Transmedia Storytelling: Modern Science Fiction
MIT's Comparative Media Studies/Writing program offers this course on building speculative fiction stories across multiple platforms, from print and film to games and interactive media. Students start with the fundamentals of solid storytelling in science fiction and fantasy, then examine how narrative elements translate differently into each medium. Readings include scholarly articles on transmedia theory, but the bulk of the work is hands-on: analyzing case studies of existing transmedia franchises, then designing original speculative fiction projects that span several media at once. Discussions focus on how each platform's strengths (a game's interactivity, a film's visual scope, a novel's interiority) can be combined to create a more immersive audience experience. Materials include the syllabus, assignment prompts, and readings list, freely available through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, with no certificate offered.