The lecture notes provide a summary of what was discussed during class. Also included in the table are questions related to the assigned readings. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the questions.
| SES # | TOPICS | LECTURE NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The recent past and the near future | (PDF) |
| 2 | Techniques in futurology | (PDF) |
| 3 | Historigraphic theories: class struggle, cycles, and paradigm shifts Reading Questions (PDF) | (PDF) |
| 4 | Catastrophic change, power laws, and fractals | (PDF) |
| 5 | Disasters and collapses: nuclear war, global warming, peak oil, bioterrorism | (PDF) |
| 6 | The singularity | (PDF) |
| 7 | World changing, revelations, and revolutions | (PDF) |
| 8 | Future politics | (PDF) |
| 9 | Society in motion | (PDF) |
| 10 | Science and technology | No notes available |
| 11 | Economics and demographics Reading Questions (PDF) | (PDF) |
| 12 | Describing the future | (PDF) |
| 13 | Memetics | (PDF) |
| 14 | Final project presentations | (PDF) |