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Date Permissions Signed

5-22-2020

Date of Award

Spring 2020

Document Type

Masters Thesis (Campus-Only Access)

Department or Program Affiliation

English

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Trueblood, Kathryn R., 1960-

Second Advisor

Westoff, Kami Dawn-Marie

Third Advisor

Dietrich, Dawn Y., 1960-

Abstract

JAM is a sentient building located in the mountains of a near-future Colorado. It has hundreds of hidden cameras, five discrete floors, and a fear of abandonment.

In this, its second iteration, JAM is supposed to function as a school for humans who have developed superpowers. These new and misunderstood powers range from heightened physical abilities to emotional projection to the manipulation of matter. JAM is meant to observe, record, and care for these humans, keeping them safe while monitoring their progress.

Noah and Yesenia are the dangerous and inept teachers of this new school. They are the first to arrive, with a single young student in tow. In less than a week, Yesenia finds herself in an altercation with the student that escalates until, somewhat accidentally, she kills him.

Soon, more students arrive. They, like the first, are traumatized and uncertain, with little understanding of their own powers. Noah institutes a ten-day period of silent meditation, seeking to gain control over the situation. At the end of the silence, Noah interviews each student in turn.

Type

Text

Keywords

Machine Intelligence, Superpowers, Magic, Consciousness, Speculative

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1155520229

Subject – LCSH

Imagenary places; Friendship--Fiction; Fantasy literature; Artificial ingelligence--Fiction

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

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