A hand holds open a book showing text on the left page and a detailed black-and-white illustration on the right.

Speculative Fiction

LW418-01

Start Date

05/26

Time

9am–12pm

Format

Remote

End Date

07/14

Meeting Day

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Credits

3

This online course features the following types of interaction:

  • Live meetings

Speculative fiction is a field of storytelling in which imaginative scenarios are created to illuminate real-life questions and problems. It encompasses many genres including science fiction, gothic novels, plays, films, and even operas and graphic novels. The syllabus ranges from *Utopia* to *Frankenstein*, Octavia Butler’s *Parable of the Sower*, *Ursula K. La Guin’s *Left Hand of Darkness*, and Alan Moore’s graphic novel *Watchmen*, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s *Klara and the Sun*. Assignments include oral presentations, two short critical essays, and a final project, incorporating writing and artwork, in which students design and illustrate a speculative fiction scenario addressing a contemporary question or problem.

This online class uses the ZOOM platform.

Joshua Cohen

Joshua Cohen holds a BA from Haverford College, and an MA and PhD from Boston University. He is Professor of English at MassArt. He has been published in the Classic Record Collector.