This course introduces students to the subgenre of science fiction. Students will analyze, interpret and evaluate novels, short stories and film, and thereby learn the basic structures, themes and characteristics of the subgenre. The course will address, among other topics, representations of scientists and the work they do, the ethics of scientific research, social engineering and dystopia, aliens and Otherness, human dependence on technology, post-apocalyptic visions, and the frontiers of human experience and consciousness. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 100 and ENGL 101.