Skip to main content
Department of English
Search
Log in
Navigation
About
Current Office Hours
Diversity Resources
English Library
Faculty Statement Archives
Internal Dept Resources
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
University Writing Program
Video Guides & Worksheets
Visit us on Facebook
Major/Minor in English
Advising
Creative Writing Application
Honors Program
Internships
Literary Magazines
Major Requirements Guide & FAQ
Minor Requirements
Study Abroad
Why Major in English?
MFA in Creative Writing
Admissions
Events, Prizes, and Resources
MFA Program Faculty
Newly Admitted Grad Students
Resources
Ph.D. in Literature
About
Admissions
Newly Admitted Grad Students
PhD Alumni Directory
Resources
Courses & Schedules
People
News & Events
Off the Syllabus Podcast
Recent News
Contests
Contest Winners
Previous Contest Winners
Newsletters
You are here
Home
»
Courses & Schedules
English 40-3 - Winter, 2021
Introductory Topics in Literature
Topic: Science in Literature
Class Information
Instructor:
Arkenberg, Megan
CRN:
44491
Time:
TR 9:00-10:20
Location:
Remote Instruction
GE Areas:
Writing Experience
Description
In this course, we will think and write about the _science_ in science fiction. Science refers to both a body of knowledge and a set of knowledge-making practices. This course will explore how science as a practice has been represented in speculative literature from the 17th century to the current decade. While we will consider how literary texts make use of language and ideas that originate in scientific contexts, our emphasis will not be on the accuracy of the represented science by the standards of a text's contemporaries. We will instead ask: To what purposes, and in what forms, does speculative literature incorporate scientific plots and characters? Which practices and fields of inquiry are imagined *as* science in various forms of fiction? How have thinkers in non-scientific fields reacted to the inclusion of scientific language and ideas in literary texts? Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our class will be conducted entirely online; we will meet synchronously at the regularly scheduled time through Zoom.
Grading
Participation, analysis of and response to academic articles, final essay, final exam
Texts
Frankenstein
, Mary Shelley
The Island of Doctor Moreau
, H. G. Wells
The Picture of Dorian Gray
, Oscar Wilde
Jurassic Park
, Michael Crichton
Piranesi
, Susanna Clarke