LIT 2081 Spring 2024

Fantasy and science fiction have enjoyed a resurgence in pop culture in recent years, but it can be easy to forget that fantasy can be about so much more than superheroes or wizarding houses—not that those aren’t fun on their own. Practically since its inception, the fantasy/scifi genre has been a powerful tool for authors to create political and social commentary and change. In this course, students will be introduced to the works of one of the most significant fantasy/scifi writers of the 21st century: Ursula K. Le Guin. In this reading-intensive course, students will read several novels, short stories, and personal essays by the author, then use Le Guin's work as a lens to analyze and dissect issues such as gender and queerness, environmentalism, racial and class inequality, and—of course—what it means to be “human.”