Speculative Literature: Powers Beyond the Ordinary

Speculative Literature: Powers Beyond the Ordinary - "Super" Women and Men in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Instructor: Josh Shaine
3-10 students
Suggested Ages: 13+ years old
Meets: Thursdays, 4:00pm ET, 15 sessions starting September 3rd

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

Science Fiction and Fantasy stories have many characters who stick out compared to others because they have more magic, different powers, unique abilities.  Are they hidden or revealed? Are they accepted, worshipped or reviled? How much difference does there have to be for a person to get noticed? We will look at how these characters are treated by the worlds in which they are set and reflect on what, if anything, this says about the society in which we live. We'll look at settings such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the X-Men, as well as many other works - well known and uncommon, both. During the final two sessions, students will have a chance to present their own stories about one of the characters and worlds we discussed or their own creation.

Prerequisites: None

SYLLABUS:

Speculative Literature:
Powers Beyond the Ordinary – “Super” Women & Men in Science Fiction & Fantasy

• 1.       Introduction: Mutants, Wizards, & Geniuses
• 2.       The Uncanny X-Men
• 3.       Harry, Hermione, and the Potterverse
• 4.       Diane Duane’s Young Wizards
• 5.       Luke, Yoda, Anakin, and Rey
• 6.       Stephanie Tolan’s Welcome to the Ark
• 7.       Designing Meta-humans: How much power is too much?
• 8.       Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic
• 9.       Superman vs. Batman: What makes a superhero?
• 10.   Sherlock Holmes
• 11.   So many super powers! Television and Movies in 2020-21
• 12.   John Hersey’s The Child Buyer
• 13.   Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game
• 14.   Comparison and Contrast
• 15.   Class Presentations
• 16.   Make-up Day