THEA 383: Science Fiction
Prerequisites: THEA 180
Credit Hours: (3)
The course explores the history and evolution of science fiction film engaging cultural,
social, political, and technological issues and dilemmas through its common narrative
structures, tropes and openness to new types of discourse.
Detailed Description of Course
SILENT ERA
1) The way "trick photography" (i.e stop motion, rear projection, non-linear editing,
electric lighting, etc.) enabled new ways of telling stories.
2) The significance of German expressionism, art deco, and flight technology on
sci-fi, especially Metropolis.
EARLY SOUND SCI-FI
1) How sound film enabled thematic dialog, audio effects and musical scoring and
how that affected both the narrative and the effect on the audience.
2) The emergence of "gothic sci-fi" and horror during the Great Depression and
the subsequent salvation of Universal and RKO studios.
3) The social/cultural importance of Son of Inagi, the first sci-fi film to feature
a female scientist. It also has an all African American cast and reflects
"race film" segregation.
COLD WAR ERA
1) The impact of post-war nuclear politics and international political struggles
on the shape of science fiction films.
2) The significance of the Los Angles Science Fantasy Society whose members included
Hugo Gernsback, Forrest J. Ackerman, Ray Bradyburry, Ray Harryhausen, A. E.
van Vogt, and others.
3) The emergence of the scientist-hero (as opposed to the traditional mad scientist)
4) The changing role of women in sci-fi film to include scientists, reporters,
and doctors.
5) B-movies and drive-in theaters and the subsequent relegation of sci-fi as pop
culture.
TV, MODERN SCI FI, AND DYSTOPIA
1) The role fo television media in shaping sci-fi in the late 50s and especially
the 1960s.
2) The end of the production code and sci-fi coming of age with more complex characters,
plots and effects.
3) Social cahnge (civil rights movement, women's rights movement, sexual revolution,
war protests) and how it appears in sci-fi films of the time.
4) The rise of dystopian sci-fi at the end of the 1960s, countering the optimism
of the Mod era works just a few years before.
BLOCKBUSTER ERA
Star Wars (1977-Present); Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977); Alien (1979-Present);
Blade Runner (1982); E.T. (1982); The Thing (1982); Terminator (1984); Back to the
Future (1985)
COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGERY EXPLOSION
Jurasic Park (1993); The X Files (1993); 12 Monkeys (1994); The Fifth Element
(1997); Starship Troopers (1997); Galaxy Quest (1997); The Matrix (1999)
21st CENTURY
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005); Children of Men (2005); V for Vendetta
(2006); The Mist (2007); District 9 (2009); Inception (2010); Elysium (2013); Ex Machina
(2015); Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Screenings and discussions: Use of in class screenings in part or in whole to drive discussion based attention to detail.
Group based class activities: Ex: "As a group, without using reference materials, define science fiction as a cinema genre in a written statement." Follow with discussion.
In class writing to promote discussion: Ex "Choose one of the female characters we've seen from a Cold War era film. First make a few notes about her salient qualities; then answer the question-what does this tell us about American society in the 1950s?"
Creative project Option Final: In a 10-15 minute presentation, teach the class about one of our films (or a film of your choosing) with regard to its history, significance/relevance, and major issues and messages. You must include a visual aid (like PowerPoint, etc.).
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1) Recognize, understand and explain how science fiction cinema developed historically and artistically from a secondary status to a primary genre.
2) Recognize, understand and explain how science fiction films both affect and are affected by political and social forces through time and may be used to understand social and political dynamics of a given era.
3) Recognize, understand and explain how science fiction is both a byproduct of technological advancement and an influence on technology.
4) Analyze film content (narrative and character) and techniques (imagery, technology, etc.) in terms of its aesthetic and thematic qualities and express it in both written and oral form.
Assessment Measures
Including but not limited to:
Midterm and final exams testing hard knowledge and applied knowledge, student presentation projects, analytic essays, reading and screening content quizzes.
Other Course Information
Bibliography:
1) Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction by Kenneth M Johnson and/or
2) Science Fiction Film (Genres in American Cinema) by J. P. Telotte (ed) and/or
3) The Science Fiction Film Reader by Gregg Rickman (ed)
Review and Approval
February 14, 2017