ESC 220NEthics, Society, and Science Fiction

3 credits · Engineering Science · Penn State

This inter-domain (GH and GS) course will introduce students to the application of technology-ethics and bioethics, as well as the humanities (especially health and medical humanities) and the social sciences, through the lens of science fiction and speculative fiction. As an inter-domain course, it will: (1) develop foundational knowledges across the disciplines of the humanities and the social and behavioral sciences; and (2) encourage an appreciation for the plethora of stakeholders and often-competing values and interests underlying bioethical/technology-ethics concerns. By applying ethics-based, analytical arguments and counterarguments, students will engage in civil, reasoned debate on highly charged, challenging topics using ethical frameworks. In addition, given exposure to a wide range of non-canonical authors and other creators with varied intersectionalities, students will engage with the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.