Course Description
Historical and thematic treatment of fictional speculation about scientific matters from the dialogues of Plato to the contemporary science fiction of Vonnegut.
Athena Title
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will be introduced to the major works of speculative fiction in the Western tradition. They will become familiar with the history of relations between literature and science in the West, as well as the shifting cultural values that shape those relations. Students will analyze a series of literary works and improve their skills in textual interpretation, examining works in terms of their generic, thematic and stylistic characteristics. They will also improve their communication skills through oral presentations and various writing assignments. Students' performance will be evaluated through a variety of means, including assessment of oral presentations, objective tests, essays, and the final examination.
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: Cicero. The Dream of Scipio Cyrano de Bergerac. Voyage to the Moon 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 Octavia Butler. Dawn William Gibson. Neuromancer Greg Egan. Teranesia
Public CV