Introducing Technical Communication through Science Fiction: A First-Year Seminar

First-year seminars allow freshmen to adjust to university life and the scope of academic options available to them. Additionally, they provide a foundation for future college success by exposing students to the requirements of a specific discipline in an engaging, small-group setting. This paper describes a first-year seminar that introduces the principles of clear, ethical technical communication by exploring the history of science fiction movies, which often represent the ignorance and fear of a public subjected to misleading information. The goals of the course are to help engineering students develop the communication skills needed in their future coursework, learn to be discerning consumers of information, and understand the ethical responsibilities of experts. Future course modifications focus on reaching more students and ensuring the relevance of assignments.