Lecture

Socio-Political Science Fiction

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In course

HUM-219: Does science fiction tell the future?

L'objectif du cours est de d'apprendre à analyser un genre littéraire, graphique et cinématographique, la science-fiction, en se penchant sur les multiples variations qu'il a pris au cours du temps. Nous aborderons l'histoire du genre, son fonctionnement ...

Description

This lecture delves into the intersection of socio-political issues and science fiction, exploring utopian and dystopian societies, as well as the impact of technology on politics. The instructor discusses the concept of 'technoscientific' fiction and its implications for society.

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Instructor

Marc Atallah

Teaching & PhD Courses Humans/machines HUM-416 This course combines cultural (particularly literary and artistic), social and scientific approaches to explore the issues, perspectives and problems raised by the hybridization of human and machine. Humans/machines II HUM-463 This course combines cultural (particularly literary and artistic), social and scientific approaches to explore the issues, perspectives and problems raised by the hybridization of human and machine. Scie

Official source

Related concepts (20)

Dystopia

A dystopia (), also called a cacotopia or anti-utopia, is a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is often treated as an antonym of utopia, a term that was coined by Sir Thomas More and figures as the title of his best known work, published in 1516, which created a blueprint for an ideal society with minimal crime, violence, and poverty. The relationship between utopia and dystopia is in actuality, not one simple opposition, as many utopian elements and components are found in dystopias as well, and vice versa.

Science fiction

Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction can trace its roots to ancient mythology. It is related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres. Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers.

Utopia

A utopia (juːˈtoʊpiə ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, which describes a fictional island society in the New World. It can also refer to an intentional community. Hypothetical utopias focus on, among other things, equality in categories such as economics, government and justice, with the method and structure of proposed implementation varying according to ideology.

Utopia (book)

Utopia (Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia, "A truly golden little book, not less beneficial than enjoyable, about how things should be in a state and about the new island Utopia") is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535), written in Latin and published in 1516. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs.

Political sociology

Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how power is distributed and changes throughout and amongst societies, political sociology's focus ranges across individual families to the state as sites of social and political conflict and power contestation.

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Cyberpunk Aesthetics

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Virtuality and Science Fiction

Delves into virtuality in science fiction, exploring how narratives construct imaginary worlds and challenge established paradigms.

Semiotics: Reversibility

Explores the concept of reversibility in semiotics, analyzing the transition from utopias to dystopias through sign systems.

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