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and Society |
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Writing Workshop |
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Summer
2013
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Instructor: |
3040 Wescoe (also CSSF lending library - mixed summer availability) |
785-864-2509 (office phone - mixed summer availability) |
cmckit@ku.edu (I check this regularly) |
Office hours: Daily after discussions in meeting area, beforehand at Mrs. E's (everyone is invited to chat!), and in the evenings (we often have dinner downtown, watch and discuss SF movies in the Hall, and so forth). Other days and times by appointment. |
Science Fiction Grand Master James Gunn
originally designed this course and will join us for lunch at Mrs. E's - and he might drop in occasionally as guest speaker.
Gunn's office: 3039 Wescoe. Gunn's email:
jgunn@ku.edu
Class discussion begins at 1:00pm on Monday, June 17, in the Rieger Scholarship Hall's 1st floor lounge at 1303 Ohio Street. Several of us will meet for lunch from noon - 12:50 across the street at Lewis Hall's Mrs. E's cafeteria, where you also have the opportunity to chat with James Gunn. We'll have someone at the front doors to let in those not staying in the Hall, so be sure to arrive between 12:45pm and 12:55pm - no later! - so we can get you through the doors. Please do not be tardy, as this interrupts the discussion.
The Campbell Conference meets in the Oread Hotel, just a couple of blocks from our meeting space in Rieger Scholarship Hall.
Course Goals
Disabilities
Daily Reading and Discussion Schedule
Readings
Required Books
Recommended Books
Course Requirements
Class Periods
Discussants
Attendance and Class Participation
Attendance and Class Participation Scoring
Papers
Daily Response Papers
Daily Paper Scoring
Final Project
Option A: Traditional Research Paper
Option B: Course Outline, Lesson Plan, or Study Guide
Option C: Creative Work
Final Project Deadline
Final Grading
To provide an understanding of contemporary and future science fiction through studying the history of the genre and many of its seminal works. After reading a diversity of short SF and excerpts from longer pieces, we discuss how the genre got to be what it is today by comparing stories and their place in the evolution of SF, from the earliest prototypical examples through more recent work. Students demonstrate their understanding of the genre by writing daily reading responses and creating a substantial final project.
The Academic Achievement and Access Center (AAAC) coordinates accommodations and services for all eligible KU students. If you have a disability for which you wish to request accommodations and have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible. Their office is located in 22 Strong Hall; their phone number is (785)864-4064 (V/TTY). Also please contact me privately about your needs in this course.
Syllabus version 0.2: last updated April 8, 2013.
You will find this handy Readings Guide very useful in finding the stories in our various volumes (for reference only - see the syllabus, below, for which stories we read, when). Always read the short essays that introduce each story, as well as the book introductions whenever we start a new volume.
Each day, one or two students will lead the discussions, bringing enough good questions to keep a lively discussion going for the class period; aim for at least three questions and discussion prompts per story. Discussants should also seek relevant information about the authors, how the stories influenced the science fiction that was to follow. You must lead the daily discussion at least once alone or twice with a partner, but may serve more often. This is a major part of your grade and an important learning opportunity!
Have you accepted the invitation to join our class Google Group? If not, or if you're using a different email than what you registered with KU, please request to join the Google Group called, "2013 Science Fiction Institute."
Participants are strongly encouraged to register for and attend the Campbell Conference, June 13-16. There you can meet many authors and editors (including the winners of the Campbell Award, Sturgeon Award, and Lifeboat to the Stars Award), get books signed, and participate in a unique scholarly event in the field. Attendees of the Conference get 10 bonus points for attending and writing up a thoughtful response to the event. Register now if you'd like to be a part of this year's event! Institute participants may register for the Conference at no cost - note that you are an Institute student in your registration form (if you want dinner during the Awards ceremony on Friday night, you must still pay for your meal).
