To boldly go where no one has gone before: symbolic annihilation and queer interventions in the Star Trek universe

Despite queer readings and interpretations by scholars and fans alike, the official Star Trek universe is devoid of any concrete or obvious representation of LGBTIQ identities. While this appears to be a case of symbolic annihilation, two recent episodes of the Internet series Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II (2004–, webseries), titled ‘Blood and Fire: Part One’ and ‘Blood and Fire: Part Two’, finally go where official Star Trek texts could, or would, not. Taking up the dual perspective of both fan and scholar, in this article I argue that these episodes use the conspicuous absence of representations of sexual diversity in the Star Trek franchise proper as the impetus for a creative intervention, one that embodies the capacity of science fiction texts to explore human sexuality beyond the confines of heteronormative identities.

Coetzee's haunting of Australian literature

In June 2006, the Good Weekend, the magazine supplementing Saturday’s the Age in Melbourne, ran the following cover story by Catharine Lumby: “Worried TV will turn your child into a zombie?” The cover featured a science-fiction image of a boy’s upturned face. Televisions were reflected in his pupils, giving them the effect of being square instead of round. The message, though, was ultimately non-alarmist with the subheading already instructing “Relax. It’s all good”. Stories like this appear regularly in the press, and while I am not interested in debating whether TV is good or bad for children, I am interested in the popular image of children—or, for that matter, adults—as being akin to zombies when they watch TV, if only because something similar happens when we read books. Although it is not as fashionable to talk about it, we become emptied of ourselves, possessed by something other.

Intertextual turns in curriculum inquiry : fictions, diffractions and deconstructions

This thesis is based primarily on work published in academic refereed journals between 1994 and 2003. Taken as a whole, the thesis explores and enacts an evolving methodology for curriculum inquiry which foregrounds the generativity of fiction in reading, writing and representing curriculum problems and issues. This methodology is informed by the narrative and textual 'turns' in the humanities and social sciences - especially poststructuralist and deconstructive approaches to literary and cultural criticism - and is performed as a series of narrative experiments and 'intertextual turns'. Narrative theory suggests that we can think of all discourse as taking the form of a story, and poststructuralist theorising invites us to think of all discourse as taking the form of a text; this thesis argues that intertextual and deconstructive readings of the stories and texts that constitute curriculum work can produce new meanings and understandings. The thesis places particular emphasis on the uses of fiction and fictional modes of representation in curriculum inquiry and suggests that our purposes might sometimes be better served by (re)presenting the texts we produce as deliberate fictions rather than as 'factual' stories. The thesis also demonstrates that some modes and genres of fiction can help us to move our research efforts beyond 'reflection' (an optical metaphor for displacing an image) by producing texts that 'diffract' the normative storylines of curriculum inquiry (diffraction is an optical metaphor for transformation). The thesis begins with an introduction that situates (autobiographically and historically) the narrative experiments and intertextual turns performed in the thesis as both advancements in, and transgressions of, deliberative and critical reconceptualist curriculum theorising. Several of the chapters that follow examine textual continuities and discontinuities between the various objects and methods of curriculum inquiry and particular fictional genres (such as crime stories and science fiction) and/or particular fictional works (including Bram Stoker's Dracula, J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace, and Ursula Le Guin's The Telling). Other chapters demonstrate how intertextual and deconstructive reading strategies can inform inquiries focused on specific subject matters (with particular reference to environmental education) and illuminate contemporary issues and debates in curriculum (especially the internationalisation and globalisation of curriculum work). The thesis concludes with suggestions for further refinement of methodologies that privilege narrative and fiction in curriculum inquiry.

To solaris and beyond

The great Polish science-fiction writer Stanislaw Lem—author of the book, Solaris, on which two movies have been based—died last month. This week, The Philosopher's Zone explores the philosophy underlying his visionary work.

