Introduction to Science Fiction Literature and Film

Winter 2016/17.

Course commentary

In this first-year undergraduate seminar you will be introduced to the themes and tropes that define the genre of Science Fiction, its historical development, and its continuing relevance in popular culture.

By reading and watching a number of Science Fiction novels and films, by discussing them in class, and by completing regular small research and writing tasks, you can apply and develop your academic skills. The focus on writing exercises in this class will help you to use writing as a tool for thinking, to organise and structure your writing, and to overcome writing anxiety, in preparation for the BM 2 module paper.

Required reading

Buy a copy of H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896; e.g. the Bantam Classics edition) and of Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985; e.g. one of the Vintage Books editions). Read The Island of Dr. Moreau before the start of the seminar.

Also watch as much as you can of the current TV series Orphan Black (Space/BBC America, 2013–present). These two Science Fiction media will be our point of departure. We will deal with The Handmaid’s Tale toward mid-term, so be sure to have read it by then. Additional required reading (or watching) will be assigned over the course of the seminar.