A Message From the Future II: The Years of Repair is an animated short film that
dares to dream of a future in which 2020 is a historic turning point, where the lessons of
the Covid-19 pandemic and global uprisings against racism drive us to build back a
better society in which no one is sacrificed and everyone is essential.
Sharing Your Dream in 2021
For many people around the world, 2020 has been a painful and dismal year. But in this
short film, the creators ask us to imagine 2020 as a turning point, a wake-up call for us
to reclaim our collective imagination to build a better society where “everyone is
essential.”
In this exercise, we would like you to study the film carefully and identify ONE key
message that resonates with you most. After picking a message, write an essay that
responses to the following questions. As this is a critical reflective essay, a thesis is
optional. But you are expected to draw from materials from the course or other
relevant sources to support your answers and provide proper citations with APA
style. Also keep in mind that you should compose your responses to the questions in
a coherent narrative form, with a clear introduction, body text, and a conclusion.
Why did you choose the particular message to highlight? And how does it
resonate with you or your personal experience?
How does this message challenge a “conventional wisdom of development” that
you learned about in this course?
What new lenses have you acquired from this course? How could you apply this
lens to identify, and challenge, an accepted ‘conventional wisdom’?
What is the kind of society that you can imagine in which “no one is sacrificed
and everyone is essential”? (What foundations would this future build on? What
are some existing evidence that makes this future possible?)
How do you see yourself taking part in this radically different future that you
imagine? What would it take for you to fully participate in that future? What skill
or knowledge can you bring, and what else do you need to learn or acquire?
You are expected to cite supporting sources (scholarly articles and other legitimate
sources) and following the APA style. Feel free to draw on other materials. I also encourage you to
cite non-English materials, as long as there is a citable source, and if they are online, a
working link as well. The bibliography you compile at the end of the will not be part of
the page count.
To cite the video, use:
The Intercept. (2020, October 1). A Message from the Future II: The Years of Repair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8YACFJlMg&feature=youtu.be
In assessment of your response, looking for signs of critical engagement
with the issues. These include:
Critical engagement and application of appropriate course contents (theories,
themes, concepts, readings, lectures, etc.)
Critical contextualization identifying the broader context and history of the
issue rather than being purely descriptive
Evidence of reflexivity: Explaining and unpacking assumptions (e.g.
consideration of positionality; consideration of ideological, epistemological and/or
theoretical commitments etc.)
Praxis: How you plan to take-up the insights/lessons learned, their new/evolving
understanding
Compelling or persuasive use of appropriate example, evidence, illustrations
Appropriately research/sourcing/citation
Narrative flow: Conceptual coherence and/or consistency, initial framing is
consistent with the conclusion
