Introduction to Science Fiction

What lies beyond “The Final Frontier”? Why does it matter if androids dream of electric sheep? What will our future look like and who will be there to enjoy it? What role does technology, ethics and/or politics play in imagining our future? Why has science fiction become such a central metaphor for our daily, lived experiences? Introduction to Science Fiction discusses them all! This course is designed to expose students to broad spectrum of science fiction. We will examine representative texts from each of the modern, roughly defined as the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, “periods” of the genre. The class will discuss the ongoing debate surrounding the “work” performed by the genre, as well as its themes, and stylistic movements. Whether you are a geek, or are geek-adjacent, this course has something for you!