by Niki Acton '16

This fall, first-year students will have a chance to examine humanity from a different perspective: science fiction. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Benjamin Farrer will teach a First-Year Preceptorial called "Science Fiction and the Human Identity," where students will use science fiction to explore the basic theories of political science.

As an example, Farrer cites the upcoming presidential election. "It's easy to get caught up in the headlines, scandals, and gaffes of a presidential race. But we shouldn't spend all our time worrying about who is going to be president—we should spend more time thinking about why we have a president at all."

Farrer says that science fiction examines the "big questions" that we might otherwise overlook. "Why are we limiting our political participation to just deciding who to vote for? Why not a different type of system? Why not push for more fundamental changes in society? Science fiction helps us think about revolutions."

His interest in the intersection between political science and science fiction led to the inclusion of a chapter by Farrer in a new supplementary textbook for beginning political science courses titled Poli Sci Fi: An Introduction to Political Science through Science Fiction.

Meant to be used in tandem with with more traditional textbooks, Poli Sci Fi includes 16 chapters that use prominent science fiction films and television shows to explore core concepts of political science.

"One of the best things about academia is the opportunity to always be trying new things," said Farrer. "I think Poli Sci Fi represents a genuinely new take on some important topics. I think it will help students."

Farrer's chapter is titled "Equilibrium: If Game Theorists Ruled the World?" In the chapter, Farrer uses the characters and plot of the 2002 movie to introduce the basic ideas of Game Theory.

"Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing human behavior," Farrer said. "In the movie, some characters use Game Theoretic techniques in interesting ways."

Farrer, who earned a Ph.D. in political science from Binghamton University, teaches social science classes in the environmental studies department at Knox. His classes include environmental politics, political organizations, and quantitative methodology.