TEP329H1 F Science Fiction for Engineers

Course number and title: TEP329H1 F Science Fiction for Engineers 

Course description: The curriculum will showcase how creative writing connects to, and enhances, critical thinking in engineering. We will cover major concepts in science fiction (e.g., biomedical breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, terraforming planets) to study the ways its stories have explored, questioned, predicted, and even inspired elements from various engineering disciplines. We will seek to gain an understanding of how science fiction allows us to reflect on engineering practice and ethics, projecting the societal and environmental impacts of untested technologies. We will develop critical reading and academic writing skills to explain the importance of imagining what we intend to build as a prerequisite to building.