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Alternative Epistemologies in Feminist Speculative Fiction
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:27
Abstract
This course engages with trailblazing feminist texts in utopian literature, science fiction, fantasy and the Gothic to see how they helped shape the history of science by exploring alternative forms of knowledge and cognition. Additionally, a key historical or philosophical text will aid our investigation into the functioning and significance of each speculative thought experiment.
Objective
This course aims to: - Deepen students’ understanding of feminist speculative fiction and alternative epistemology. - Allow students to confidently critically analyse fiction using interdisciplinary scientific tools/lenses and examine the role of literature in scientific advancement. - Encourage students to further explore scientific/philosophical themes in cultural production and vice versa.
Content
This course will focus on the speculative exploration of alternative ways of knowing and seeing the world as engaged with in specific texts of feminist speculative fiction, from Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World (1666) over Joanna Russ’s The Female Man (1975) to Darcie Little Badger’s A Snake Falls to Earth (2021). These texts, taken from various speculative genres including utopian literature, science fiction, the Gothic and fantasy, will demonstrate the long-standing interrelationship between literature and philosophy of science, and in particular the rich history of feminist writers challenging the cognitive worldviews of their days and exploring alternative epistemological models for seeing and engaging with their intellectual environment and the world at large. Alongside our primary literature, we will moreover be reading some key historical and philosophical texts, such as Mary Astell’s ‘A Serious Proposal to the Ladies’ (1694), Thomas Nagel’s ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’ (1974) and excerpts from Helen E. Longino’s Science as Social Knowledge (1990). In doing so, we will gain a deeper contextualised understanding of the textual/philosophical functioning and historical significance of the speculative thought experiments at hand, which themselves helped shape scientific debate of their time and beyond. This course should be of particular interest to students of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) due to its interdisciplinary focus on literary engagement with philosophy of science, including its investigation of the cross-pollination between literary production and scientific advancements.
Resources
Literature
Required primary texts: • Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World (1666) • Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847) • Joanna Russ, The Female Man (1975) • Suzette Haden Elgin, Native Tongue (1984) [excerpts provided] • Darcie Little Badger, A Snake Falls to Earth (2021)
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 40
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Alternative Epistemologies in Feminist Speculative Fiction |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
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Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
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