EAS225H1

Chinese Science Fiction

Pivoting on the recent and growing global prominence of Chinese science fiction, this course takes the history of science fiction in China as an entry point into studying the literary history of a global genre. The course surveys the Euro-American origin of science fiction, introduces students to the earliest Chinese sci-fi and fantasy literatures, and guides students through major science fiction works produced by modern and contemporary Chinese authors, while cultivating critical skills of close reading and distant reading. The course aims to rekindle the joy of reading and thinking in the literature classroom while demonstrating how science fiction offers fresh perspectives on technology, culture and the future.