Thank
you to Cathy Sly, English and Drama teacher at Barrenjoey High School for developing the programming and
support material.
This rap
is a joint project of the Library and Information Literacy and
English Units, Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate,
NSW Department of Education and Training.
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