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This interdisciplinary course examines science fiction texts from a physics perspective, focusing on both the long and short-term ability of science fiction to inspire and give ethical boundaries to otherwise abstract modeling of theoretical physics. In turn, the course will also demonstrate how the field of physics historically informed the development of science fiction and culture. Significant themes and trends in the futuristic worlds of science fiction, such as space exploration and nanotechnology will be discussed alongside the ways that private industry, government, and global scientific communities approach the politics of envisioning the future.

This interdisciplinary course examines science fiction texts from a physics perspective, focusing on both the long and short-term ability of science fiction to inspire and give ethical boundaries to otherwise abstract modeling of theoretical physics. In turn, the course will also demonstrate how the field of physics historically informed the development of science fiction and culture. Significant themes and trends in the futuristic worlds of science fiction, such as space exploration and nanotechnology will be discussed alongside the ways that private industry, government, and global scientific communities approach the politics of envisioning the future.