Instructor(s)
This course is based around reading science fiction and critical articles, and watching movies available online. Science fiction is a branch of literature, film, and artwork, that deals with the effects of science or technology on the human condition and our relation to nature. We will read and watch works by key modern and postmodern creators of science fiction, and engage in discussions, understanding that these are not for entertainment but rather offering us oblique but privileged views into the workings of human cultures and societies.
Science fiction is not escapism. You might say that science fiction is escape into reality. . . . In fact I can’t think of any form which is more concerned with real issues.
— Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
