Aliens and Strangers: Exploring the “Other” in a Team-Taught Science Fiction Course

Abstract

While prior research has illustrated the strengths of collaborative teaching between sociology and English, less has examined the potential of cross-listed courses, instead largely focusing on how to bring writing instruction into the sociology classroom. Similarly, other work has explored the possible uses of literary examples within sociology lessons. We argue that a fully collaborative teaching model capitalizing on strengths from both sociology and English studies can be beneficial not only for students but also coteachers. Drawing from autoethnographic approaches, we reflect on our experience teaching a cross-listed sociology and English course in science fiction literature as well as the sociopolitical landscape that motivated our pedagogical decisions. We discuss our rationale for choosing the theme of the “alien” as “other” and the importance of low-stakes writing assignments. We offer practical ideas for integrating science fiction into sociology classes and provide insights for anyone thinking about cross-listed classes on any topic.