Science Fiction and Fantasy: How an Anthropologist Designs a Fictional Society

What You Will Learn?

• Many writers (and video game designers and DnD DMs) are great at coming up with ideas for cool societies set in interesting worlds but then struggle with making the details feel realistic. To avoid ending up with something generic, follow along with this guide, designed for you by a published novelist... who also happens to be a cultural anthropologist. .
• In order to get a fictional society to feel realistic, you're going to want it to have developed in realistic ways... but not necessarily to be based specifically on a preexisting culture. In order to create something unique and believable, try thinking like an anthropologist-- what are the building blocks and mythologies you're working with here? What do these people believe, and why? What do they want? What geological features exist to make them lead the lives that they do (clothing, buildings, etc)?.
• This class will guide you through these big questions, using a combination of anthropology concepts and examples from fiction/literature to help you create a fictional society for your sci-fi and fantasy stories (also perfectly applicable for Dungeons and Dragons, video game development, etc)..