The 2018 Studio Votes are in and Frankenstein lives on!

Over the summer, the incoming class of 2022 voted on three different Studio course ideas proposed by the faculty. It was close, but when the polls closed, Frankenstein, at the grand age of 200, won the race. At the bicentennial of Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein, the story of the scientist whose human-like invention causes terror and violence seems especially relevant.

The tale asks readers to consider the limits of science and technology, the ethics of creation, and our responsibility to each other. Who is the true monster of Frankenstein: the animated corpse brought back to life, or the scientist who experimented without concern for the consequences of his work? And what does the creation reveal about human nature vs. the nature of human institutions: which is corruptive and which is redemptive? The story of Frankenstein has been adapted for films, cartoons, and Halloween costumes, and allusions to the novel appear throughout our popular media.

After reading Shelley’s Frankenstein, we will see a new theatrical adaptation by Rick Dear at the Central Square Theater. Frankenstein has come to have rich cultural significance as the story provokes contemporary ethical concerns about genetic engineering, social and educational inequality, and the impact of science on our environment, among others. The Studio class will engage these questions throughout the semester, and Co-curricular events, particularly a panel on the ethics of genetic engineering in November, will invite the entire Kilachand community into the conversation.