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ENG 217:01—SCIENCE FICTION
Spring 2004 Syllabus: University of Connecticut
CLAS 202, T-TH 12:30-1:45
This course traces major themes and concepts in science fiction from the Golden Age writers of the 1930s, through the New Wave of the 1960s and 1970s, to the present day. You will read works by Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, Clarke, Delany, Dick, Le Guin, and other seminal writers—some still well-known and some almost forgotten—and learn about their impact on the field. Mostly, the course traces the development and impact of particular ideas in speculative fiction, along with the relationship of science fiction literature to other genres and other media. The state of the SF publishing field today—including the dramatic editorial and demographic shifts of the last few years, and some of the most important current writers—will also be an ongoing focus of the course.
You should expect to spend a great deal of time reading, writing, and talking during this class. Everyone is expected to participate in class discussions, and participation will be a significant part of your grade.
Grades
There will be several writing assignments, including both essays and an in-class final. You will be asked to write short (5-7 page), thoughtful essays reflecting your ability to analyze, compare, and synthesize readings. Each essay should be an attempt on your part to improve on previous writing assignments, both in content and in writing. Grades are not based simply on an average of all your grades, but on the improvement shown in those papers. In other words, your grade is based on what you learn in the course, not on what you know coming into it. (I reserve the right to use a pure average if I feel that's a more accurate reflection of your efforts in the class). Your contribution to the class discussion is an important factor in your grade, but strong class participation will not make up for weak writing.
You are expected to turn in all papers on time. If I agree to accept a late paper, it will be dropped a grade for every day (not every class) it is late. I reserve the right to refuse to accept a late paper and give you a grade of F for that paper. Incompletes will only be granted under extreme circumstances.
If you attend Lunacon or Boskone, you can skip one of the paper assignments.
Attendance & Participation
Because of the interactive nature of the class, attendance and participation is mandatory. Due to the compressed nature of the class, you cannot afford to miss more than one or two classes and still expect to succeed in the class; if you must miss a class because of sickness or emergency, you should arrange to make up the work. If you miss more than four classes, your grade will be affected, regardless of your performance when you are present.
Should you run into a problem with readings, essays, or scheduling, I expect you to call me or come to office hours. The time to ask for help is not the day your paper is due.
Reading
You will need the following books. All are in paperback, and are available from the college bookstore or most other bookstores.
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller
Fool's War, Sarah Zettel
"On Suivi
Point," Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald (handout)
from The Dark Ascent, Walter Hunt (handout)
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
I, Robot, Isaac Asimov
Startide Rising, David Brin
Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), Philip K. Dick
Expendable, James Alan Gardner
"Gunpowder God," H. Beam Piper (handout)
Modern Classics of Science Fiction, Gardner Dozois, ed.
The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 1, Frederik Pohl, ed.
The SFWA Grand Masters Volume 2, Frederik Pohl, ed.
The following is a general outline of discussions and readings for each class. This is a broad model, and we may wander from it depending on the needs of the class. Many of the themes mentioned will be worked on throughout the course, but we will spend time particularly emphasizing each one.
1/18 INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION?
no readings
1/20 World Building and New Worlds
"The Million-Year Picnic," Ray Bradbury (SFWA 2)
"All Summer in a Day," Ray Bradbury (SFWA 2)
"This Moment of the Storm," Roger Zelazny (Modern)
1/25 World Building and New Worlds
"Driftglass," Samuel R. Delany (Modern)
"The Fifth Head of Cerberus," Gene Wolfe (Modern)
"Going Under," Jack Dann (Modern)
1/27 Hard Science
"Rescue Party," Arthur C. Clarke (SFWA 2)
"The Secret," Arthur C. Clarke (SFWA 2)
"A Meeting with Medusa," Arthur C. Clarke (SFWA 2)
"The Martian Way," Isaac Asimov (SFWA 2)
"The Roads Must Roll," Robert A. Heinlein (SFWA 1)
2/01 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
I, Robot, Isaac Asimov
"A Bad Day for Sales," Fritz Leiber (SFWA 1)
2/03 SPACE TRAVEL
essay due
I, Robot, Isaac Asimov
"Founding Father," Clifford D. Simak (SFWA 1)
2/08 War and Conflict
"The Long Watch," Robert A. Heinlein (SFWA 1)
"Disappearing Act," Alfred Bester (SFWA 2)
"Salvador," Lucius Shepherd (Modern)
2/10 War and Conflict
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
2/15 Time Travel
"Aristotle and the Gun," L. Sprague de Camp (Modern)
"A Gun for Dinosaur," L. Sprague de Camp (SFWA 1)
"Hobson's Choice," Alfred Bester (SFWA 2)
"The Pure Product," John Kessel (Modern)
2/17 Alternate Histories
"The Lady Margaret," Keith Roberts (Modern)
"Gunpowder God," H. Beam Piper (handout)
"The Barrow," Ursula K. Le Guin (Modern)
"Dori Bangs," Bruce Sterling (Modern)
2/18-2/20 BOSKONE (optional)
Guests: Orson Scott Card, Alan Pollock, et al.
