The Moon is Red: Chinese Science Fiction

The science-fiction genre has played an important role in making hard science a key part of national cultures, particularly in China. As the 20th century began, and the final imperial dynasty fell, early Chinese reformers turned in large part to science fiction narratives to enable a confused populace to both recover from the violence of revolution and form a new national identity. In this course we will examine science fiction’s beginnings in the upheavals of European political and cultural life in the 19th century, then look at the role the genre played in the formation of a modern Chinese identity. Along the way we will explore the deeps with Jules Verne, discover a Confucian future with Wu Canren, negotiate life in a colony of sentient cats with Lao She, question the combination of machine and human in Li Ji’s oil fields, and finally attempt to solve Liu Cixin’s world-threatening “three body problem.”    

Satisfies General Education Requirements:

• Group-Satisfying: Arts and Letters
• Multicultural Courses: International Cultures (IC)