Social movements are not just about fighting against injustice but are also about imagining alternatives to current realities. What lessons can creatives learn from science fiction and social justice movements to help them build better futures? In this course, students will study the connection between futurism, science fiction, and social justice movements. Together we will look at how past moments from Black, Brown, Queer, and other social justice movements as examples of design and world-building. Students will meet with BIPOC artists, designers, and organizers, to practice hands-on methods of "critical making" and learn how to infuse beliefs and values into the spaces, objects, and systems we design. From examining the Netflix show Black Mirror to lessons from New York Ballroom culture, students will learn foundational language, frameworks, and tools to help them bring alternative futures closer to the present. Site visits will include the archive of award-winning science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler at The Huntington Library and Octavia's Bookshelf, Pasadena's first BIPOC author-focused independent bookstore. Open to all students, all Majors, 5th term and above. This course is eligible for the Designmatters Minor in Social Innovation. Outcomes will vary and can include print and digital work, sketching, painting, product design, advertisements, etc