Fantasy and Science Fiction Short Stories

C.S. Lewis. Isaac Asimov. J. R. R. Tolkien. J. K. Rowling. Ray Bradbury. Douglass Adams. These are some of the greatest fantasy and science fiction writers - but where did they get their start? Probably, they didn't begin writing epic trilogies - they started with short stories. This course will begin with a discussion of the fantasy and science fiction genres. Students will explore what elements determine the genre, that is, what key, essential ingredients are necessary for prose to be classified “fantasy and/or science fiction." They will go on to investigate the question, "What makes a story great?," by analyzing the short writings of many different sci-fi and fantasy authors.

Throughout the course, students will write three short stories, including a very short one (a single page), a medium-length one (4-5 double-spaced pages) and a long one (up to 10 double spaced pages). Students will engage in all aspects of the writing process and their stories will be peer-reviewed. Ultimately, stories are meant to please an audience and some of the best feedback writers get will come from their readers.

Acknowledgements

Please Note: This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Students will understand and identify defining conventions (motif, literary devices, etc.) of the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Students will analyze how authors use literary elements (setting, character, structure, etc.) to achieve effects in their writing.
Students will engage in all steps of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, editing, publishing) to produce a final short story in either the science fiction or fantasy genre.