Anthropology Through Speculative Fiction

Calendar

WEEK #	TOPICs	KEY DATES
1	Introduction: Possible Worlds
2	Techniques of Othering	Television clip “The Paradise Syndrome.” Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry and Jud Taylor. Paramount Television, October 4, 1968. Film excerpts Them! Gordon Douglas. Warner Brothers Pictures, 1954. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Don Siegel. Walter Wanger Productions, 1956. Forbidden Planet. Fred Wilcox. MGM, 1956. Alien. Ridley Scott. 20th Century-Fox, 1979. The Brother from Another Planet. John Sayles. A-Train Films, 1984. The Fly. David Cronenberg. Brooksfilms, 1986. Men in Black. Barry Sonnenfeld. Amblin Entertainment/Columbia Pictures, 1997. “Dune.” John Harrison. Evision/New Amsterdam Entertainment, 2000. District 9. Neill Blomkamp. WingNut Films, 2009.
3	First Contact	Television clip “Daybreak, Part 2.” Battlestar Galactica. 2009. Film excerpt Aliens of the Deep. James Cameron. Buena Vista, 2005. Film First Contact. Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson. 1983.
4	Afrofuturism, Utopian and Dystopian Guest Lecture: Prof. Alisa Braithwaite	Paper 1 due Film Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra: Space Is the Place. Jon Coney, Sun Ra, and Joshua Smith. North American Star System, 1974.
5	Vampires!	Television clip Scenes from Bloodsucking Cinema. Barry Gray. Starz Entertainment, 2007.
6	Religion
7	Time	Film excerpts The Time Machine. George Pal. MGM, 1960. Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg. Universal, 1993. The Fullness of Time. Cauleen Smith, 2007.
8	Cyborgs and Cyberworlds Guest Lecture: Prof. Ian Condry, “Robot Anime.”	Paper 2 due Film excerpts Blade Runner. Ridley Scott. Warner Brothers, 1982. Tron. Steven Lisberger. Walt Disney, 1982. The Terminator. James Cameron. Hemdale Film Corporation, 1984. The Matrix. Larry and Andy Wachowski. Warner Brothers, 1999. Film excerpt (Prof. Condry) Genius Party. Studio 4°C, 2007.
9	War, Childhood, and Initiation	Film excerpt War Games. John Badham. MGM, 1983.
10	Gender, Generation/Reproduction, Sexuality, Kinship
11	Genesis, Eugenesis, Morphogenesis, Xenogenesis	Film excerpt The Handmaid’s Tale. Volker Schlöndorff. Daniel Wilson Productions, 1990.
12	Presentations	Paper 3 due