Road to SF Volume |
Readings for Class Discussion. Also read all of Gunn's story introductions. |
Authors |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
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vol 1 |
Volume 1 introduction |
James Gunn |
TBA |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from Frankenstein |
Mary Shelley |
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vol 1 |
"Rappaccini's Daughter" |
Nathaniel Hawthorne |
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vol 1 |
"The Diamond Lens" |
Fitz-James O'Brien |
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vol 3 |
"The Cold Equations" |
Tom Godwin |
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vol 3 |
"The Engine at Heartspring's Center" |
Roger Zelazny |
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vol 1 |
"The Star" |
H.G. Wells |
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vol 2 |
"The Machine Stops" |
E.M. Forster |
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vol 2 |
"Twilight" |
John W. Campbell |
|
vol 1 |
excerpt from A True Story |
Lucian of Samosata |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 1 |
excerpt from The Voyages and Travels of Sir John Mandeville |
Anonymous |
TBA |
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vol 1 |
"Somnium or Lunar Astronomy" |
Johannes Kepler |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from The Journey to the World Underground |
Ludvig Holberg |
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vol 1 |
"Mellonta Tauta" |
Edgar Allan Poe |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea |
Jules Verne |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from Around the Moon |
Jules Verne |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from Looking Backward |
Edward Bellamy |
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vol 1 |
"With the Night Mail" |
Rudyard Kipling |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from Utopia |
Thomas More |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from The City of the Sun |
Tommaso Campanella |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from The New Atlantis |
Francis Bacon |
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vol 2 |
Volume 2 introduction |
James Gunn |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 1 |
excerpt from A Voyage to the Moon |
Cyrano de Bergerac |
TBA |
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vol 1 |
excerpt from A Voyage to Laputa |
Jonathan Swift |
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vol 1 |
"Micromegas" |
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire |
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vol 2 |
"The Revolt of the Pedestrians" |
David H. Keller, M.D. |
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vol 2 |
excerpt from Brave New World |
Aldous Huxley |
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vol 1 |
"The Damned Thing" |
Ambrose Bierce |
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vol 2 |
"The Moon Pool" (2002) |
A. Merritt |
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vol 2 |
"The Red One" |
Jack London |
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vol 2 |
"Dagon" |
H.P. Lovecraft |
|
vol 1 |
excerpt from She |
H. Rider Haggard |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
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vol 2 |
From Under the Moons of Mars |
Edgar Rice Burroughs |
TBA |
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vol 2 |
"A Martian Odyssey" |
Stanley G. Weinbaum |
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vol 2 |
"Proxima Centauri" |
Murray Leinster |
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vol 2 |
"Black Destroyer" |
A.E. van Vogt |
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vol 2 |
"The New Accelerator" |
H.G. Wells |
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vol 2 |
"The Tissue-Culture King" |
Julian Huxley |
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vol 2 |
"With Folded Hands" |
Jack Williamson |
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vol 3 |
"Brooklyn Project" |
William Tenn (Philip Klass) |
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vol 3 |
Volume 3 introduction |
James Gunn |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
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vol 2 |
excerpt from Last and First Men |
Olaf Stapledon |
TBA |
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vol 2 |
"What's It Like Out There?" |
Edmond Hamilton |
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vol 2 |
"The Faithful" |
Lester del Rey |
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vol 2 |
"Requiem" |
Robert A. Heinlein |
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vol 2 |
"Hyperpilosity" |
L. Sprague de Camp |
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vol 2 |
"Nightfall" |
Isaac Asimov |
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vol 3 |
"Reason" |
Isaac Asimov |
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vol 3 |
"Critical Factor" |
Hal Clement |
Various |
Student Discussants |
||
|---|---|---|---|
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vol 3 |
"Sail On! Sail On!" We will do a close reading of this story to discuss the protocols of SF - how do we read SF differently than other literature? What is the "science fiction sentence"? |
Philip Jose Farmer |
TBA |
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vol 3 |
"All You Zombies" |
Robert A. Heinlein |
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vol 3 |
"We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" |
Philip K. Dick |
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vol 3 |
"Sundance" |
Robert Silverberg |
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vol 3 |
"Desertion" |
Clifford D. Simak |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 3 |
"The Game of Rat and Dragon" |
Cordwainer Smith |
TBA |
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vol 3 |
"Who Can Replace a Man?" |
Brian W. Aldiss |
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vol 3 |
"Dolphin's Way" |
Gordon R. Dickson |
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vol 3 |
"Day Million" |
Frederik Pohl |
