Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Science Fiction and Religion
Instructor(s): Eliza Kent, Religious Studies
An exploration of religious themes and fictional religions in science fiction literature. Religion and science fiction (SF) share a lot in common. Both forms of culture create other worlds, engage with existential questions, and conjure up a fantastical array of non-human beings (angels, demons, gods, aliens, cyborgs, and mutants) through which we work through the complexity of human relations. After an introduction to the history and basic genre conventions of SF and prevailing scholarly definitions of religion, we explore how authors use religious themes and fictional religions to speculate about alternative realities, critique present-day society, and reimagine social relations between self and Other, engaging and playing with differences based on race and gender. In the final section of the class, we explore several different varieties of New Religious Movements that are inspired by SF (Scientology, Heaven鈥檚 Gate and Star Wars fan culture), yielding a deeper understanding of both pop culture fandom and religion in 20th and 21st century US.
Course Offered: