The aim of this proseminar is to examine the contributions and significance of women writers in science fiction. Students will be familiarized with the history and contexts of science fiction as a literary genre, as well as defining conventions and recurring themes. They will engage with selected works of female science fiction authors and thereby practice their textual analysis skills as well as the interpretation of literature within its specific historical and cultural contexts. In addition, student will have the opportunity to refine their ability to initiate and lead discussions.

Short input lectures on theory and (historical) context, group activities, student-led discussions, plenary discussions of assigned texts.

We often associate ‘science fiction’ with noisy light sabers, enterprising starships and big-eyed green aliens – even though the genre has long moved from pulp fiction and B-movies to esteemed canon and a more general conception as “a way of thinking about things” (Attebery 2011, 160). Another commonly made assumption: science fiction literature is primarily written by and for (white) men, what with its focus on masculine-coded hard sciences and technological accomplishments. However, science fiction has never been alien to women writers and readers, and sci-fi literature is ripe with explorations of gender as a biological, social, cultural category. Over the course of the semester, we will see that science (and other speculative) fiction offers whole galaxies beyond a mere boy’s space permeated by pew-pew-pew sounds.From Mary Shelley’s trailblazing Frankenstein to seminal 20th century works by sci-fi authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler up to contemporary short stories that challenge the status quo: In this course we will investigate common (mis)conceptions of the genre, explore aspects of gender in female science fiction writings, and generally connect the ‘what ifs’ of speculative fiction with our realities.Starting with a basic crash-course, we will look at the historical development of science fiction to develop a necessary understanding of the genre and its many forms, before focusing on the contribution of female authors. Special attention will be paid to issues of gender, sexuality and other forms of power. After a proper contextualization, we will meet in the form of regular ‘book club’ sessions to discuss selected examples in more depth.

No previous knowledge of the subject at hand necessary.

Please mind the prerequisites according to your curriculum.

As part of this class, students are expected to familiarize themselves with various primary and secondary texts on science fiction (exact titles tba), any additional material will be provided on Moodle.  

This proseminar has three pillars of assessment: Active and constructive participation in class (including regular attendance, completion of assigned readings, contributions to discussions and other activities), worth 20% of the final gradeA team-hosted book club session, i.e., planning and conducting a full class (activities, group discussions) on one of the assigned readings (including a written seminar plan, to be handed in one week before the class), worth 40% of the final gradeA proseminar paper (2500 words), free choice of topic as long as it is connected to female-authored science fiction, worth 40% of the final grade.

Genre fictionScience fictionGender/ female perspective/ feminist theoriesFemale science fiction writers & their works

Participation: regular and punctual attendance, proper announcement of missed attendances, reading of all assigned texts, preparation for meetings, engagement in class, meaningful contribution to discussions.Book club hosting: relevance and quality of prepared content, cohesiveness of session plan, use of different media/ interactive formats, discussion facilitation and moderation.Proseminar paper: relevance of topic, fulfilment of formal requirements, quality of argument/ analysis, quality and quantity of cited sources, proper citations of sources (Chicago Manual of Style).A positive grade in all pillars of assessment is necessary to successfully complete this proseminar!General remark on plagiarism/ code of conduct:Please refer to the department’s policy on plagiarism, and its code of conduct. Students who do not adhere to these rules will be removed from class immediately.