English 209 - Explorations in Science and Literature

Marjorie Senechal and Carol Christ

TTh 1-2:50 p.m.

Scientific discovery and the lives and experiences of scientists have long engaged literary artists.  Writers have tried to anticipate the future through science fiction, and to recreate the past in works that imagine the experiences of historical figures engaged in scientific exploration and research.  By juxtaposing non-fiction and imaginative books about scientific ideas, we evoke curiosity and knowledge about the ideas themselves, understand science as a fictional subject, and explore the complex interrelationships among scientific ideas, cultural history, and literature.  Some of the authors will be invited to Smith to discuss their work with the class and to give public presentations.