Introduction

Typically, science fiction poses questions about major social issues, often related to social institutions (e.g., family, religion, law, education, politics, economy, medicine, science, military, and media); it may present the social issue in the context of a utopian or dystopian theme.  For instance, in utopian feminist science fiction (a la Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness), the characters are often sex or gender androgynous, allowing the audience to contemplate family and social life in a world where sex and gender are completely fluid.  While in dystopian feminist science fiction (a la Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale), sex and gender inequalities are intensified.  Fantasy stories, on the other hand, allow for the authors and audience to imagine a world that is full of magical scenarios and creatures.  Each of these types of stories are particularly fascinating after exploring various notions of love and sex across the world, as is accomplished in Theories of Love and Sex.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Project

In Theories of Love and Sex students are tasked with writing a sci-fi/fantasy story about love, sex, relationships, attachment, etc.  Part of the challenge for them is to incorporate what they learned about the history of love and sex in much of the world (e.g., customs, beliefs/values, laws) into their stories.  These are their stories (unedited and as submitted).