Teaching Science Fiction by James Gunn of the Center for The Study of Science Fiction

Majority of this article is about the author and his experiences in teaching science fiction (SF). He says that SF is not an ordinary and easy to define genre. He says SF “has no identifying action or place” but it can include social and physical sciences as long as morality and many other subjects.

When he teaches SF he thinks of three different ways to approach it. One way he calls “the great books course” focuses on great novels. He also mentions “the ideas in SF” course and a historical look at SF. He likes to focus on the historical context so students can “place their SF reading in better context and continue their later reading with greater understanding.”

He also mentions at how discussions and projects in class can engage a student’s interest. In fact he gives an example of an experience he has had while teaching:

“After my first or second class, I got a telephone call from a student who asked when I’d teach the class again. His roommate, he said, had done a project for my class, and it sounded so fascination that he wanted to do one. I suggested that he didn’t have to take my class to do a project.”