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Science Fiction
Honors Junior Seminar / Fall 2009
University of Central Arkansas
Instructor : Terry Wright
Office : Thompson 316
Office Phon e: 450-5108
Email : terryw@uca.edu
Web Page : http://faculty.uca.edu/terryw/
Office Hours :
M: 11:00-12:00
TU: 11:30-12:15
W: 11:00-12:00
TH: 11:30-12:15
F: 11:00-12:00
Other times are available by appointment.
Course Content:
The course will focus on exploring, discussing, and analyzing selected novels, stories, poems, essays, and films that cover the scope and breadth of the science fiction genre. The course will be divided into the following broad categories:
1. Nineteenth-Century Background : This area will trace the roots of science fiction. Obviously, very early examples of the genre exist in times that pre-date modern, experimental science (Swift's Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Micromegas come to mind), but the nineteenth-century is the age when science fiction became conscious of itself, and when authors began to recognize its purposes and forms.
2. Fantasy Science Fiction : This is the oldest area of science fiction literature. Long before modern engineering and technology, writers were speculating in fictions about space voyages, visitations by aliens, or the discovery of utopias. Such literature operates on the probabilities of fantasy, but, at its best, relies on a tension between the magic and improbabilities of fantasy played off against probable cause and rational control taken from science. This paradoxical impulse is as old as the one that produced the stories about the Olympian gods or the mythologies of Thor and Odin. Clarification: I have not included any strict "fantasy" literature (sword and sorcery variety) in the course because of time limitations. You may, if you choose, discuss an author or work from this genre in your final paper.
3. Hard Science Fiction : The hard sciences are the physical sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, electronics, geology, archaeology, and so on (sometimes mathematics and linguistics are included as well). In hard science fiction, the artist must imitate a phase of science that does not yet exist or could not exist in the physical order of things as presently known. Nevertheless, hard science fiction must create the illusion of a working and plausible science. Hard science fiction is generally written according to rigorous specifications that involve extrapolating or projecting believable future developments of known scientific laws or principles.
4. Soft Science Fiction : Some so-called soft sciences are traditional ones: history and philosophy, for example. Others -- like sociology, psychology, and political science -- are more modern. In most soft science fiction, the focus is not on imagining and projecting "hard" science into the future, but instead rests on the moral and social life of humanity. The traditions and perspectives of satire are often employed in this category of science fiction. In general, most soft science fiction works with images of the future and attempts to show how people may experience imagined realities and how that experience could alter human perceptions and understanding. Often, such literature asks readers to consider how humanity will conceive itself in transformed circumstances in which science has modified the ways the race relates to its environment and to itself. To some degree, soft science fiction could be said to be a literature of ideas.
5. Emerging Trends : This section will examine new developments in science fiction that either mix genres or illustrate unfolding tendencies on the cutting edge of culture, art, and society.
Materials:
The texts for the course are: The Norton Anthology of Science Fiction edited by Ursula K. Le Guin and Brian Attebery, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke, The Complete Roderick by John Sladek, and Neuromancer by William Gibson. I also suggest you buy and maintain a pocket folder, and, throughout the semester, keep all essays, hand-outs, rough drafts, and the like in this folder.
Course Policies :
Your grade will be determined by several written response papers. 10% of your grade will be factored by daily reading quizzes. Your regular class attendance and reasonable class participation are both non-negotiable criteria for successfully completing the course.
Other Expectations and Qualifiers:
It should go without saying that all work must be completed to successfully pass the course, and that assigned papers must be turned in on time.
Please turn off all cell phones, iPods, cybernetic implants, and other electronic devices during class. Do not bring pets to class. You may bring well-behaved children to class, as long as you remember the course content is geared for adults.
When typing assigned papers, please double-space and leave adequate margins. These considerations leave ample room for your last-minute revisions and for my comments.
The reading demands for this class are fairly exacting but not unreasonable for Honors students. I do expect you to do the reading and to show up for class prepared to discuss, analyze, praise, swoon over, rebuke, trash, or otherwise confront the material at hand. I strongly encourage you to actively participate in class discussions. I often give pop reading quizzes -- for “incentive.” The course functions best as an open forum, and the more ideas we can generate, the more alternatives and strategies we can use when contemplating and composing writing assignments. I prefer not to be merely a television set designed for passive amusement.
Since the written work we do will be in essay form, I cannot grade and return your papers as quickly as I could if they were “objective” tests, if they were computer-gradable, or if I had an assistant to do the grading. I personally read each paper that you write, and I work steadily to grade and return papers within a reasonable amount of time.
Inclement Weather Policy:
It is the policy of the University of Central Arkansas to usually not close because of bad weather. However, if getting to class involves a reasonable risk of personal injury or damage to property, you should use your own discretion about the feasibility of attending classes under such conditions. I commute to class; therefore, if the roads are not passable, you can generally assume that I will not be having class.
Sexual Harassment Policy:
Sexual harassment by any faculty member, staff member, or student is a violation of both law and University policy and will not be tolerated. Please read the pages in your Student Handbook for the policy, definition, and procedures concerning sexual harassment.
Disability Policy:
The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this Act due to a disability, contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 450-3135.
Other Policies :
You should familiarize yourself with all academic policies in your Student Handbook , including policies on plagiarism/academic dishonesty.
Special Problems:
If, during any point of the semester, you find that personal problems are keeping you from completing your course work, you may find it beneficial to visit the counseling center. All students are entitled to free, confidential, professional counseling. Contact the University Counseling Center (Bernard Hall 313) at 450-3138.
A copy of this course description is also available online at my campus web site: http://faculty.uca.edu/terryw/scifi.html
In fact, you are reading it right now.
