Futures Course Assignments - Spring 2002
-- a university of arizona course on methods and approaches for studying the future

The first entry is the current week's assignment (posted on Friday before the week's assignment applies). Previous assignments are below that in reverse chronological order. Many assignments may have links to other locations here or to other sites. Since this is an independent study and open to all readers, only the broad assignments will be indicated and no specific student names will be used. The 'course modules' is a summary of the entire course. Portions of that summary will be copied into these assignments on a weekly basis so you can have bite sized chunks of material, Dates for Individual moderating sessions on caucus are posted, and guidelines for moderator are available.


  Syllabus      Objectives   Course Modules  Student Guide

Week of April 29, 2002
Session
15

Last week - scroll down and review anything of interest

Don't forget the social hour on Tuesday at 5:00

Complete the evaluation (sent via email), post your revised 2025 image, and post your careers paper (all on caucus).

I will leave this material up for a year for reference


Week of April 22, 2002
Session
14

Finish revision of image for 2025 and post paper on career futures
Post yoru revised 2025 by early this week - in caucus peers list.
Post paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29 - be prompt so others will have time to reveiw
Prepare a 30 minute talk on fhe future (see a sample)
Look over the various Caucus topics and comment as appropriate - classes are over 5/3.

No face to face classes for remainder of semester - contact me for individual appointments if needed


Week of April 15, 2002
Session
13

Continue reviewing course materials, and continue papers and caucus discussions
Complete reviewing the rewritten images for 2025 by April 15, and rewrite your image by April 22 and post it back to the caucus - peers list..
Continue paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29
Try the new 'site index' - list of all files by title on the futures site.

Our last forum will be:

Kate - Apr 15 -- Vanished civilizations – which is next?

Study Questions
Course Review


Week of April 8, 2002
Session
12

Complete image for 2025 and work on career paper - take short course and prepare a talk about the future for others.

Take the "Shortcourse" - A review of futures studies - a quick view of the class materials
Prepare a 30 minute talk on the future (see a sample) - do this on your own - do not hand in.

Begin reviewing the rewritten images for 2025. All topics should be posted by now and the two names below a topic are the ones that review that topic. Instructions are on this page. Get there by this link or from class caucus page. Complete your reviews by April 15. Following the reviews, the original author will rewrite the image based on peer feedback and re-post it by April 22.

Continue paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29

There will be two forums this week:

Alyssa - Apr 8 -- Lifestyles and policies – regarding future environment and our careers
Koji - Apr 8 -- Space exploration (can we dispose our wastes there?)


Study Questions
Course Review


Week of April 1, 2002
Session
11

Continue reviewing course materials, and continue papers and caucus discussions
Read a new entry on "how to be a futurist in 10 lessons (2 pages in pdf)


Continue paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29
Begin reviewing the rewritten images for 2025. All topics should be posted by 4/1 and the two names below a topic are the ones that review that topic. Instructions are on this page. Get there by this link or from class caucus page. Complete your reviews by April 15.

There will be two forums this week
Monique - Apr 1 -- Health (personal choices/exercise/medications)
Robert - Apr 1 -- Pollutants/natural resources depletion trends

Study Questions
Course Review


Week of March 25, 2002
Session
10

Review more course materials, begin papers and continue caucus discussion
Review the Course Summary

Becoming a good futurist

Begin paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29
Rewrite image in 2025 and post in peer reveiw caucus (instructions in caucus) - Post by 4/1

There will be two forums this week
Kim - Mar 25 -- Human brain/human mind
Jerry - Mar 25 -- Genetic engineering (ethical, medical, agricultural)

Study Questions
Course Review


Week of March 18, 2002
Session
9

Review course materials, begin papers and continue caucus discussion
Futures Overview (again)
Big Picture (again)
My Viewpoints (again)

Begin paper on future of your career (instructions) - Due 4/29
Open discussion and questions
Rewrite image in 2025 and post in peer reveiw caucus
(instructions in caucus)
Continue Caucus student moderated discussions

