UMass Boston

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Science Fiction

Course Overview

Date / Time Location Credits Minimium Tuition*
9/2/25 - 12/12/25
MoWe 2:30p.m. – 3:45p.m.		 Wheatley-Peters W01-0052 3 $2065 (guest students)
Date
9/2/25 - 12/12/25
Time
MoWe 2:30p.m. – 3:45p.m.
Location
Wheatley-Peters W01-0052
Credits
3
Min. Tuition*
$2065 (guest students)

Description

This course focuses on particular moments and issues in the development of science fiction across the 20th and 21st centuries. It primarily focuses on how science fiction, as a distinct cultural genre, offers a unique critical analysis and exploration of the technological changes that shape society. Because science fiction has become an increasingly popular genre throughout the world, the course will typically take a global perspective. While the emphasis is on literature, it may also include film, television, graphic novels, music, and/or comics. Issues and movements covered may include: climate change; artificial intelligence and virtual reality; postcolonial and anti-imperial science fiction from the global south; the New Wave's relationship to 1960s countercultural movements; first contact narratives; cyborgs and other human-machine interfaces; and science fictional explorations of race, class, gender, and sex relationships.

Prerequisites

ENGL 200 or 201 or 202

Guest registration opens August 18

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Course Details

Session

Regular Academic Session

Class Dates

9/2/2025 - 12/12/2025

Location

Wheatley-Peters W01-0052

Enrolled / Capacity

16 / 24

Status

Closed

Instructor

Hugh O'Connell

Tuition*

$2065 (guest students)

* The tuition estimate is based on minimum, single-course cost to a new student who is a Massachusetts resident and not enrolled in a multi-course program. State residency, online/in person modality, and matriculation to a degree program may affect cost.

Tuition Details