Science, Fiction, and Science Fiction: Building a Digital Library of Teaching Resources for Interdisciplinary Curricula

FAIN: AC-290027-23

Florida International University Board of Trustees (Miami, FL 33199-2516)
Rhona Trauvitch (Project Director: May 2022 to present)
Maikel Joel Alendy (Co Project Director: December 2022 to present)
Mark A. Finlayson (Co Project Director: December 2022 to present)
Rebecca Friedman (Co Project Director: December 2022 to present)

A three-year project for development and curricular integration of a digital library of interdisciplinary teaching materials exploring connections between science and fiction.

Florida International University’s Science & Fiction Lab propagates humanities across the undergraduate curriculum by creating, storing, and disseminating portable course content (PCC). The subject matter of these “plug-and-play” modules derives from the myriad connections between science and fiction, in pairings such as genetics and clone stories; engineering and dystopian tales; computer science and artificial intelligence ethics. The Lab proposes to sponsor a series of institutes, wherein faculty fellows work in interdisciplinary teams to develop PCC. They integrate their designs into their own courses, and contribute them to the Lab’s digital library of teaching resources. With each institute, this open-access repository grows into a database of PCC available to FIU instructors across disciplines. Bundled in adaptable units, intersections of science and fiction form a starship that conveys humanities throughout the curriculum, transforming the undergraduate classroom experience.