Towards a cyberspatial pedagogy : exploring synchronous online learning potentials

It has been a quarter of a century since William Gibson (1984) coined the term cyberspace in his seminal science fiction novel Neuromancer. Subsequently, a proliferation of online teaching technologies have emerged supporting Virilio’s (1991) contention that, “time and space have ceased to function as meaningful dimensions to human thought and action.” The aim of this presentation is to discuss and demonstrate the innovative modification of an online, synchronous learning environment, Elluminate Live! (eLive), which allows participants to transcend the spatial dimension. Specifically, we present an example of good practice which aimed to enhance student engagement by implementing a structured online tutorial series which replicated the entire first year psychology on-campus tutorial series in the eLive environment. We discuss Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) results which support the utility of this pedagogic strategy. Finally, we outline various challenges for the virtual teacher who wishes to implement a structured learning program in the eLive environment.
Gibson, W 1984, Neuromancer, Ace Books, New York, USA.
Virilio, P 1991, The aesthetics of disappearance, Semiotext(e), New York, USA.

Teaching Australian literature : from classroom conversations to national imaginings

This volume brings together teachers, teacher educators, creative writers and literary scholars in a joint inquiry that takes a fresh look at what it means to teach Australian literature

The sexualised body : the cyborg

The word cyborg was created through an amalgamation of the terms cybernetics and organism. The expression was coined during a 1960s NASA conference to describe the internal technological modification of the body. This new term resonated within popular culture and was quickly embraced by science fiction, where the cyborg became a popular character. The image of the cyborg is often hyper-physical and hyper-sexual. The super sexualised woman who can shoot bullets from her breasts is a popular comic book cyborg representation. The Replicants from Riddley Scott’s Blade Runner are other examples of hyper human, super sexualised cyborgs. Increasingly, the future of our physicality is one that is intertwined with technology. Although the image of the cyborg is often exaggerated, it holds within it real future possibilities. This paper argues that cultural anxieties, in relation to the impact of technology on our bodies, can be identified through the cyborg image.

The imagined body – the cyborg

During a NASA conference in the 1960s, the term cyborg was created through an amalgamation of the terms ‘cybernetics’ and ‘organism’. Coined by concert pianist Manfred Clynes and research colleague Nathan Kline to describe the internal technological modification of the body. This new term resonated within popular culture and was quickly embraced by science fiction where the cyborg became a popular character. The image of the cyborg is often hyper-physical and hyper-sexual. The super sexualised woman who can shoot bullets from her breasts is a popular comic book cyborg representation. The Replicants from Riddley Scott’s Blade Runner and Arnold Schwaznegger’s role the Terminator are other examples where the technological and physical combination produces a terrifying hyper humans. Increasingly the future of our physicality is one that is intertwined with technology. Although the image of the cyborg is often an exaggerated character it holds within it real future possibilities. Consider the portable arm wrist communicator from the scifi classic Star Trek. The watch phone communication device was once an object of the imagination but now a reality in the personal mobile phone. This paper argues that through imagined imagery of the cyborg, future possibilities can be seen.

One example of the image of the cyborg representing possible human futures is the performance work Cyborpyg. Cyborpyg is a 40-minute contemporary dance work that integrates three dimensional (3D) animation and video media within the performance. Projected 3D animated prosthetic limbs appear to extend the dancers from within. These digital limbs integrate with dancer’s bodies transforming them into cyborgs. The animations are an extreme form of aesthetic modification reflecting the possible consequences of the integration of technology within the body. Cyborpyg also explores both utopic and dystipic themes within the cyborg paradigm. The dancing hybrid bodies perform magical feats not possible with an unmodified body. Feet twist into talons and flippers, eyes extend from the head, arms transform into robotic attachments. The dancer’s bodies also appear trapped in an unrelenting environment with prosthesis that appear to torture and inflict serious harm. This paper explores the idea that the imagined image of the cyborg reflects future possibilities for the human physicality.

Alien

Alien is an instrumental piece using warped synth sounds and evoking science fiction types of imagery. The idea behind this piece of audio was to create an unnerving presence with the use of spoken vocals passed through a filter to deepen and slow the voice.

Alien (excerpt 01)

Alien Excerpt 01 is an instrumental piece using synth sounds to create an eerie science fiction feel.

Alien alarm distortion SFX

A sound designed on a synth that evokes science fiction styles alarm or panic. A good sound for TV, Cinema styled projects.

Alien wailing cinematic score

A short composition featuring unusual soundscapes to create an eerie cinematic piece suitable for science fiction styled projects.