Science fiction addresses key concerns that are not restricted to the imaginative worlds depicted in fiction; rather, science fiction uses alien settings, strange worlds, alternate timelines, or virtual environments as a way of exploring contemporary issues. Over the course of exploring the various issues contained in these fictions, the various movements of science fiction will be explored to provide a broader sense of the genre's development from its earliest to its most current forms; in addition, terminology will be introduced so, by the end of the course, students will have a broader understanding of science fiction's historical and thematic terrain.
