CNL for teaching

Liisi Pajula
University of Tartu, Estonia

Emanuele Bardone
University of Tartu, Estonia

Considering Possible Futures

Utopian and dystopian narratives reflecting the present

The realisation of the „grandest sociotechnical imaginary of our time“ (Beck et al. 2021, 143) – sustainability – depends on the imagination and creation of a future radically different from the present. In order to achieve that, “the” future first needs to be opened up: options now presented as unavoidable and their realisation “only a matter of time” need to be problematised and scrutinised. Next, imaginative work is vital to help create alternative visions of what’s possible. Here, using utopian or dystopian narratives to fuel exploratory thinking can lead students to critically examine the present and lead them to imagine alternative (un)desirable futures. 

here is the link to the complete learning scenario »