Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme I take part in when I can think up answers! It’s a great meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish blog. Every week they suggest a new book-related topic. It’s not only fun to think about my list, but to read what other people come up with!
This week we talk what class we would teach if we could and what our syllabus would be along with the books the class would read. I chose Sci-Fi & Fantasy 101 for an intro class into the genres.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy 101
Science fiction and fantasy are two related genres with a number of sub-genres. Realistic world building is an important aspect of both science fiction and fantasy and there’s often overlap between the two genres.
Science fiction–speculative fiction dealing with “plausible” scientific ideas. Sub-genres include: military SF, space opera, cyberpunk, dystopian and post-apocalyptic, time travel.
Fantasy usually deals with magic and/or supernatural creatures and may take place in imaginary worlds. Some sub-genres: epic or high fantasy, urban fantasy, dark fantasy, steampunk, magic realism.
This class gives an overview of both genres. Some of these books are fantasy, some are science fiction. Some blend the two. We will read both old and new books as well as a number of sub-genres. I’ve included two short works since many of the early works were short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.
Important to remember: have fun reading these books, come to class ready for discussion and continue to read books in both genres.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
Angelica by Sharon Shinn
The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
“The Lady Astronaut of Mars” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov (from The Complete Stories, Vol 2)
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
Two bonus books for extra credit–Young Adult
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Earth Girl by Janet Edwards
What books would you add to this syllabus? What class did you write a syllabus for?
Notes from a Readerholic 
Oh dear, I’ve read only four of those titles. But this makes a good list for me to expand my reading! I’d probably add A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and the first Anita Blake novel.
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I thought of The Handmaid’s Tale and then promptly forgot it! It would be a good pick. And Anita Blake would be a great choice, too, Bea. I used to love those books.
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I would definitely take this class! These aren’t genres I’ve read much of and I think it would be much more fun in a class format where there’d really be discussions. I read Ender’s Game for a book club once and we really talked about the book and it was such fun!
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Thanks, Katherine! Ender’s Game would be a good choice. Lots of good discussion there!
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Some great choices in here, including a couple classics that I really need to read 🙂
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Thanks, Mogsy! I need to read some of the classics, too!
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I see some I’ve read, and several I have not! I love Neal Stephenson, but hadn’t heard of Mary Robinette Kowal. I’ll have to go check some of these out on Goodreads.
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I really like this short story by Kowal.
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