Phil Gyford: web | email

These are papers written for my MS in Studies of the Future at the University of Houston - Clear Lake, Texas, USA.

You can see my thesis, 'Conceptual Dissemination Between the Internet and the Mainstream,' here.

If you like this section you might also want to look at my futures weblog, Overmorgen.

Fall 1999
  Introduction to Future Studies Grade: A 

Why Future Studies?
Describing images of the future and perspectives on future studies.

PDF version 1999-09-12

Scanning Journal
Scanning of magazines and sites for new developments. I turned mine into a website.

1999-12-04

Personal Theory of Social Change
Exploring my assumptions about what drives social change.

PDF version 1999-09-19

Critical Analysis of Futures Research
Critique of an article in The Futurist about the unreliability of the Internet as an information resource.

PDF version 1999-10-16

Imagining Difference
Two scenarios of alternative futures.

PDF version 1999-11-08

Devising Strategies
Two strategies to help achieve goals determined as a class exercise.

PDF version 1999-11-28
  Futures Methods I Grade: A 

Letter to the Editor
A critical analysis of an article in The Futurist about the need for genetically modified crops.

PDF version 1999-10-15

Research and Scanning
Scanning of magazines and sites for new developments, both generally and in a specific domain (the Internet).

PDF version 1999-12-01

Interview Report
Inferences about images of the future of the Internet derived from open-ended, unstructured interviews.

PDF version 1999-11-02

Questionnaire Report
Inferences about images of the future of the Internet derived from a close-ended, structured questionnaire.

PDF version 1999-12-01

Datasets and Two-point Comparison
A description of the changes in US energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, 1949-1998.

PDF version 1999-11-30

Time Series Report
Decomposing a time series and making a forecast; the percentage of women in the US workforce.

PDF version 1999-12-01
  Systems Approaches Grade: A 

The Systems Perspective
A description of the systems perspective and reasons for its use.

PDF version 1999-10-08

Example Systems
Descriptions and causal models for six real world systems displaying negative and positive feedback, and counter-intuitive behaviour.

PDF version 1999-11-11

A System Model
A simulation modelling the frequency of forest fires in the Santa Monica Mountains.

PDF version 1999-11-25
Spring 2000
  Social Change Grade: A 
Technological Change and the Internet
A discussion of theories of technological change in relation to the Internet.
PDF version 2000-02-21

Progressive Change
A critique of progressive theories of social change.

PDF version 2000-02-13
Ideational Change
How ideas can spread through society by word of mouth.
PDF version 2000-03-19
My Theory of Social Change
A combined theory of social change using a causal loop diagram.
PDF version 2000-04-21
  Futures Methods II Grade: A 

Analysing Scenarios
An analysis of three found futures scenarios.

PDF version 2000-02-25

Scenario Building
Three scenarios for 2010 for different imaginary clients, each using a different scenario building technique.

PDF version 2000-03-28

Visioning
A suggested visioning project for the Congress for the New Urbanism.

PDF version 2000-04-24
  World Futures Grade: A 

Future of Urbanism Framework Document
A document about urbanism outlining information sources, history, current trends and possible alternative futures.

PDF version 2000-04-24
Fall 2001
  Creating Cultures Grade: A- 
A Mars Colony
A group project: a political and social system for a future colony on Mars. The sci-fi theme took second place to the other aspects.
PDF version 2000-12-03