ENG237H1S (L5101): Science Fiction
SYLLABUS
Winter 2009
Mon. 6-9pm
McLennan Physical Laboratories 102
Prof. Mike Johnstone
Jackman Humanities Building 830
416-978-1248
Office Hours:
Wed. 11:30am to 1pm
(or by appointment)
Teaching Assistants:
Rachel Freedman
Aparna Halpe
Anna Wilson
About the Course
This course will explore how works of science fiction respond to, participate in, and critique their times by speculating about the potential effects of science upon society. From time travel to cyberpunk to other worlds to dystopias, and much more, the novels and short stories we will study raise challenging and profound questions about the state of humanity — past, present, and future.
READINGS
5 Jan.
Introduction
H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
12 Jan.
Wells, cont’d
19 Jan.
Short Stories I: Campbell, “Twilight” (HoF 24–41); Leinster, “First Contact” (HoF 252–280)
26 Jan.
Short Stories I: Merril, “That Only a Mother” (HoF 281–289); Zelazny, “A Rose for Ecclesiastes” (HoF 528–560)
2 Feb.
Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries (in-class screening)
9 Feb.
*In-Class Test*
Battlestar Galactica, cont’d
16–20 Feb. Reading Week
23 Feb.
William Gibson, Neuromancer
2 Mar.
Gibson, cont’d
Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
9 Mar.
Butler, cont’d
16 Mar.
Dan Simmons, Ilium
23 Mar.
Simmons, cont’d
*Essay Due*
30 Mar.
Short Stories II: Carreiro, “The Azure Sky” (T11 71–88); Vonarburg, “Language of the Night” (T11 272–285)
6 Apr.
Short Stories II: Mavin, “Recursion” (T11 133–139); Spencer, “(Coping With) Norm Deviation” (T11 286–312)
COURSE DETAILS
Required Texts
• Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower. Lebanon, IN: Grand Central, 2000.
• William Gibson, Neuromancer. New York: Ace-Penguin, 1984.
• Dan Simmons, Ilium. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
• H.G. Wells, The Time Machine/The War of the Worlds. New York: Ballantine-Del Rey, 1983.
• Robert Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: 1929–1964. New York: Orb, 1998. (Abbreviated as HoF in the Readings section, above.)
• Cory Doctorow and Holly Phillips, eds. Tesseracts Eleven. Calgary, AB: Edge, 2007. (Abbreviated as T11 in the Readings section, above.)
• Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries. Dir. Michael Rymer. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell. Universal Studios, 2003. (Screened in class.)
Recommended Text
• Leslie E. Casson, ed., A Writer’s Handbook, 2nd ed. Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 2006.
All texts are available at the UofT Bookstore, in the Koffler Building (College & St. George).
Assignments & Grades
In-Class Test (9 Feb. 2009, 15%)
Essay (23 Mar. 2009, 40%)
Final Exam (Date TBA, 45%)
• In-Class Test — This test will be 60 minutes and will be written in class. It will cover Wells and the short stories assigned for 12 Jan. and 19 Jan., as well as definitions of and terminology for reading and discussing science fiction. Details for the test will be made available during the fourth week of classes (26 Jan.).
• Essay — This essay will be comparative, focussing on any two (2) texts (novel, short story, film) on the Syllabus, and must be 6 pages double spaced (not including endnotes, if any, and Works Cited). Topics and a full description of the assignment will be made available during the second week of classes (12 Jan.). Do not use any secondary critical/scholarly sources directly concerned with the texts or authors for the essay. (You can, however, use sources such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, glossaries/handbooks of literary terms, theoretical/philosophical works, and the like; you can also refer to any information discussed in lecture and available in the overheads.) You are required to use MLA style for essay format, quoting and citing sources, and Works Cited. Please see the MLA Handbook, 6th edition, for details on MLA style. The essay must be submitted in class on the specified due date (see Course Policies, below).
• Final Exam — Details for the Final Exam will be made available on Blackboard and discussed in class by the twelfth week of the course (30 Mar.). The exam will cover all the texts (novels, short stories, film) assigned in the Readings section, above, as well as all information discussed in lectures. You must ensure that you are available during the exam period.
Course Policies
(1) All information relevant to this course is available online, including the syllabus, any documents used for lectures (overheads, handouts, assignment descriptions, and the like), and other materials of interest. We will be using Blackboard, through the UofT Portal <http://portal.utoronto.ca>, for which you will need your UTORid and password; here, you can view your grades, participate in our class discussion board, and access and download course document files. Make sure you have set up your UofT email account with ROSI so that you can receive class emails sent through the Portal. Check the Blackboard site regularly for announcements and updates.
(2) While attendance at lectures is not required, you should make every effort to attend as often as possible. Classes begin at 6:10pm and end at 9:00pm. We will take a 10-minute break at the mid-point of each class. If you come in late or must leave early, please make every effort to be as unobtrusive as possible. We will attempt to finish most lectures around 8:30pm to 8:45pm or so and dedicate the rest of the class to open discussion for those who wish to stay until 9pm.
(3) You are expected to do the reading specified for and bring the necessary texts to each class. The lectures will be based upon the assumption that you have done the reading.
(4) The In-Class Test will take place at the start of class; please ensure that you are in your seat and ready to write by 6:15pm. You must have your student ID with you.
The Essay must be submitted in class on the specified due date. If you are unable to do so, you must submit your essay to the English department secretary (JHB 610). Essays submitted under my office door will receive an automatic 5% late penalty. Essays will not be accepted electronically under any circumstances. You must use MLA style for the Essay.
(5) It is your responsibility to contact and inform the instructor regarding missed tests and unsubmitted essays. The following policies regarding make-ups, extensions, and late assignments will thus be strictly enforced in this course:
• Make-up tests and essay extensions will be granted only for documented medical and family reasons.
• Only UofT medical notes, letters from UofT college registrars, and letters from parents/guardians will be accepted as legitimate forms of documentation.
• Requests for make-ups of the In-Class Test must be made to the instructor within 24 hours of the test’s due date. Failure to do so incurs a 5-mark late penalty on the assignment.
• Extension requests for the Essay must be made to the instructor no later than one (1) week before the essay is due. If you are unable to submit the Essay on time owing to medical or family reasons, you must inform the instructor within 24 hours of the Essay’s due date; failure to do so incurs a minimum 5% late penalty on the assignment.
• The late penalty for the Essay is 5% per day; weekends count as one (1) day. The Essay will not be accepted two (2) weeks after the original due date.
• The instructor reserves the right not to accept assignments submitted after the end of classes (9 Apr. 2009).
(6) There is zero tolerance for plagiarism in this course. If there is suspicion of plagiarism, you will have an interview with me, during which you will have the opportunity to address my concerns. Afterward, cases of confirmed plagiarism go to the Department of English, and you could face the possibility of suspension or expulsion from the university. You should be aware that instructors have access to databases of internet essay sites. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to consult with me.
The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters defines the academic offence of plagiarism as for a “student knowingly to represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work.” An excellent guide on avoiding plagiarism can be found at <http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html#100>.
(7) You are asked to turn off and put away all electronic devices (cell phones, beepers/buzzers, MP3 players, and the like) during lectures. If any undue disruptions are caused by these devices, I will ask you to leave the class for the remainder of the evening. Laptops may be used for notetaking only. If you have special or urgent needs in this regard, please discuss the matter with me before a class begins.
(8) The final day for withdrawing from Winter H1S courses without academic penalty is 8 Mar. 2009. If you have any concerns about your standing in the course, make sure to discuss them with the instructor and to consult with your college registrar.
(C) 2009 Michael Johnstone | Conditions of Use