ACC professor co-authors ‘Science Fiction Handbook’

Anne Marie Thomas

Anne Marie Thomas

Austin Community College English Professor Anne-Marie Thomas, Ph.D., has co-authored “The Science Fiction Handbook,” published May 11 by Wiley-Blackwell, to help bring science fiction to the classroom

Thomas, who heads the Honors Program at ACC, developed the idea for the book while teaching an Honors Composition II course with an emphasis on contemporary science fiction.

Science Fiction Textbook

Science Fiction Textbook

“I could not assign a science fiction textbook because there simply weren’t any in existence,” Thomas says. “There are a number of anthologies that feature short fiction, but I wanted to provide a survey of the development of science fiction as a cultural form as well as an introduction to the basic critical approaches that have been used to illuminate the genre.”

Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to write the book with a colleague, M. Keith Booker of the University of Arkansas. The result is “The Science Fiction Handbook” (Wiley-Blackwell, 360 pages, paperback, $29.95).

The handbook provides a comprehensive survey of science fiction and detailed analyses of key subgenres such as time travel and post-apocalyptic narrative. Each subgenre includes recommendations of relevant critical readings, novels and films. The book also features entries on key science fiction authors.

“The ultimate goal of the book is to provide a balanced, comprehensive apparatus for the teaching of a survey course in science fiction,” Thomas says. “However, the book is also designed to appeal to general readers of science fiction.”

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About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”

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