Cyberpunk, Steampunk, and Science Fiction Culture (FNDS 1310)

This course explores speculative culture, the umbrella term that includes science fiction, fantasy, cyberpunk, and steampunk.

It is the culture that gave us such work as ancient as Greek mythology and as recent as the Avatar and Matrix movies, and as varied as the Interstellar film theme music and Cyberpunk 2077 games.

This course examines these texts in addition to other novels, films, paintings, comic books, and songs, to understand why and how futuristic and speculative themes are everywhere, whether extra-terrestrials and cyborgs, or magic rings, swords and sorcery, shaping and being reshaped by our realities and our aspirations. To achieve that, we will conduct interviews, do creative work, and design our own futuristic world. All readings are in English.

This course covers topics in the disciplines of literature and comparative literature.

Who should take this course?

Do you like Cyberpunk 2077, Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and Sherlock Holmes, and think there is no place for them in college? Think again. This course is for you if you want to reconnect with this marvelous works of art at a deeper level while not losing any of the fun. Ever wanted to live in a different world? Then this class is for you, too, for in our final creative project you will construct your very own a fantasy world complete with buildings, fashion, and transportation (yes, cars can fly or horses can have wings).

More about this course

Course number: FNDS 1310

Number of Credits: 4

Search UM-Dearborn Class Schedule to find out more.

Dearborn Discovery Core requirements met: Critical and Creative Thinking, Intersections. Also meets a requirement for the Comparative Literature Certificate.

Meet your faculty member: Wessam Elmeligi, Assistant Professor of Arabic

One of the benefits of taking a Foundations course is gaining a faculty mentor that can support you throughout your college career. Get to know Wessam Elmeligi, faculty member for Cyberpunk, Steampunk, and Science Fiction Culture.

Professor Elmeligi studies and teaches things that do not seem to go together, but do. From comics and film to classical literature and translation. He is a graphic novelist and artist. He likes to talk, but he likes to listen to you more. And he assigns creative projects where you get credit for painting, singing, or acting. He is director of the Comparative Literature Certificate in the Department of Language, Culture, and the Arts.

Have questions about this course? Email Dr. Elmeligi at [email protected].