Study Questions
Course Review


Week of March 11, 2002
Session

Spring break - no class


Week of March 4, 2002
Session
8

Visions and Values, Libraries and Careers
Visions and values (discuss visions and values in FTF meetings this week)
Libraries
Careers

Begin (postponed from last week) -- Caucus discussion with guest - Dr. Bill Neumann
Continue -- Student Moderated Discussion in Caucus through weekend - Environment

Begin thinking about a futures paper on your career (review careers and libraries above)
Begin Student Moderated Discussion in Caucus this weekend - Energy


Week of February 25, 2002
Session
7

Critical Thinking, Ignorance, and Strategic Approaches
Critical Thinking
Systems thinking
Strategic Planning
Ignorance

Begin -- Caucus discussion with guest - Dr. Bill Neumann
Begin -- Student Moderated Discussion in Caucus - Environment

Other items
Continue entering urls of web references in caucus topic
Begin to increase the use of caucus for our discussions
Continue sending progress reports early next week (Mon/Tue)


Week of February 18, 2002
Session
6

Exploring the Pieces and Building Your Own Futures Study
Tutorial 2: Building Scenarios
Tutorial 3: Making Your Own Futures Study
Paradigms
Driving Forces
Trends
Foresight

Look at the Big Picture

Other items

Forum for this week: Caucus Topic 8 - Population
Enter urls of web references in new caucus topic

Continue sending progress reports early next week (Mon/Tue)


Week of February 11, 2002
Session
5

Exploring Other's Perspectives and the Literature
Expeditions 1-3
General references
Subject/topic references (same url as above)
Trends/graphics examples
Lists of futures links by others
Seminar 2: Futures Techniques

Other items
Enter urls of web references in caucus topic
Finish the Caucus entries on topics for discussion
Continue sending progress reports early next week (Mon/Tue)


Week of February 4, 2002
Session
4

Exploring Other's Perspectives and the Literature
Tour 2: Selected Futures Web Sites
Tour 3. Futures Readings
Seminar 3. Futures Literature
Review Workshops and Courses (if interested)
Look at Futures Organizations
Look at Futurist's Viewpoints
Look at Instructor's Viewpoints

Other items
Enter urls of web references in new caucus topic
Finish the Caucus entries on topics for discussion

Continue sending progress reports early next week (Mon/Tue)


Week of January 28, 2002
Session
3

Links to Review
Change
History
Futures Overview
Description of good futurist
A few good books

Study Questions (for this first module - first month)
Course Review (for this first module - first month)

Other assignments
Finish any old assignments (sessions 1 and 2 below)
Begin this week (on Monday or Tuesday) send me (caldwell@ag.arizona.edu) a brief progress report on how you are doing - all ok, problems and what are they, and so on).

Make entries into Caucus for:
1. Drucker's article (handed out in class) - short critique - see caucus topic on all subjects)
2. Make suggestions for topics for future caucus discussions (see caucus anonymous topic)


Week of January 21, 2002
Session
2

Catch up from last time due to the first of semester confusion

Learning caucus (see caucus help)
Tutorial 1: Futures in a nutshell
Tour 1: Tour of this class
Examples of images of future
Develop your image of the future (enter in caucus discussion)

A few new things

Seminar 1: Selected book reviews
Futures glossary
Looking back 25 years
Look for futures related information on internet - briefly describe as caucus entry in discussion topic and include url


Week of January 14, 2002 (First full week of class)
Session
1

Introduction and overview
How the course is organized and how we will interact
Learning caucus (see caucus help)
Tutorial 1: Futures in a nutshell
Tour 1: Tour of this class
Examples of images of future

Develop your image of the future (enter in caucus discussion)
Review the syllabus, course modules and student guide above
Develop your questions about the future or about the class for our first meeting


Note: the next entry will be made at the top of the listing.
Return to "Anticipating the Future" course home page
Prepared by Roger L. Caldwell