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vol 3 |
"Tricentennial" |
Joe Haldeman |
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vol 3 |
"The Million-Year Picnic" |
Ray Bradbury |
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vol 3 |
"Thunder and Roses" |
Theodore Sturgeon |
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vol 3 |
"That Only a Mother" |
Judith Merril |
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vol 3 |
"The Terminal Beach" |
J. G. Ballard |
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vol 3 |
"The Big Flash" |
Norman Spinrad |
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vol 3 |
"Mimsy Were the Borogoves" |
Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
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vol 3 |
"The Sentinel" |
Arthur C. Clarke |
TBA |
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vol 3 |
"Kyrie" |
Poul Anderson |
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vol 4 |
"Schrdinger's Kitten" |
George Alec Effinger |
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vol 3 |
"Coming Attraction" |
Fritz Leiber |
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vol 3 |
"Harrison Bergeron" |
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. |
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vol 3 |
"Slow Tuesday Night" |
R. A. Lafferty |
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vol 3 |
"Aye, and Gomorrah" |
Samuel R. Delany |
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vol 3 |
"The Jigsaw Man" |
Larry Niven |
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vol 3 |
excerpt from Stand on Zanzibar |
John Brunner |
|
vol 4 |
Volume 4 introduction |
James Gunn |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 3 |
"Fondly Fahrenheit" |
Alfred Bester |
TBA |
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vol 3 |
"Pilgrimage to Earth" |
Robert Sheckley |
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vol 3 |
"The Streets of Ashkelon" |
Harry Harrison |
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vol 3 |
"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" |
Harlan Ellison |
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vol 3 |
"Masks" |
Damon Knight |
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vol 3 |
excerpt from The Left Hand of Darkness |
Ursula K. Le Guin |
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vol 3 |
"When It Changed" |
Joanna Russ |
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vol 4 |
"The heat death of the Universe" |
Pamela Zoline |
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vol 4 |
"Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" |
Vonda N. McIntyre |
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vol 4 |
"Abominable" |
Carol Emshwiller |
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vol 4 |
"Born of Man and Woman" |
Richard Matheson |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 4 |
"Common Time" |
James Blish |
TBA |
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vol 4 |
"Nobody Bothers Gus" |
Algis Budrys |
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vol 4 |
"The Dance of the Changer and the Three" |
Terry Carr |
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vol 4 |
"The Last Flight of Dr. Ain" |
James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) |
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vol 4 |
"View from a Height" |
Joan D. Vinge |
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vol 4 |
"Flowers for Algernon" |
Daniel Keyes |
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vol 4 |
excerpt from Dune |
Frank Herbert |
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vol 4 |
"The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories" |
Gene Wolfe |
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vol 4 |
"Gather Blue Roses" |
Pamela Sargent |
|
vol 4 |
"The Library of Babel" |
Jorge Luis Borges |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 4 |
"With a Finger in My I" |
David Gerrold |
TBA |
|
vol 4 |
"Rogue Tomato" |
Michael Bishop |
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vol 4 |
"The Word Sweep" |
George Zebrowski |
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vol 4 |
"The Luckiest Man in Denv" |
C.M. Kornbluth |
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vol 4 |
"Where No Sun Shines" |
Gardner Dozois |
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vol 4 |
"Angouleme" |
Thomas M. Disch |
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vol 4 |
"Uncoupling" |
Barry Malzberg |
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vol 4 |
"This Tower of Ashes" |
George R.R. Martin |
|
vol 4 |
"My Boy Friend's Name is Jello" |
Avram Davidson |
Student Discussants |
|---|---|---|---|
|
vol 4 |
"The First Sally (A), or Trurl's Electronic Bard" |
Stanislaw Lem |
TBA |
|
vol 4 |
"The World Science Fiction Convention of 2080" |
Ian Watson |
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vol 4 |
"The Moon Moth" |
Jack Vance |
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vol 4 |
"Light of Other Days" |
Bob Shaw |
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vol 4 |
"The Planners" |
Kate Wilhelm |
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vol 4 |
"Air Raid" |
John Varley |
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vol 4 |
"Particle Theory" |
Edward Bryant |
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vol 4 |
"Exposures" |
Gregory Benford |
The readings all come from James Gunn's wonderful The Road to Science Fiction series of anthologies. The students assigned as discussants for the day lead (not monopolize) the discussion. Everyone is required to act as discussant at least twice during the courses. Discussants perform additional research prior to class (further readings, identifying possible multimedia content, and so forth) and come prepared with three or more questions to stimulate discussion about the day's topics and authors beyond the readings and share what you learn with the rest of the class, as well. We expect all students to participate in discussions, but we also request that you avoid talking too much or talking over others. Be civil: These are discussions about ideas, not arguments or lectures!
