Science Fiction and Politics, Courtney Brown, Emory University

Education

Science Fiction and Politics Class, Courtney Brown, Emory University.
It has long been known that science fiction often seeks to foretell future technological developments.
But it is also true that much science fiction foretells social science, and it can offer explicit commentaries on the political and social evolution of our societies.
Isaac Asimov's depiction of the new science of psychohistory, Fritz Lang's biting critique of human society in his science fiction movie "Metropolis," and H.G. Well’s similarly powerful perspective on social and political development as portrayed in his novel "The Time Machine," are just a few examples.
This seminar examines the role of science fiction as a powerful vehicle for social and political commentary, especially as it relates to the evolutionary tendencies of human societies.