About This Course

An introduction to ecological concepts found in speculative fiction, from classic fantasy novels and stories that focus on the heroic quest to the emerging genre of solarpunk that imagines the potentials of renewable energy and conservation in the twenty-first century

Learning Outcomes

• •Appreciate the closeness to the land featured in the cultures and quests of speculative fiction
• •Recognize the significance in speculative fiction of traveling through the land and encountering the mystery of nature as embodied by characters and places
• •Recognize the roles of the primordial elements – earth, air, fire, and water – in speculative fiction
• •Understand the significance of animals in speculative fiction
• •Understand the parallels between environmental destruction and absolute political power
• •Appreciate the hopeful approach of solarpunk in presenting societies that thrive on renewable energy