Afrofuturism

One course I would love to teach is on Afrofuturist science fiction. I am a big fan of African-American fiction, not because I'm trying to be politically correct, but because so much of African-American fiction is geared to people who grew up in religious, working class and lower middle class homes. Among Afrofuturists, I particularly like feminist Octavia Butler. Butler's works are some of the most radical in the science fiction genre. Even when she gets a little doctrinaire, as in Parable of the Sowers (kind of the Handmaid's Tale of Afrofuturism), her characters always have more complexity than those found in white feminists works, like Margaret Atwood. I also have Brother from Another Planet, the first Afrofuturist major film (so far the only one, though there were a couple of minor blacksploitation entries in the seventies), which is interesting but the sound quality makes it slightly hard to understand. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the classic of all Afrofuturist works, Black No More by George Schuyler. Black No More is a hilarious sendup of racism in which all blacks are turned into whites through a scientific process and a one of these new whites becomes a member of a KKK-like organization. Unbelievably, impossibly politically incorrect, especially in the racist thirties, Black No More is the ultimate in science fiction's exploration of race.

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.