1. German philosopher Edith Stein described empathy in terms of consciousness of a foreign consciousness: "Empathy... is the experience of foreign consciousness in general, irrespective of the kind of the experiencing subject or of the subject whose consciousness is experienced". "Vaster than Empires and More Slow" by Ursula K. Le Guin, "Caridad," by Alex Hernandez, and Upstream Color directed by Shane Carruth express similarly interesting ideas about empathy. How is empathy thematized in each text and film?

2. Sheryl Vint suggests that the difference between science fiction and speculative fiction is roughly rooted in their purpose. Where science fiction is based on the extrapolation of existing science and technologies, speculative fiction is concerned with "risks and wagers" and "larger social questions" that may not require a scientific basis. Considering the rest of Vint's theorization of science fictionhow does her theoretical approach to science fiction inform your understanding of "Vaster than Empires and More Slow," "Caridad," and Upstream Color?

3. In "Caridad," Cary is able to literally become cybernetically linked to her extended family, but at the potential risk to her own identity (Hernandez 125). Consider again the first prompthow does the text fictionalize the connection between empathy and shared consciousness in the context of Hispanic/Latinx identity?

4. Vint suggests that there are two general outcomes to futures typically presented in speculative fiction: one in which the "status quo" remains the same and "despite change" and another in which "seemingly immovable fixtures of the given world are open to redesign" (53). With these two ends in mind, in what ways do "Vaster than Empires and More Slow," "Caridad," and "Upstream Color" present their respective futures? Are they utopian, or dystopic? Consider the role of utopia in Vint's theorization of science fiction in relation to the readings.