This course examines key themes in the genre of science fiction by focusing on the form of the short story. From inspiring Gothic tales like Frankenstein and Dracula to filling the pages of pulp magazines in the early 1900s, short stories have been important to the history of the genre as well as its thematic content. Each week of the course focuses on a specific theme, including robots, aliens, animals, language, cyberpunk, and climate fiction. For English Majors, this course counts for either the Literature & Environment or Literature & Cultures of Information specializations.

For those who declared in Fall 2023 or later, this course can fulfill one of two subject requirements for the English major:
-Form, Media, Expression
-Regions, Borders, Worlds