Graduate students and teachers: I expect you to demonstrate solid pedagogical theory! Pretend you're teaching this course for a day.
We will read most of the stories in the first four volumes of The Road to Science Fiction, edited by James Gunn. The titles below contain links to online booksellers like Amazon and Powell's; click these links to find the books for sale online:
Full details about which stories we'll be reading and discussing on each day is available in the syllabus here.
Some of these volumes might be difficult to find, so I urge you seek copies early and, when books are out of print, search used bookstores and online services (we provide links to two major online booksellers after each title, above). The University of Kansas Oread Book Store tries to always have copies of these books on hand. Address:
Kansas Union, Lawrence KS 66045
Phone: 1-800-458-1111
Email: jayhawks@ku.edu
Web: http://www.kubookstore.com/
You can also order the revised editions of the first four volumes directly from Scarecrow Press: http://www.scarecrowpress.com/. Use the Quick Search keywords "James Gunn."
For further reading, Gunn has also edited two more volumes (not required reading):
Want more great SF stories? Check out the finalists for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short SF of the year. Here's a good list of SF magazines. Want lots of free SF ebooks and e-zines? Check out Project Gutenberg's growing SF collection.
Want to read books, instead? See the finalists for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best SF novel of the year. Most years, the majority of those works could have won the award if the jury had just a few different members. You can find tons more great SF novels in the Basic Science Fiction Library. Also recommended are the complete works from which we read a number of excerpts.
The Center holds a few copies of many of these books, so if you are local to Lawrence or are in town for our other summer programs, check with me to see if we can lend you a copy. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and our library is supplied by previous students donating copies after completing their course.
More to come! Check back later....
To successfully complete the course and get out of it all you can, you are required to:
Each day we gather in Rieger Scholarship Hall's 1st floor lounge at 1303 Ohio Street to discuss a variety of stories, their authors, the science fiction genre, and the historical context in which they appeared. Occasionally, we might have guest speakers.
Participants are also welcome to lunch from noon - 12:50pm with SF authors Chris McKitterick (your instructor and CSSF Director), James Gunn (SFWA Grant Master who first developed the course and CSSF Founding Director), and Kij Johnson (multiple award-winning author and CSSF Associate Director), as well as dine out in the evenings in lovely downtown Lawrence, attend movies in the theater or gather informally for movies in the scholarship hall, engage in discussions, and so forth.
Class periods revolve largely around discussion of the readings, with some lecture. We meet every day from June 17 through 28, including the Saturday and Sunday between those two weeks, and plan to be in Lawrence for the Campbell Conference before class begins to get a glimpse inside SF today.
Participants are strongly encouraged to register for and attend the Campbell Conference, June 13-16, where you can meet many authors and editors (including the winners of the Campbell Award, Sturgeon Award, and Lifeboat to the Stars Award), get books signed, and participate in a unique scholarly event in the field. Attendees of the Conference get 10 bonus points for attending and writing up a response to the event! Register now if you'd like to be a part of this year's event. Institute participants may register for the Conference at no cost - note that you are an Institute student in your registration form (if you want dinner during the Awards ceremony on Friday night, you must still pay for your meal).
After an introduction to the topic by your instructor, 1-2 students assigned as discussants for each day lead (not monopolize) the discussions. Everyone is required to act as discussant at least once (alone) or twice (with a partner) during the 12 days we meet. If you have special needs and cannot perform this task, let me know early. I will assign discussants on this page (in the daily readings, above), on a first-requested, first-granted basis, so if you have favorite works whose discussions you want to lead, let me know ASAP! We'll have a "Discussants request" email via our Google Groups early in June.
Discussants perform additional research prior to class (further readings on the genre movements at hand, the day's authors, and so forth) and come prepared with questions and discussion prompts: aim for at least a dozen per day, or enough to stimulate 2-3 hours of discussion about the books and the day's topic.
I expect all students to participate in discussions, but I also request that you avoid talking too much or talking over others. Be civil: These are discussions about ideas, not arguments!
Your instructor will open each day with some background on science fiction, especially the topics and genre movements relevant to the day's discussions, and some information about the authors. After that, the day's student discussants take over. Bring at least a few questions per story to stimulate discussion among your peers. You can split up the tasks among your fellow discussants based on stories, topics, or however you see fit. I simply expect everyone to serve equally.
