ENGLISH 9SF
Instructors: Jonah Willihnganz and Shannon Pufahl
Spring 2020, Wed 2:30-3:20
1 Unit
Imagining the future has been one of the most important ways humans have assessed their present. In this salon-style seminar we’ll focus on modern speculative fiction as social critique, especially of regimes of patriarchy, racism, and capitalism. The first three weeks will be devoted to the work of Margaret Atwood, who will visit the class. The remaining seven weeks will explore other speculative fiction, broadly defined and across era and geography, that also engages with oppression and freedom, sex, love, and other dynamics of power. Guest lecturers will discuss the work of authors such as Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Franz Kafka, Philip K. Dick, Ursula LeGuin, and others.