The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Interdisciplinary Themes

In reading Hitchhiker's Guide, students discussed the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, through Adams's portrayals of artificial intelligence, futuristic technological devices, and conceptualizing of space travel. Dr. Billy Barott, an electrical engineering professor specializing in radio astronomy, guest lectured on the feasibility of Adams's wildest claims.

Computers and Artificial Intelligence

Students developed pages on different types of computer technologies, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Daniel Bussey compared human interactions with intelligent beings in works of science fiction and reality.
Savanah Fulbright explored whether genuine people personalities could be achieved with current advancements in A.I.
Dustin Gibson researched artificial intelligence in the novel and other works of science fiction and compared them to real life.
Daniel Jones considered whether A.I. can be trusted in society, using examples from science fiction and real life.
Dillon Piotrkowski compared portrayals of Artificial Intelligence in science fiction with real life examples of A.I.
Anuj Suresh considerered how sentience could affect task performance in robots and whether we should be adding to the intelligence of existing machines.

Space Travel

These students researched spacecraft and other issues related to interstellar travel.

Syed Abbas, researched the feasibility of HGG's Improbability Drive and other means of interstellar travel in science fiction and reality.
Matheus da Silva demonstrated why humans should advance space travel and then compared different examples of space travel in works of science fiction with real world counterparts.
Eric Heines compared different methods of interstellar propulsion in science fiction and reality.

The Nature of the Universe

In these pages, students explored the nature of the universe, systems of civilization building, and the potential for world destruction.

Christopher Adams compared the human race with other potential galactic civilizations, using Adams's concepts of survival, inquiry, and sophistication.
Jamey Combs, explored various ways in which a planet could be destroyed and compared them with the methods used by Vogons in the novel.
Logan Farrell researched examples of terraforming in science fiction and how they compare with current theories of terraforming.
Tina Isenard compared religious prophcies about the end of the world with scientific theories.

Futuristic Technology

In these pages, students surveyed a variety of futuristic technological devices used in science fiction.

Julian Avila researched what it would take to hack the improbability drive.
Devin Edwards explored different technologies for recording information and contrasted blogs with wikis for sharing information.
Gavin James considered translation technologies, like the Babel Fish, and what they could mean for the evolution of languages.
Jake Kim studied the biological and technological feasibility of the Babel Fish.
Aditi Korat looked at the rise of weapons technologies and their use in state terrorism, as depicted in science fiction and experienced in reality.
Alex Ursuti reviewed various translation technologies and the potential conflicts that arise from errors in translation.

Life Sciences

These pages look at humans, animals, intelligence, and how they can all be so odd when in a Douglas Adams novel.

Celine Bounds explored the nature of human, animal, and robotic sacrifice in works of science fiction and reality.
Banin Jafri researched the ways in which intelligence is measured and how human intelligence compares with animal intelligence.
Christopher Leirer examined the ways in which general and emotional intelligence in animals is measured and compared those methods with science fiction representations of intelligent animal species.
Zachary Lietzau contrasted human, animal, and machine intelligence to better understand how they are represented in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Kevin Lim explained how animal intelligence differs from human intelligence.


Course designed and taught by Dr. Ashley Andrews Lear at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 2017.