Syllabus

WHY READ SCIENCE FICTION?
Kate Durbin
Spring 2020
E-mail: kdurbin@whittier.edu

Required Texts:  
Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin  
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

*Please order or purchase your books all at once, at the very beginning of the semester. Bring the respective book we are reading to class every session that reading is due, even if you think we might not use them in the session or you will lost points.

COURSE OVERVIEW

“We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.”― Ursula K. Le Guin

"I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining."--Octavia Butler

Dystopias and totalitarian regimes, aliens, and the singularity: what can we learn by studying the parallel worlds and bodies of science fiction’s greatest literary works? In this class we will examine race and gender dynamics, climate change, politics and governments, and questions of technology, genetics, and ethics via the novels of Octavia Butler, Suzanne Collins,  and others, as well as  the Netflix series Black Mirror, and more. We will ground each text in the socio-political contexts from which they came, examining each dystopian and alien world as a telling mirror of our own fears and hopes for our past, present, and future.

This class will serve as an introduction to the aesthetics and critical reading of science fiction. The primary goal of this course is to help you become a better reader of literature, with an enhanced ability to analyze, discuss, and write about literary texts. By the end of the course, you will have garnered new skills and intensified old ones to help you appreciate the joy and complexity of literature, and the gifts only it can offer you.

One project that you will take on in this course is a speculative project of your own--one wherein you get to create science fiction, as well as consider how our present actions might impact the world 100 in the future. This project has both a practical and a critical-creative purpose. Our world is currently experiencing much upheaval, and it is up to us to develop the tools to navigate it, and to open our imaginations to the world that we want to bring into being for those who come after us.

This course satisfies the Liberal Education requirement COM 2. INTD 100 is a pre-requisite. It is assumed that you have a basic working knowledge of grammar, paper formatting, and MLA style.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

For this class you will write two traditional papers, and do one Report from the Future project, which contains a paper and a creative component. The papers will be approx. 4-5 pages in length, and you will receive separate instructions for all of them. You will also have short exercises and reading quizzes throughout the semester.

All papers must be typed and carefully proofread. Papers should always have a title and a Works Cited page. If you have grammatical or stylistic questions consult reference guides such as A Writer’s Reference or the OWL @ Purdue website. If you are using a computer lab, always be sure to give yourself extra time, and to save your material frequently.

Plagiarism—claiming ownership of ideas and language that are not your own—is simply unacceptable.  Plagiarized papers will result in a failing grade for the course, and a report will be submitted to the office of Student Life.

“REPORT FROM THE FUTURE” PROJECT

Students will create a creative-critical project that is a report from 100 years in the future. Some components of this project may include video news reports, writing assignments, digital comic strips, and short stories. More information about this assignment will be covered in class.

COURSE CIVILITY

In order that we all stay focused, have fun, and learn a lot, there are some course expectations that we all need to abide by. We will show courtesy to those who disagree with us, we will encounter difficult ideas with curiosity and openness, and we will eliminate distractions in the form of cell phones, getting up and down (please use the restroom and get water before class starts; of course you may let me know if you have an emergency and need to go), and we will refrain from talking while others are talking (including while Durbin is talking). Please also do not pack your things away until I release the room.

It's also vital that you show up having done your work, so that our work together is productive and meaningful.

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE

There will be moments when I will lecture. Aside from these times, class should operate like a seminar. This means that it is imperative that you read the material--on time--and are prepared to verbally discuss this material in class. Again, you should always have your book with you.

Always be prepared, and always come to class on time. Two tardies count as an absence. More than three absences may result in a lower grade; more than six may result in a failing grade.

Any absences at all can only mar your performance in the class. Inform me in advance regarding serious operations or other significant reasons for being excused, and please note that without any exception they will only be excused with written verifiable proof.

It is also expected that you will remain engaged and alert in class. This means no slumping over, sleeping, or any other form of disengagement. Stay with us!

BLOG

I will communicate with you regularly via this class blog, so check it for updates here every day. You can sign up to subscribe to the blog to get automatic updates if you like.

I will also post any updates to the Course Schedule here. You don’t need to print the syllabus out, unless you want to. Please note that I will at times update and change the reading schedule and other assignments; I will do my best to shift things around with at least a day--if not more--advance notice.

PAPERS AND WORKSHOP

As this is a writing-intensive course, we will do some workshops in order to help you with your writing skills. All papers will be submitted electronically, via Moodle, at the very beginning of class. For every half hour your paper is late, your grade is lowered one whole letter score. Do not turn in late papers. If you are going to be absent for some reason on the day your paper is due, please turn it in early.

If a true emergency occurs that prevents you from turning in your work, please note that I will only accept your late paper provided that both of the following conditions are met:

1) You have physical proof that I can verify of your emergency (accident reports from the police, doctor's notes, etc.).

2) You tell me immediately via email what is going on, no later than the day the paper is due.

If either of these conditions is incomplete, out of fairness to your peers who got their work in on time, I will not be able accept your late paper. Thank you for your commitment to academic fairness in abiding by this policy.

You will turn in hard copies of your rough drafts for workshop. You may NOT bring your laptops instead of hard copies for workshop. If you fail to bring in hard copies of your papers for workshop, you will be asked to leave and take an absence for the day. Please be on time on Workshop Day, as I will not interrupt any pairs that have already been formed by the time you arrive.

EMAIL

If you have a question about the homework or class, please first ask a peer (this helps cut down on time I spend emailing and allows me to spend more time prepping and grading). If you are not able to get a satisfactory answer, feel free to send me an email. You can expect a response within 24 hours, often sooner. 

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Paper 1: 25%
Paper #2: 25%
Report from the Future Project (includes 1 essay, and 1 creative component): 30%
Paper #4 (Revision): 10%
Attendance, participation, reading, presentations and brief assignments: 10%*