August 30, 2013: New program will examine literature, film and implications of a growing technological landscape.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Going where few universities have gone before, the University of California, Riverside will launch a Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies (SFTS) program this fall. It is a logical extension of humanities research at UCR, given the presence of the renowned Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the largest publicly accessible collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror and utopian literature in the world, said Stephen Cullenberg, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS). “We are delighted to announce the debut of the new Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies (SFTS) program,” said Cullenberg, adding that the program will explore links between science fiction studies, science and technology studies, and technoculture studies. “Like other science and technology studies programs around the country and the world, this program will examine the histories and cultures of science, technology and medicine to understand the role that culture plays in the production of science and how changes in science and technology have shaped culture,” the dean said. Alluding to the SFTS mission statement, he noted that the UCR program “also uniquely emphasizes the role of popular culture and the genre of science fiction in particular in mediating public understandings of science, serving as an imaginative testing ground for technological innovation, and articulating hopes and anxieties regarding technocultural change.”