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Summer Course Syllabus
and Schedule- English 192: Science Fiction
by Melissa Colleen Stevenson
English 192: Science Fiction
Monday - Thursdays 5:30 - 6:35
Girvetz 1119
Melissa Colleen Stevenson
Introduction
Science fiction is more than literature, it is the way in which we live today
at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and informs how we understand
our world. This course aims to examine science fiction through some of its most
influential works in the novel, short story, and film. Students are expected
to respond to course works critically, and are invited to respond creatively
as well. In addition to the readings from the class list we will be watching
and discussing several science fiction films. The class hopes to foster both
a love and appreciation of science fiction. By the end of the course students
are expected to have an understanding of the genre, be able to critically engage
with science fiction, and to identify its broad cultural impact.
Getting in Touch
E-mail (most efficient): melissas@umail.ucsb.edu
Telephone (10 a.m. - 10 p.m. only): 805-968-9576
Mailbox: South Hall 2623
Office Hours: M/W 6:35 - 7:05, T/R 5:00 - 5:30
South Hall 2432Q
Required Texts
Reader : Available at The Alternative Copy Shop 6556 Pardall Rd
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Snow Crash by Neal Stephensen
Course Structure
This course is designed to alternate between lecture and discussion
sections. Work should be completed on the day it is listed. During discussion
sections students will be expected to be prepared to engage one another on critical
issues relating to course work. The class will also include regular film
screenings Monday evenings from 7 - 9 in North Hall 1109. For those who
cannot attend the screenings the films should be readily available at local
video stores.
I will frequently address the class over e-mail with topics for discussion
and consideration, as well as assignment reminders and updates. During the first
week of class, students are required to get a working e-mail account. I also
encourage everyone to use this forum to continue discussion outside of section,
to pose questions, raise concerns, or point out particularly interesting topics.
Participation in this format will be considered class participation.
If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special accommodations,
please contact me during office hours or after class.
Final Word
Welcome! I hope that you enjoy this class and that we can work together to
make it a positive experience for all of us. Feel free to contact me (as above)
if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the works we are reading,
your papers, or class in general.
Course Requirements
Attendance and Participation 20% Final Grade
Five Short Discussion Papers 30% Final Grade
First Paper (Due Monday July 16) 20% Final Grade
Final Paper or Short Story (Due Thursday August 2) 30% Final Grade
The course assignments include five short discussion papers, one shorter paper
and either one longer paper or short story. Participation in class is also essential
to the final grade.
Students are expected to write five short discussion papers of about
two pages each. These papers are imagined as jumping off points for class discussion
and will be due at the end of each discussion section. Papers must relate to
works covered in class since the previous discussion. No late papers will be
accepted. Discussion papers will be graded on a twenty point scale. An excellent
paper will show an exceptional and highly nuanced critical engagement with the
coursework. A satisfactory paper will show some critical engagement, but may
not be as original or well developed as an excellent paper. An unsatisfactory
paper will neglect to present an analytical approach. Occasionally I will suggest,
but never mandate, topics for that day’s response papers. At the end of
each discussion paper students should include a question for class discussion.
Students should expect to present this question to class.
The first paper will be due on Monday July 16 at the beginning of class.
This paper should be a 4-5 page critical essay.
The final paper in this course will be due on Friday August 3 by 5:00
p.m. in my box in South Hall. For this paper, students have two options. First,
students may choose to write a 5 - 7 page critical essay dealing with at least
two of the works from our class. Alternatively, students may decide to write
their own science fiction short story. Students who select the short story option
must speak with me by Thursday July 19.
As papers come due I will hand out guidelines with further information. Assignments
are expected to be on time, and your grade will be reduced by one-third letter
grade for each day the paper is late. Contact me before the paper is
due in case of any extenuating circumstances.
Attendance is mandatory and absence may result in your being dropped
from the course. Tardiness, inattention, and failure to adequately prepare for
class shows a lack of respect both for the class and for your fellow students.
Class participation is essential in this course and students will be
expected to be prepared for intense discussions. This course is your chance
to let the rest of the world (within our small confine) know how you feel and
what you think about the works we are reading and watching. It’s a chance
to share excitement, delight, disgust, and confusion, to disagree and to learn
from each other. Be sure to bring the relevant texts every week so you’re
prepared. The quality and quantity of your participation will be reflected in
your final grade.
