Before Star Wars captivated audiences with the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire and long before Game of Thrones envisioned the clashes between the Lannisters, Baratheons, Starks, and countless others, Frank Herbert published Dune, an epic text which arguably paved the way for these later works. In this course, we will explore the science fictional universe of Dune, a novel so complex that it comes with multiple appendices, a map, and a dictionary. Although Dune deals with alien worlds and has a language of its own, its themes are familiar. We will think about how this novel relates to issues such as empire and colonization, ecology, astrobiology, religion, gender roles, drugs, and many other topics. The theme of sustainability is central to the novel, as the world of Arrakis emerged from Herbert's very real concerns about the ecological impact of sand dunes in Oregon. We will also consider how Dune has evolved in the popular imagination through adaptations such as David Lynch’s 1984 film and Jodorowsky’s Dune, a 2013 documentary chronicling a failed attempt to capture the novel on screen. While Dune provides the thematic focus for this course, we will also explore multimodal or WOVEN (written, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal) communication. Prospective projects for this course include an online encyclopedia to accompany the text, a documentary envisioning how you would adapt Dune for modern audiences, and an in-depth research project exploring the historical and technological issues that shaped the novel.