The Alien Worlds project teaches ethnographic skills using the societies of dystopian, postapocalyptic, and science fiction texts as imagined field sites and targets for analysis. These exercises and assignments, which illustrate principles of qualitative fieldwork, were developed when COVID-19 precautions made it impossible to assign tasks that involved in-person social interaction. Preliminary findings from use in 2020–2021 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (n = 140) and Science Fiction and Society (n = 10) classes suggest that science fiction may have an ongoing place in beginning and intermediate social science courses, as it provides an entertaining, low-stakes way for students to practice observation and analysis. The original project is designed to span at least six weeks or the course of a semester, but variations for shorter and stand-alone assignments are provided in addition to ways that it can be adapted to suit the needs of different audiences. Though it will not replace all in-person field experience for advanced sociology and anthropology students, it provides a bridge between classroom content and hands-on interaction that encourages a growth mindset in learning.

Alien Worlds 项目使用反乌托邦、后世界末日和科幻小说的社会作为想象的现场地点和分析目标来教授人种学技能。这些练习和作业说明了定性实地工作的原则，是在 COVID-19 预防措施导致无法分配涉及面对面社交互动的任务时开发的。在 2020-2021 年文化人类学导论 (n = 140) 和科幻与社会 (n = 10) 课程中使用的初步结果表明，科幻小说可能在初级和中级社会科学课程中占有一席之地，因为它提供了一种娱乐性，低风险的方式让学生练习观察和分析。最初的项目旨在跨越至少六周或一个学期的课程，但除了可以适应不同受众需求的方式之外，还提供了较短和独立任务的变体。虽然它不会取代高级社会学和人类学学生的所有现场体验，但它在课堂内容和实践互动之间架起了一座桥梁，鼓励了学习中的成长心态。