Portals: Art of Jumping Worlds

A portal is a special kind of doorway—one that opens onto other worlds, times, or mental states. This course investigates the function of world-hopping in several different genres and media from ancient times until today, with a focus on its contemporary significance. Examples taken from fantasy, science fiction, mythology, the fairytale, magical realism, video games, film, television, and graphic novels will help us pose questions like: How does the portal operate as a plot device? What kinds of philosophical problems does it raise? How does it relate to the technological concept of the interface? Do portals exist? If so in what sense? All readings in English.