Course Description

Science fiction represents that which does not (or does not yet) exist--and as such has suffered from the reputation of being escapist fare. In this course, we will consider how science fiction uses "that which does not exist"--imagined futures, alternate histories, alien cultures, and the like--to grapple with genuine historical, social and philosophical concerns.

Course Goals

All courses in the "Literature" category of the general education program must seek to

• enable students to appreciate the structure and style of a literary text,
• encourage students actively to engage their imaginative faculties when they read,
• enable students to connect the literature they read to the cultural and social context in which it was written or the context it portrays, and
• develop students' abilities to make and defend thoughtful, evaluative judgments about literary texts.

In addition, this particular course is intended to help you

• know and understand more about science fiction--its nature, common themes, major authors, etc., and
• grapple with the challenges science fiction presents to our views of humanity, society and ourselves.

Required Texts

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
William Gibson, Neuromancer
Ursula K. Leguin, The Left Hand of Darkness
Heather Masri, ed., Science Fiction: Stories and Contexts
Walter M. Miller, Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz

Course Requirements

Your grade will be based upon the following:

• 1 micro essay (8%)
• 2 short papers (46% total; one may count more than the other if the assignment proves to be more complex)
  • assignment for paper 1. An example of a paper similar to what this assignment asks for can be found here.
• a midterm (23%)
• a final exam (23%)

The micro essay and the papers should be handed in via Moodle in .doc or .docx format. If you don't use Microsoft Word, talk to me and we'll work out a different arrangement.

All work will be graded on a 0-100 scale, where 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-50 = F. The highest three numbers in a range are equivalent to a plus grade (e.g. 87-89 = B+); the lowest three are equivalent to a minus (e.g. 90-92 = A-). Letter grade designations align with their descriptions in the IWU Catalog: A- and A indicate work of superior quality; B-, B and B+ indicate work of good to very good quality; C and C+ indicate work of acceptable but not distinguished quality; C- indicates work of marginal quality; D indicates work of poor quality; F indicates failure.

You may revise any of the essays for a higher grade if time permits. (There is nearly always time to revise the first paper, and usually enough time to revise the second.) The higher of the two grades (original or revision) will count, but any late penalties attached to the original paper will also be attached to the revision. Ordinarily, I will not write comments on revisions. Due dates for revisions will be announced when the first drafts are returned.

In accordance with the policy set forth in the IWU Catalog, this course is designed to demand two to three hours of work outside of class for every hour spent in class. As the Catalog cautions, however, the actual time any one student will need to spend "will inevitably vary greatly according to a student's ability, aptitude, and motivation with respect to the given subject matter."

Attendance: No more than 4 absences for any reason, including illness and university sponsored events, are allowed. I will deal with attendance problems on a case-by-case basis, but I reserve the right to lower your final grade by 4 points for each class missed beyond the 4 course limit. Extremely poor attendance will result in a failing grade regardless of your grades on papers and exams.

Late work will be penalized as follows: your grade on a paper will be lowered by 3 points (e.g. 92 to 89) for every calendar day that it is late, up to a maximum of 20 points (e.g. 95 to 75). I rarely grant extensions on papers, but you're welcome to ask. Because a low grade--say, an F at 50 points--is much less destructive to a grade than a 0, it is nearly always worthwhile to make up late work.

Participation in discussion is important in this class. Although there is no separate grade rubric for participation, active and thoughtful participation in class will raise a borderline grade, while passive or disruptive participation will lower one. (A borderline grade is defined as a grade within 9/10ths of a point of the cutoff between two grades. For example, 90 is the cutoff between B+ and A-; 89.1 - 90.9 is the borderline range between the two grades.)

Plagiarism will affect your grade in one of two ways. If you turn in a paper which is plagiarized in minor or unintentional ways (e.g. you use the language of a source you are writing about without quotes, but in only a brief passage and clearly without any intention to represent someone else's work as your own), the paper will receive an 0, and we will discuss plagiarism until it is clear that you understand what it is and how to avoid it. You may be able to rewrite such a paper for a higher grade if there is enough time left in the term. However, if you turn in a paper which, in my judgment, plagiarizes blatantly, either at length or with apparent intent to deceive, you will receive an F in the course, regardless of any other grades you have received, and I will file an Academic Dishonesty Report with the Associate Provost.