Anthro&science Fiction: Strange New World

ANT4607 Anthropology and Science Fictions: Strange New Worlds
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

The goal of this seminar is to provide a broad survey of the historical and ongoing relationship between speculative science fiction and the social sciences. Through a combination of scholarly texts, films, short stories, novels, and other works, we will explore the different social movements and contexts in which the concept of "culture" materializes. Our topics will cover the emergence of anthropology from colonial travel literature, the construction of the Other in both social theory and speculative fiction, as well as the resistance and social critique that have come to define the discipline of anthropology and genre of science fiction, respectively. Students will be expected to develop and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the entwined traditions within which both anthropology and science fiction operate, and the ongoing changes in social theory and mass culture.

Prerequisites: 3 Intermediate liberal arts courses (CVA, LVA, HSS, CSP, LTA in any combination)