My name is Dr. Kara Kennedy (aka Dune Scholar) and I love Dune! And I want everyone to feel confident in understanding this complex science fiction novel.
I have many years of experience teaching and tutoring English literature, writing, and other subjects at the tertiary/university level. I have researched and written on Dune at universities in the US, UK, and New Zealand and published several articles as well as two books: Frank Herbert’s Dune: A Critical Companion (2022) and Women’s Agency in the Dune Universe: Tracing Women’s Liberation through Science Fiction (2021).
My goal is to make academic scholarship on science fiction more accessible and interesting—after all, it is one of the most popular genres! I do my best to write and teach without making assumptions about people’s understanding or using complicated jargon. I have a blog (DuneScholar.com) where I post literary analyses of Dune aimed at a general audience, and I have published articles about Dune on science fiction and fantasy site Tor.com.
There is always something new to discover with Dune, and room for new perspectives! I hope this course sparks your interest and gives you new food for thought.