2007-08 ASM Star Trek (1965-2005)
- Time: Wednesday 4-6 pm
Star Trek is far more than a TV-series. It is a cultural phenomenon with enormous ramifications marked by substantial plot developments, and it is a powerful piece of fiction due to its wide range of cultural, philosophical, aesthetic and political allusions. The original series became a cult classic, the Star Trek universe it created does in retrospect bridge generations and political gaps such as the Cold War with its East/West-confrontation (mirrored within the series by disruptions of original interstellar confrontations).
The Seminar will deal with the following topics - it will depend on your contributions where we will go into details. If you have plans for seminar papers list them bellow. (Discuss the present course outline on the course's discussion page if you feel you cannot see under which heading your topic could appear):
Contents
- 1 The Future and the Present I: The Original Series (1966–1969)
- 2 The Future and the Present II: Next Generation (1987–1994) and Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
- 3 The Future and the Present III: Voyager (1995–2001) and Enterprise (2001–2005)
- 4 Alienations I: A Show of Pluralism
- 5 Alienations II: Freaks like You and Me
- 6 Alienations III: The Attractive (all American) Center
- 7 Sex
- 8 The Young and The Old
- 9 The Commercial Success
The Future and the Present I: The Original Series (1966–1969)
Star Trek The Original Series (1966–1969): Where does it reflect ongoing historical developments? Topics from the cold war and the environmental pollution to the present Hippie movement.
The Future and the Present II: Next Generation (1987–1994) and Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
The Sequels The Next Generation (1987–1994) and Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) - same question: Where does the ongoing production reflect ongoing historical developments? A comparison of the different generations.
The Future and the Present III: Voyager (1995–2001) and Enterprise (2001–2005)
The Sequels Voyager (1995–2001) and Enterprise (2001–2005) same question a third time: Where does the ongoing production reflect ongoing historical developments? A comparison of the different generations.
Alienations I: A Show of Pluralism
Men and women, different human races united, Spock and the extraterrestrials, encounters with the past and the future, artificial intelligence - a more and more complex world?
Alienations II: Freaks like You and Me
Role models, Fan interaction and the attraction of the weird nations.
Alienations III: The Attractive (all American) Center
A culture that does not need imperialism, technical superiority or the strength of its capitalism to accumulate power and to become attractive.
Sex
The role of women, sexual encounters, male-female relationships.
The Young and The Old
Designed to discipline and motivate the young- and yet attractive?
The Commercial Success
Fandom and merchandising.
