CHID 332 B: Disability and Society

"REDESIGNING HUMANITY: SCIENCE FICTION & THE FUTURE OF THE BODY" TAUGHT BY JOANNE WOIAK FROM 'FRANKENSTEIN' TO 'BRAVE NEW WORLD' TO 'GATTACA' AND BEYOND, SCIENCE FICTION (SF) HAS SPECULATED ABOUT THE ARTIFICIAL CREATION, MANIPULATION, AND ENHANCEMENT OF HUMAN LIFE. THIS COURSE WILL ANALYZE SF TEXTS THAT USE FUTURISTIC AND UNREAL SETTINGS TO COMMENT ON CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY AND BIOETHICAL DEBATES. WE'LL CRITIQUE HOW SF HAS OFTEN REFLECTED MAINSTREAM ATTITUDES ABOUT DISABILITY, GENDER, AND RACE, AND READ MORE RECENT WORK IN WHICH MINORITIZED COMMUNITIES ARE INTERVENING IN THE SF GENRE TO "WRITE OURSELVES INTO THE FUTURE," AS NOVELISTS OCTAVIA BUTLER PUTS IT. BY FOCUSING ON THE CONNECTION B STUDIES, THE COURSE WILL CONSIDER R NEURODIVERSITY IN WHICH AUTHORS AND ACCESSIBILITY, IDENTITY, COMMUNITY,