A study of genres of fantasy and science fiction. The course will survey the history of fantasy and science fiction with an emphasis on major contemporary authors. The course will examine the art of storytelling and wordbuilding in fantasy and science fiction to evoke a "sense of wonder". Students will also explore the wide variety of sociological, political, and scientific themes inherent to fantasy and science fiction literature, such as utopian/dystopian worlds, race, class, gender and identity formation, surveillance, and artificial intelligence.