Course Timeline
Week One:
Monday June 25: Introductions
“Day Million” by Frederik Pohl
Tuesday June 26: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Author’s Introduction
& Volume 1)
Wednesday June 27: Frankenstein (Volume 2)
Thursday June 27: Frankenstein (Volume 3) & Discussion One
Introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Week Two:
Monday July 2: “The Machine Stops” by E. M. Forester
FILM SCREENING: Metropolis North Hall 1109 7:00 - 9:00
Tuesday July 3: Metropolis
Wednesday July 4: Independence Day - No Class
Thursday July 5: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Foreword, Chapter
1 -6)
Week Three:
Monday July 9: Brave New World (Chapter 7 - end)
“What is Happening to Our Population?” by Aldous Huxley
“Science and Civilization” by Aldous Huxley
FILM SCREENING: Gattaca North Hall 1109 7:00 - 9:00 (optional)
Tuesday July 10: Discussion Two
Wednesday July 11: Selections from I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
“Liar”
“Reason”
“Evidence”
“Alpha Ralpha Boulevard” by Cordwainer Smith
“The Last Day” by Gene Wolf
Thursday July 12: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K.
Dick
(Chapter 1 - 11)
Week Four:
Monday July 16: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (chapter 12 - end)
First Paper Due at the beginning of class.
FILM SCREENING: Blade Runner North Hall 1109 7:00 - 9:00
Tuesday July 17: Blade Runner
Wednesday July 18: Discussion Three
Thursday July 19: Neuromancer by William Gibson (Parts 1 & 2)
Introduction from Mirrorshades by Bruce Sterling
Week Five:
Monday July 23: Neuromancer (Part 3 & Coda)
FILM SCREENING: To Be Announced North Hall 1109 7:00 - 9:00
Tuesday July 24: “The Girl Who Was Plugged In” by James Tiptree,
Jr.
“The Gernsback Continuum” by William Gibson
Wednesday July 25: Discussion Four
Thursday July 26: Snow Crash by Neal Stephensen (Chapter 1 - 33)
Week Six:
Monday July 30: Snow Crash (Chapter 34 - end)
FILM SCREENING: To Be Announced North Hall 1109 7:00 - 9:00
Tuesday July 31: To Be Determined
Wednesday August 1: Discussion 5
Thursday August 2: Final Day of Class
“Homelanding” by Margaret Atwood
Friday August 3: Final Paper / Short Story Due by 5:00 in my box.
Bibliography
Asimov, Isaac. “Liar,” “Reason,”and “Evidence.”
I, Robot. New York: Bantam, 1994.
Atwood, Margaret. “Homelanding.” The Norton Book of Science
Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.
794 - 796.
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Ballantine
Books. 1996.
Emshwiller, Carol. “The Start of the End of It All.” The Norton
Book of Science Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 1993. 467 - 476.
Forster, E. M. “The Machine Stops.” The Machine Stops and Other
Stories. Ed. Rod Mengham. London: André Deutsch Limited, 1997. 87
- 118.
Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984.
Gibson, William. “The Gernsback Continuum.” The Norton Book of
Science Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company,
1993. 457 - 465.
Hess, Sonya Dorman. “When I Was Miss Dow.” The Norton Book of Science
Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.
151 - 160.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998.
Huxley, Aldous. “Science and Civilization” and “What is Happening
to Our Population?”The Hidden Huxley: Contempt and Compassion for the
Masses 1920-1936. Ed David Bradshaw. London : Faber and Faber, 1994.
Le Guin, Ursula K. Introduction. The Left Hand of Darkness. New York:
Ace Books. 1976.
Pohl, Frederik. "Day Million." The Norton Book of Science Fiction.
Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1993. 166 -170.
Smith, Cordwainer. “Alpha Ralpha Boulevard.” The Norton Book of
Science Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company,
1993. 49 - 73.
Sterling, Bruce. Introduction. Mirrorshades : The Cyberpunk Anthology.
Ed. Bruce Sterling. New York: Ace Books, 1986. ix - xvi.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. London: Penguin
Books. 1992.
Stephensen, Neal. Snow Crash. New York: Bantam Books, 2000.
Tiptree, Jr., James. "The Girl Who Was Plugged In." The Hugo Winners.
Ed. Isaac Asimov. Vol. 3. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1977. 397-434.
Tiptree, Jr., James. “The Women Men Don’t See.” The Norton
Book of Science Fiction. Ed. Ursula K. Le Guin. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 1993. 255 - 279.
Wolf, Gene. “Last Day.” Storeys from the Old Hotel. (?) pg.
283-286.
Blade Runner. Dir. by Ridley Scott. Novel by Philip K. Dick. Adapt. Hampton
Fancher. Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young. Warner Brothers, 1982.
Gattaca. Written and Directed by Andrew Niccol. Perf. Ethan Hawk, Uma
Thurman, and Jude Law. Columbia Pictures, 1997.
Metropolis. Dir. Fritz Lang. Allied Artists Enter, 1927.
Resource Description |
| Author/Artist: Melissa Stevenson |
Media: |
| Date of Composition: Summer 2001 |
Dimensions: |
| Original Course: English 192: Science Fiction |
Bibliographic Information: |
| Description: Course Syllabus and Schedule |
Location of Artifact: |
| Category: Instructor's materials |
Date of Publication/Exhibition: |
| Period/MA Field: 11 Literature and Technology |
Keywords: science fiction, syllabus, syllabi,
schedule |
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