Saving the Future Paper

The Ministry for the Future has been called a "transitional utopia," a utopian novel that actually shows us how to get there. The novel lays out a host of strategies - political, economic, technological, environmental, and cultural - to address the climate crisis. This paper calls on you to investigate one of those strategies, and richly, supportively, and critically examine, research, and evaluate that strategy. (This paper does not lend itself to generative AI.)

1) How precisely does the novel portray the strategy? Study references in the novel to the strategy. Draw on specifics and quotations (indicating page numbers) and carefully describe and explicate Robinson's depiction of the strategy.

2) What else can you learn about the strategy from your own research? Drawing on several additional resources, how does what you learn compare and contrast with Robinson's depiction in the novel? Is the strategy already being used or debated? What is happening with it? What is likely to happen in the future?

3) What is your evaluation of the strategy? Could it make a difference? How effective, valuable, or important is the strategy? What other strategies should/would be important to following at the same time? Is the strategy politically viable? What could or should be done, or not done, to insure the strategy is viable and succesful? Or to thwart the strategy if it is not a good idea?

This part of the paper should be at least 6 double-spaced pages.  

4) Next, conclude by writing a short (400 words?) "sales pitch" or "elevator speech" for or against the strategy. Sum up what you have learned in a way that will convice others.

5) Lastly, give your pitch or speech a few times to some different audiences, and 6) write a final paragraph about what you learned from doing so.