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Octavia Butler’s Parables

The hashtag #OctaviaWarnedUs has circulated widely since Donald Trump's presidential campaign seemed to borrow the slogan "Make America Great Again" from Octavia Butler’s dystopian novel, Parable of the Talents. But Butler, a prolific science fiction writer sometimes associated with Afrofuturism, arguably warned us of more than the vagaries of one rogue politician—and in ways that may not map neatly onto current highly politicized configurations of “us” and “them.” In her explorations of identity, either within the human species or in complex interspecies encounters, and in her depictions of environmental crisis and social and economic collapse, Butler’s work has proven remarkably prescient. Focusing on her duology, Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998), this course will explore Butler’s work in the context of socioeconomic, technological, cultural, and environmental concerns. Note that these are dystopian novels and as such may be distressing. With reference to the Parable series, Butler asserted: “People have told me it was prophecy.” “All I have to say to that is: I certainly hope not.”  

Students will also have an opportunity to learn about—and put into practice—methods of scholarly research.