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Worlds Beyond Worlds: Origin Stories
Patrick J. D’Silva (Worlds Beyond Worlds/WBW) and Josh Perez (Sweet & Condensed) discuss what motivated Patrick’s course on race, religion, and science fiction and how it evolved from an upper-level “Religion and Science Fiction” class into a special-topics course explicitly centered on race.
Patrick describes key themes—defining the human, encountering the other, and how race, gender, sexuality, and disability are woven through speculative fiction—covering topics such as racism in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars/Star Trek, Indigenous Futurism, Afrofuturism/Africanfuturism, cyberpunk (Neuromancer), monsters (Frankenstein), and Jediism as a fiction-based religious movement.
He explains his pedagogy, emphasizing student autonomy (co-editing the syllabus, choosing evaluation methods, flexible formats, and deadlines) and unEssays” (creative projects such as illustrated journals, roleplaying games, cookbooks, audio tracks, paintings, zines, and original fiction), shaped by his teaching experience, parenting, and the pandemic.
They also discuss why film/TV are central to teaching today—visual media’s cultural dominance, immersive “magic,” merchandising/participation, and the impact of on-screen representation.
Time Stamps: 00:28 Why This Conversation Now
02:37 Course Origins and Big Questions
04:34 Race and Futurisms Units
06:48 Student-Led Syllabus and Grading
08:30 unEssays Creative Projects
10:47 Rethinking Traditional Pedagogy
13:09 Parenthood and Student Needs
15:09 Pandemic Compassion and Flexibility
17:45 Holistic Learning and Autonomy
23:32 Movies as Magic and Orientation
26:54 Why Film in the Classroom
27:59 Students Struggling to Read
30:17 Reading vs Watching
31:16 Video Culture Shift
33:27 Teaching Without Ego
35:34 Frankenstein Revisited
37:44 Movie Magic Immersion
41:45 Representation On Screen
46:35 Student Creative Projects
50:22 Improvising In The Classroom
52:07 Fandom As Religion
56:38 Wrap Up And Plugs
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit worldbeyondworlds.substack.com
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By Patrick J. D'Silva, PhDPatrick J. D’Silva (Worlds Beyond Worlds/WBW) and Josh Perez (Sweet & Condensed) discuss what motivated Patrick’s course on race, religion, and science fiction and how it evolved from an upper-level “Religion and Science Fiction” class into a special-topics course explicitly centered on race.
Patrick describes key themes—defining the human, encountering the other, and how race, gender, sexuality, and disability are woven through speculative fiction—covering topics such as racism in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars/Star Trek, Indigenous Futurism, Afrofuturism/Africanfuturism, cyberpunk (Neuromancer), monsters (Frankenstein), and Jediism as a fiction-based religious movement.
He explains his pedagogy, emphasizing student autonomy (co-editing the syllabus, choosing evaluation methods, flexible formats, and deadlines) and unEssays” (creative projects such as illustrated journals, roleplaying games, cookbooks, audio tracks, paintings, zines, and original fiction), shaped by his teaching experience, parenting, and the pandemic.
They also discuss why film/TV are central to teaching today—visual media’s cultural dominance, immersive “magic,” merchandising/participation, and the impact of on-screen representation.
Time Stamps: 00:28 Why This Conversation Now
02:37 Course Origins and Big Questions
04:34 Race and Futurisms Units
06:48 Student-Led Syllabus and Grading
08:30 unEssays Creative Projects
10:47 Rethinking Traditional Pedagogy
13:09 Parenthood and Student Needs
15:09 Pandemic Compassion and Flexibility
17:45 Holistic Learning and Autonomy
23:32 Movies as Magic and Orientation
26:54 Why Film in the Classroom
27:59 Students Struggling to Read
30:17 Reading vs Watching
31:16 Video Culture Shift
33:27 Teaching Without Ego
35:34 Frankenstein Revisited
37:44 Movie Magic Immersion
41:45 Representation On Screen
46:35 Student Creative Projects
50:22 Improvising In The Classroom
52:07 Fandom As Religion
56:38 Wrap Up And Plugs
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit worldbeyondworlds.substack.com