Graduate students and teachers: I expect you to demonstrate solid pedagogical theory! Pretend you're teaching this course for a day.
This is a discussion course, so class participation is weighed heavily! Coming to class and getting involved in the discussions each day are necessary for getting a good grade, not to mention how much value you get from the course. The discussions aren't just explication of plot or concept, though we will discuss those; I expect you to exercise your critical-reading skills. That is, don't just read the fiction for pleasure, don't just accept everything in the introductory essays as canon, and don't feel the need to agree with your classmates' ideas - no one scholar can tell you the One True History of Science Fiction. By the end of this course you should possess expertise of your own in the topic. In the discussions, I want to witness your growing understanding of the genre based on the required readings, your outside readings, and your own experience with SF over the years. Of course, be polite and diplomatic if you disagree, but don't be shy either.
If you know you are going to miss a class for an academic event, illness, or other excusable reason, contact me as soon as possible to see if we can work out something so it does not negatively affect your overall grade too much. If appropriate, I can mitigate this loss so your attendance percentage remains unaffected. Otherwise, here is how I score attendance and participation:
Because we only meet for 12 consecutive days, each unexcused absence drops your final course grade by a third; that is, missing a day might mean your final grade drops from an A- to a B+, missing three drops it to a B, and so forth. Missing zero classes usually serves to bump most students up a fraction of a grade (for example, from a B to a B+ when points are close), so don't miss classes! The next table illustrates this relationship.
Graduate students and teachers: Demonstrate solid pedagogical theory! Pretend you're teaching this course for a day. I expect you to participate every day, providing insightful comments and questions while encouraging those less inclined to participate - but not to dominate the discussions.
For those taking the course for credit, here is how I grade attendance and participation:
| Classes Missed | Grade Result (assuming perfect score) |
|---|---|
| 0 | A (bonus effect if you actively participate in all discussions) |
| 1 | A- (minor effect) |
| 2 | B+ |
| 3 |
B |
| 4 | B- |
| 5 | C+ |
| And so forth | 1/3 grade per missed class |
During discussions, avoid distractions such as checking email, Facebook, and so forth. Obviously, turn off your phone ring/buzz and put it away. I know it's sometimes a challenge to focus during a long discussion, but many recent studies show that the human mind cannot pay attention to more than one thing at a time, and fracturing your attention means you're not getting everything possible out of each discussion. Monkeying around online also interrupts your neighbors' attention. Feel free to take notes on your computer or portable device if you choose, just stay away from distractions. It's difficult to remain engaged in discussions if your mind is elsewhere, and this also bumps down your overall grade. On the other hand, actively participating in class discussions bumps up your overall grade.
You have the opportunity to earn extra credit just for attending Campbell Conference, June 13-16.
I'm sure you have heard this before, but it is as true as ever: You get out of any activity only what you put into it. The more effort and creativity you apply to your projects and to class discussions, the more you will learn and the better the class will be for everyone else, as well. If you do not regularly attend class or do not participate in discussions, you will miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as a person.
For those taking the course for credit, much of your grade depends on the short response papers you write on each story covered in the daily discussions, plus the longer final project. If you use non-standard software to create your projects, be sure to save them in standard format (for example, most computers can read .doc, .html, .rtf, and .pdf formats). Turn in papers via Blackboard before class begins - and I welcome you to turn them in as soon as our Blackboard site goes live. They will be graded and returned via Blackboard in a reasonable time before class starts, or soon after the last class for papers turned in after we start meeting. (If taking for professionalization and not for credit, you are not required to write papers.)
Prior to each class session, write a short reading-response paper and turn it in via Blackboard via the Submission box (for simplified reading - please do not attach these). This short (300-500 words) paper is a brief but thoughtful response to all of the readings for that day. Insightfulness and clarity are important. Along with participation in the discussion, these papers are scored as an important measure of your engagement with the day's topics. Participants taking the course not-for-credit are not expected to turn in daily responses, though you may if you wish - let me know in advance so I can manually add you to Blackboard.
Tip: Include questions to pose to the other participants as well as some points to stimulate discussion, even if you are not leading the week's discussion. I suggest printing out your paper and especially your questions and bringing them to class to help formulate ideas during discussion. (Also be sure to turn them in via Blackboard in advance of class.)
Here is how I score the daily papers, based on 0-4 points each:
0 - no paper.
