Program Overview

Introduction to the Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science Program

The Speculative Fiction and Cultures of Science (SFCS) program was founded in 2013, originating from the decision by then-Dean Steven Cullenberg to create an academic unit that complements the strength of the Eaton Science Fiction Collection in the UCR library. New faculty members with research focuses on speculative fiction were hired as part of this initiative, joining existing CHASS faculty working in related research to found the program.

Mission Statement

The SFCS program explores the intersections among speculative fiction, science and technology studies (STS), and traditions of speculative thought. It investigates the pervasive role of speculative discourses in public culture, examining the complex and reciprocal exchanges among futuristic discourses, research agendas, public policy decisions, media texts, and daily life in technologically saturated societies. By combining the perspectives of cultural studies and STS, the program helps students develop critical literacy about their media-dominated landscape, enabling them to understand the discourses of science and the future.

Program Focus

The program focuses on understanding technological change in specific contexts by analyzing the texts and practices that have responded to, critiqued, and built upon the ways science shapes our cultural, material, and economic milieu. Speculative thinking and speculative fictions are central to many compelling contemporary research concerns, such as the Anthropocene, climate change, genetic engineering, and discourses of the posthuman. The power to depict and thus shape the future is similarly key to urgent social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter, ongoing struggles for economic equity, and movements for sustainability.

Curriculum and Research Areas

Consistent with other STS programs, the SFCS program examines the histories and cultures of science, technology, and medicine to understand the role culture plays in the production of science and the reciprocal way changes in science and technology shape culture. The program uniquely emphasizes the role of popular culture and the genres of speculative fiction, serving as an imaginative testing ground for technological innovation, articulating hopes and anxieties regarding technological change, and mediating public understandings of science and its applications.

Key Areas of Study

• The social study and history of science and medicine
• The history of technology
• Speculative thought
• Creative expression across media
• New digital cultures
• Cultural analysis of texts and contexts shaped by scientific change
• Cultural differences among scientific practices

Program Offerings

The program offers a Designated Emphasis (DE) at the PhD level and an undergraduate minor (currently called Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies) at the undergraduate level. These offerings provide a rich interdisciplinary study of cultural ways of responding to changes in science and technology, complementing program majors in departments such as:

• Anthropology
• Comparative Literature
• Creative Writing
• English
• Ethnic Studies
• History
• Media and Cultural Studies
• Philosophy
• Theatre, Film and Digital Production
• Gender and Sexuality Studies

Conclusion

The Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science program at the University of California, Riverside, offers a unique and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the intersections of science, technology, and speculative fiction. Through its curriculum and research areas, the program equips students with critical literacy and a deep understanding of the complex relationships between science, technology, and society.