Science Fiction and Fantasy in Literature and Film
CMLT 3100
3 hours
Science Fiction and Fantasy in Literature and Film
Analytical Thinking
Critical Thinking
Course Description
Fictional speculation about scientific matters in literature and film from around the world and from different languages and traditions.
Athena Title
Sci Fi & Fantasy in Lit & Film
Prerequisite
Experience engaging critically with literary or other texts and experience developing and expressing ideas in written and oral form.
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will be able to critically evaluate competing ethical, political, and epistemological claims presented in science-fiction and fantasy works and defend a reasoned judgment about those claims in a sustained argumentative paper using textual and contextual evidence, through an iterative process that includes peer and instructor feedback and an opportunity for revision.
Students will be able to analyze and decompose narrative structure, rhetorical strategies, and formal devices in literary and cinematic texts, identifying how those elements produce meaning and effect across media.
Students will be able to synthesize primary texts and relevant historical, scientific, or theoretical contexts to construct evidence-based interpretations in both written and oral formats.
Students will be able to produce clear, discipline-appropriate written and oral explanations and arguments about literary and filmic texts, tailoring organization, style, and evidentiary support to specific audiences (classroom peers, an academic reader, or a public audience).
Students will be able to analyze and critique filmic techniques and adaptation choices and produce a multimedia analytic product (e.g., visual storyboard analysis, timed video essay, or illustrated comparative portfolio) that demonstrates how cinematic elements shape interpretation.
Topical Outline
The typical course consists of a series of readings in speculative fiction from antiquity to the present. The topics considered correspond to the specific works studied. (The issue of technological innovation and its relation to ecological concerns, for instance, emerges as an important theme in Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.) The works treated will vary with the instructor. The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a single semester:
Jules Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Jorge Luis Borges. Collected Stories
Yevgeny Zamyatin. We
Stanislav Lem. Solaris
Ursula Le Guin. The Left Hand of Darkness
Stanley Kubrick. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Ridley Scott. Blade Runner
George Lucas. Star Wars
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