1 - paper turned in, but does not convince me that you
did all the reading.
2 - paper convinces me that you did some of the
reading.
3 - paper either has interesting insights on most of the readings or convinces
me
that you did all the reading.
4 - paper convinces me that you did all the reading
and provides interesting
insights.
Response papers are due before class discussion begins. Those turned in after we meet to discuss are considered late and will be marked and will be marked down -1 point if turned in on the evening of the discussion, -2 points (half off) if turned in later. The last day to turn in any paper is Thursday, July 18. Turn them in on time!
Graduate students and teachers: As you might imagine, I expect more from your papers. They should reflect your mastery of the paper form as well as provide insights worthy of your added experience and education.
The final project can be either a traditional essay, a set of teaching materials, or a creative work. Your project explores a topic in science fiction, preferably topics not listed in the syllabus or discussed in class - though you may pursue those if you select an angle we didn't already cover or discuss. Projects must be at least 2000 words for undergraduates, 3000 words for graduate students, with a preferred max of 7500 words (the top end for many magazines). Non-text-based projects must clearly demonstrate a similar level of effort.
You must include an alphabetized bibliography with a traditional paper or lesson plan, or an annotated bibliography (a list of references with brief notes) at the end of your document, especially if it is a creative work. An annotated bibliography is a set of references that provide a summary of your research. List your sources alphabetically and include a brief summary or annotation of each document that you quoted in the paper or that you list as a reference. Format your bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides). Turn in this project via Blackboard.
References, bibliographies, and endnote pages do not count toward the minimum wordcount.
Participants taking the course not-for-credit are not expected to turn in a final project, though you may if you wish.
Most participants choose this option. Formal papers are graded on the quality and diversity of research (both fictional and non-fictional), the writing (including grammar and spelling), and the strength of the topic and argument. What I most want is for you to demonstrate what you've learned from the class readings, your outside readings, and class discussions, and how you express this synthesis: Demonstrate your understanding of science fiction.
This is not something that you can successfully complete at the last minute. The research paper should represent a summer-long investigation of topics that interest you. If you wish to use stories from the assigned readings that we discussed in class, I expect you to have something new to say that we didn't already discuss.
Many participants choose this option, especially teachers and those planning to be teachers. Choose from these three options or provide another option that fits your pedagogical approach:
All of these options make wonderful additions to AboutSF.com!
A creative work (story, series of poems, play, short film, website, creative nonfiction, and so forth) must dramatize how the changes posed in your work could affect believable, interesting characters living in a convincing, fully realized world in addition to revealing substantial understanding of the science fiction genre. For the purposes of this course, your annotated bibliography (normally not included in creative work) is particularly important if you pursue this option, because I want to see the diversity of readings that helped you develop your work (both fictional and non-fictional). Show me your research with a good annotated bibliography, demonstrate your understanding of science fiction, and make your creative work stand on its own.
If your annotated bibliography is not crystal-clear in defining how your creative work displays your understanding of SF, its history, and your response to it, please also include an "artist's statement" with your work. Most students include these, and it very much helps me in evaluating creative work.
Be aware that this option is more challenging - especially if you haven't taken formal creative-writing courses - because I expect the same level of research as in the other options plus a good story or other creative expression. Click here for some useful creative-writing resources.
Your final project is due TBA (the week before finals week). The completed project is due via Blackboard. If you've created a website, posted a short film to the internet, or otherwise cannot upload the project directly, just provide a link (website URL) to the project in the Submission section of the appropriate Blackboard assignment.
Your course grade is based upon these factors:
Graduate students and teachers: As you might imagine, I expect more from your papers. They should reflect your mastery of the paper form, provide insights worthy of your added experience and education, and reflect a broader understanding of the genre, critical approaches, and SF's place in literature and broader culture.
Participants are strongly encouraged to register for and attend the Campbell Conference, June 13-16. There you can meet many authors and editors (including the winners of the Campbell Award, Sturgeon Award, and Lifeboat to the Stars Award), get books signed, and participate in a unique scholarly event in the field. Attendees of the Conference earn up to 10 bonus points for attending and writing up a thoughtful response to the event. Register now if you'd like to be part of this year's event! Institute participants may register for the Conference at no cost - note that you are an Institute student in your registration form (if you want dinner during the Awards ceremony on Friday night, you must still pay for your meal).
updated 4/8/2013
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