This course is centered around finding political scenarios and debates in fictive texts. Politics is an integral part of many fictive texts, and often used to reflect real world issues, debates, and political scenarios. Many seminal works of science fiction, for example, extrapolate political issues like forms of government, pacifism, militarism and ethnic cleansing into contexts where they can be addressed in ways less suited for traditional political science. Weekly reading material will be made available for the students for reading, analysis, and reflection during the course.  

After the course, the students are expected to better understand how politics can be presented in fiction, and how these fictional politics can be used to make sense of actual political events. The students will be more adept at spotting political scenarios and reconstructing them in various contexts.  

The language of the course is English, so students are expected to be reasonably proficient in reading and writing academic texts in this language. English degree programme students can join students of Political Science on the course for a richer mutual understanding of disciplines and the texts.

Email registration to mikko.poutanen@uta.fi

Unthinkable (2010), ohj. Gregor Jordan.

Moore, Thomas: Utopia

Le Guin, Ursula: The Disposessed.

Haldeman, Joe: Forever Peace.

Wyndham, John: The Chrysalids

The course can be taken as a part of the intermediate (aineopinnot) or advanced studies (syventävät opinnot). The intermediate studies completion is 5 credits, advanced studies 10 credits. Evaluation criteria includes active participation in the seminar, topical presentation in seminar, and essay (8–12 pages on one of the presented approaches).

For 10 credits the students will do a longer independent written work, as well as face more stringent grading.

For more details, contact the teacher responsible. Final course requirements will be given in the course syllabus.