Science Fiction
Description
Science fiction deserves a place in the education of any well-rounded citizen of the twenty-first century. The genre is uniquely suited to exploring the opportunities and dangers inherent in technological progress, and to imagining new ways of organizing societies.
The science fiction genre includes two types, "soft" and "hard." Soft sci fi works may be set in the future or on a different planet, but do not emphasize scientific themes. Star Wars and Dune are iconic examples of soft sci fi.
This course focuses exclusively on hard sci fi. These are works that are intended to explore the implications of scientific or technological developments, and strive to be as scientifically accurate as possible. In order to keep the explorations as relevant as possible, we've prioritized contemporary works over classics that are based on outdated assumptions.
This is a one-semester elective course, and works well as a complement to the core Future Studies course.
Course components
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We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
Dennis E. Taylor
Core curriculum · Reading level 6 · Aug 10, 2026 - Aug 23, 2026 · 10 credit hours -
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
Core curriculum · Reading level 6 · Aug 24, 2026 - Sep 13, 2026 · 16 credit hours
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