Illustration by Moebius aka Jean Giraud, the late French artist.
Alien Anthropology: Where Social Science and Science Fiction Intersect
A First-Year Tutorial offered fall 2021, taught by Joshua Marshack, assistant professor of anthropology
Have you ever felt like a stranger in a strange land, an alien anthropologist or post-apocalyptic archaeologist who has landed on the shores of an unimaginable world? In this First-Year Tutorial, we will investigate what it means to be human through the dual lenses of science fiction and anthropology. We will utilize both new works, and classic visionary ones, including novels, short stories, comic books, films, and anthropological texts. We will grapple with complex issues, such as cultural relativity, inequality, dehumanization, and environmental justice. Through our readings and creative assignments, from podcast production to illustrated, annotated bibliographies, we will follow the anthropological motto of “making the strange familiar and the familiar strange.” Authors will include Robert Heinlein, Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ursula Le Guin.