CMLT-C216 (15168) SCI FI, FANTASY & THE WESTERN TRAD
Summer 2012, 1st 6 weeks, MTWR 12:40-2:30 COLL & IUB GEN ED A&HThis course will read some of the best science fiction stories in the 20th century and put them in relation to film. If the genre of science fiction creates an alternate universe, is it merely escapist or even irrelevant, or is it a laboratory in which critical contemporary issues and concerns are explored? What can science fiction tell us about the boundaries of humanity, the nature of consciousness, fascist oppression, women’s reproductive rights, or the our shared condition of mortality? Works examined may include Blade Runner, Neuromancer, Never Let Me Go, La Jatée/Twelve Monkeys, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Handmaid’s Tale. We will also try our hands at writing science fiction, to better understand this genre’s modes and tools of social engagement.
