HIST 268 The History of the Future This course provides a historical survey of the way in which western people, from the ancient world to modern times, perceive and respond to ideas and visions of the future. Often these concerns are rooted in the problems the society is currently facing. This course is concerned with themes such as: utopian thought, robots, social reactions to technological change, science fiction, world's fairs as cultural optimism, dystopian fears, and apocalyptic predictions and the techniques and literature of contemporary futurists.