Sunday, September 5, 2010

Science Fiction works I'm teaching this semester, any suggestions?

So, I wanted to talk about my reading lists for the next two semesters. This semester, my reading list includes Fight Club, Native Son, Galatea 2.2, Martin Eden, The Trial, The Sparrow, and The End of the Affair. Only Galatea 2.2 and the Sparrow are science fiction works. Galatea 2.2. is the most serious mainstream literary exploration of the ethical and societal implications of artificial intelligence, while The Sparrow talks about how religion will change in the face of first contact. Both works are quite good, particularly the former, but next semester, I'm seeking to have truly outrageous titles in my course. Right now, I plan to teach Clockwork Orange, Iron Dream, The Kindly Ones, My Holocaust, Black No More, Indian Killer, and Captain Confederacy. As you can see, quite a few of these works are sci-fi (Clockwork Orange, Black No More, Captain Confederacy, Iron Dream). I was wondering if you guys could think of any good works to include? I'm looking for works that will push buttons, that are in some cases (most actually) gratuitously offensive and un-p.c., as I believe these works are the best at promoting meaningful dialogue in class. For instance, My Holocaust is about the academic practice of competitive genocide, in which people fight over "most victimized" status. If you know of any works along those lines, please let me know.

1 comment:

  1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margeret Atwood.-topics include women's rights, the environment, moral downturns, religous extremism, and hypocrisy.

    Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. topics include overpopulation, trust, social cliques, and violence.

    Both books kind of center on a big brother type of government.

    ReplyDelete