Text, Image, Sound - Speculative Futures and Bodies

CLLC-L 110 / CLASS 32322 — Fall 2023

Location
Edmondson Hall C112
Days and Times
M/W 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., 3 credits
Course Description

In this course, we will read recent speculative literature (an umbrella term that includes the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, among others) written mostly by queer authors and authors of color. How does this literature imagine the possibility to survive climate change and white supremacy? How do these texts re-imagine the idea of the “human” in these futures? We will read short stories, novels, and poetry to think about speculation as a tool that might have material effects on how we live. Throughout the course, you will construct your own theory of speculative literature, write a super short story, and create a newspaper from the future. We will investigate what wild realities become possible within the mode of speculation.  The course emphasizes college-level reading and writing, and will suit those interested in literature, environmental sustainability, cultural studies, and the continued fight for liberation and justice.

Instructor: Brianna Best

Collins Seminars: Selected by Board of Educational Programming (BOEP)