2/22 SPACE OPERA
Guest: Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
"Mousetrap," Andre Norton (SFWA 2)
"All Cats Are Gray," Andre Norton (SFWA 2)
"On Suivi Point," Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald (handout)
2/24 SPACE OPERA
"On Suivi Point," Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald (handout)
essay due
3/01 Aliens and Alien Worlds
from The Dark Ascent, Walter Hunt (handout)
"Desertion," Clifford D. Simak (SFWA 1)
Startide Rising, David Brin
Guest: Walter Hunt
3/03 Aliens and Alien Worlds
Startide Rising, David Brin
3/08 Spring Break
no class
3/10 Spring Break
no class
3/15 Post-ApocAlyptic
"Jamboree," Jack Williamson (SFWA 1)
"Living Fossil," L. Sprague de Camp (SFWA 1)
"The City," Ray Bradbury (SFWA 2)
"There Will Come Soft Rains," Ray Bradbury (SFWA 2)
"The Golden Horn," Edgar Pangborn (Modern)
3/17 RELIGION
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller
"The Star," Arthur C. Clarke (SFWA 2)
"The Last Question," Isaac Asimov (SFWA 2)
revised essay due
3/18-3/20 LUNACON (optional)
Guests: Michael Swanwick, Storm Constantine, Butch Honeck, et al.
3/22 RELIGION
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller
Fool's War, Sarah Zettel
3/24 RELIGION
Fool's War, Sarah Zettel
3/29 HUMOR
Expendable, James Alan Gardner
3/31 Dark Futures/Noir/Cyberpunk
"The Four-Hour Fugue," Alfred Bester (SFWA 2)
"Her Smoke Rose Up Forever," James Tiptree Jr. (Modern)
"Pretty Boy Crossover," Pat Cadigan (Modern)
"The Winter Market," William Gibson (Modern)
4/05 Dark Futures/Noir/Cyberpunk
Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), Philip K. Dick
4/07 Dark Futures/Noir/Cyberpunk Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), Philip K. Dick
4/12 PRESENT DAYS
"The Year of the Jackpot," Robert A. Heinlein (SFWA 1)
"Grotto of the Dancing Deer," Clifford D. Simak (SFWA 1)
"The Ugly Chickens," Howard Waldrop (Modern)
"Chance," Connie Willis (Modern)
essay due
4/14 Surreal Present Days
"The Other Celia," Theodore Sturgeon (Modern)
"The Firefly Tree," Jack Williamson (SFWA 1)
"Narrow Valley," R. A. Lafferty (Modern)
"Particle Theory," Edward Bryant (Modern)
"The Edge of the World," Michael Swanwick (Modern)
4/19 Sociology
"Jerry Was a Man," Robert A. Heinlein (SFWA 1)
"With Folded Hands," Jack Williamson (SFWA 1)
"The Country of the Kind," Damon Knight (Modern)
"Sanity," Fritz Leiber (SFWA 1)
"Reunion," Arthur C. Clarke (SFWA 2)
4/21 Sociology
"It's Such a Beautiful Day," Isaac Asimov (SFWA 2)
"Strikebreaker," Isaac Asimov (SFWA 2)
"Nobody's Home," Joanna Russ (Modern)
"Fondly Fahrenheit," Alfred Bester (SFWA 2)
"Comment on ``Fondly Fahrenheit''," Alfred Bester (SFWA 2)
4/26 BAROQUE FUTURES
"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons," Cordwainer Smith (Modern)
"The Moon Moth," Jack Vance (Modern)
"The Worm That Flies," Brian W. Aldiss (Modern)
4/28 EPILOGUE: WHAT IS SCIENCE FICTION?
revised essay due
no readings
5/? FINAL EXAMINATION
2-hour in-class essay examination