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How Great Science Fiction Works

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Overview

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Examine what makes science fiction an enduring phenomenon that has reflected and inspired our highest technological aspirations-as well as our darkest fears.

Syllabus

  • 01: Mary Shelley and the Birth of Science Fiction
  • 02: Science Fiction in the 19th Century
  • 03: Science Fiction Treatments of History
  • 04: Evolution and Deep Time in Science Fiction
  • 05: Utopian Dreams and Dystopian Nightmares
  • 06: The Rise of the Science Fiction Pulps
  • 07: The Golden Age of Science Fiction Stories
  • 08: The Spaceship As a Science Fiction Icon
  • 09: The Robot: From Capek to Asimov
  • 10: The Golden Age of the Science Fiction Novel
  • 11: From Mars to Arrakis: The Planet
  • 12: The Science Fiction Wasteland
  • 13: Invasions, Space Wars, and Xenocide
  • 14: Religion in Science Fiction
  • 15: Science Fiction's New Wave
  • 16: Encounters with the Alien Other
  • 17: Environmentalism in Science Fiction
  • 18: Gender Questions and Feminist Science Fiction
  • 19: Cyberpunk and the 1980s
  • 20: The 1990s: The New Space Opera
  • 21: The Artifact as a Science Fiction Icon
  • 22: Science Fiction's Urban Landscapes
  • 23: Science Fiction in the 21st Century
  • 24: The Future of Science Fiction
  • By This Professor

Taught by

Gary K. Wolfe

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4.4 rating at The Great Courses Plus based on 101 ratings

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