The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast our modern depiction of the extraterrestrials, as presented in the movie Arrival (2016), with historical beliefs of previous generations as presented in this course. Discuss how the historical speculations about the nature of extraterrestrials, from their appearance, their culture and social structure to their methods of communication and scientific and technological advancements have influenced our modern portrayal of aliens. It must be noted that the essay must not merely be a repetition of the course material or a description of the movie but must bring the two together in a coherent way, thus arriving at a connection between past speculations and modern beliefs about extraterrestrials. To help the students spot such connections and assist them in observing some parallels between the past and present perceptions of extraterrestrials, some sections of the lecture slides are marked with purple stars. It is recommended that students use the suggested sections in drawing parallels and effectively employ them in the construction of their essays.
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