Sci-Fi Literature

I’m a second semester senior, but it doesn’t feel real. I still think I’m a freshman or sophomore with all the time left in the world, when in reality I am currently taking the last set of courses I will ever take at Penn. There are so many classes I wish I could still take, like Existential Despair (fitting), Positive Psychology, Nutrition in Nursing, anything in Wharton; however, I did manage to take one class this semester that I have had my eye on for a long time. 

Sci-fi literature taught by Dr. Kate Dorsch is a course in the Science, Technology and Society (STSC) department. I found the class on our course database simply by typing in the phrase “science” and scrolling through the results for something exciting to take my senior year. As a huge reader and a massive sci-fi fan, I knew this would be the perfect class for me. 

Each week, we read excerpts or watch clips from some of the greatest sci-fi works in history, starting from as far back as pieces from the Industrial revolution to modern movies such as Black Panther. Assigned novels for the course include some of my all time favorites like Orwell’s 1984. Dr. Dorsch explained that the syllabus changes each time she teaches the course, as she allows students to make suggestions for changes and new novels to include. 

My advice for current and future Penn students is to start taking classes you are passionate about earlier on during your time here. While I don’t think my experience was lacking (I thoroughly enjoyed all of the 400 level Biology classes I took for my masters and journalism courses for my minor), I definitely wish I had begun exploring all of the incredible departments here much sooner. 

- Kaitlyn B.