Russian and Soviet Science Fiction

Course Number: 82-297

This course explores the longstanding tradition of science fiction literature, film, and art in the Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet world. How does the future-oriented world of science fiction look and operate when produced in a country with an entirely different conception of progress and historical destiny than our own? What does a communist Martian Utopia look like, for example, and how did the collapse of the USSR impact the psyche of millions of Soviet children raised with dreams of becoming Cosmonauts? How does Russias medieval past collide with the current Putinist present in recent dystopian novels? This course will explore the origins of science fiction writing in Russia under the Tsar and its flowering under the early Bolshevik regime, who sought to transform fantastic visions of the future into present reality through the promise of the Revolution.

We will discuss the intellectual and philosophical novels Solaris and Stalker by the Strugatsky brothers and their screen adaptations by Andrei Tarkovsky, the mind-bending and scandalous works by Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, and the current popularity of Russian dystopian video games. Students will gain an understanding of the science fiction genre as a whole: how can a work be both realistic and fantastic? What are the boundaries of science fiction, and how is fantasy separated or blurred with reality in a fictional world?

The course is conducted in English, but students will have the option to do work in Russian for three extra course units. This course is cross-listed as 76-392.

View the Schedule of Classes for more details

Units: VAR