Fall 2017 | ENGL 3022 Section 001: Science Fiction and Fantasy (16985)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/05/2017 - 12/13/2017Mon, Wed 11:15AM - 12:30PMUMTC, East BankCooke Hall 206
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Variety of science fiction/fantasy authors, such as Mary Shelley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Neil Gaiman.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?popie007+ENGL3022+Fall2017
- Class Description:
- This section will have an explicit social justice theme; we will focus on alternative realities and social optimization.This course will reconsider the genres of science fiction and fantasy as some of the most vital for exploring what it means to be "human." Often dismissed as escapist, science fiction and fantasy actually offer endless opportunities to critique and reimagine human culture and experience.We'll be reading diverse writers, focusing our inquiry particularly on those whose work is often marginalized, including women and people of color. The reading will proceed chronologically, and our main texts will start with classic works by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Alduous Huxley, and move through more contemporary works by authors such as Ursula K LeGuin, Margaret Atwood, Tracy K Smith, and Octavia E Butler.The course will be multi-generic: while we will focus mostly on novels, we will also read short stories, a book of poems, and watch television programs and films in class. Student input will help shape select reading choices for the course.Graded coursework will comprise both essays and quizzes, and the class will culminate in a creative project (including a presentation) of the students' devising.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/16985/1179
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 9 May 2017
Fall 2017 | ENGL 3022 Section 002: Science Fiction and Fantasy (17483)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/05/2017 - 12/13/2017Wed 05:30PM - 08:00PMUMTC, East BankLind Hall 215
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Variety of science fiction/fantasy authors, such as Mary Shelley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Neil Gaiman.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?jodel002+ENGL3022+Fall2017
- Class Description:
- This course will provide an overview of Anglophone fantasy and science fiction literature, beginning with an examination of Victorian sf & fantasy and concluding with some of the recent trends in 21st-century speculative fiction, including indigenous futurism, environmental sf, the New Weird, and urban fantasy. Our thematic through line for the course will be the question of how power is represented in our texts, from the power of the king in fantasy to the power of biopolitics in science fiction. Our analyses will consider how our texts make implicit arguments as to how power is exercised through language, the body, tools, the state, and the perception of reality. Through in-class close reading and other forms of textual analysis, we will also examine how race, class, and gender factor into these arguments.
While our primary focus will be Anglophone sf&f, we'll discuss non-Anglophone traditions in our unit on Harmony by Project Itoh.
HISTORICAL AND MATERIAL CONTEXT
In the course of our chronological journey through our texts, we'll cover major artistic periods, key subgenres, critical terminology, and the relevant historical and material context (such as the influence of fandom and marketing techniques) for our texts. Much of this context will be provided in a written set of study notes for each week.AUTHORS
We'll cover major authors important to the development of Anglophone fantasy and science fiction literature, including Mary Shelley, Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Neil Gaiman. We'll also read short works by H. G. Wells, H. P. Lovecraft, W. E. B. Du Bois, C. L. Moore, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Joanna Russ, Marge Piercy, William Gibson, China Miéville, Paolo Bacigalupi, and Ted Chiang.CRITICISM & THEORY
The course will introduce you to theoretical approaches that will give you the framework necessary to think critically about the works you are reading. We will cover basic genre theory and terminology, as well as two models of power discussed in the work of Michel Foucault. This theory and criticism will be provided in our weekly lectures.SF&F IN OTHER MEDIUMS / STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
While our main focus will be on written texts, we'll have a chance to discuss how sf&f manifest in other mediums through our weekly student presentations. You will be asked to prepare a 15-minute presentation on a work of your choice in a medium of your choice; your presentation should examine how some form of power (as discussed in class) is represented in that work. Acceptable mediums include, but are not limited to, comics, graphic novels, music videos or lyrics, film, video games, television, advertisements, and fan fiction. This presentation may be given individually or as part of a small group, depending on your preference. This assignment is not meant to be labor- or time-intensive and does not require outside research. We'll use these presentations to break up our three-hour class sessions, have a little fun, and share thoughtful commentary on a relevant work that (ideally) has personal significance for the presenter.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Those interested in 19th/20th/21st-century fiction; genre fiction and its theory and history; literary theory related to race, class, and gender; or the thematics of power will most likely find this course useful.
No prior knowledge of genre fiction or literary theory is required. The theory will be provided in lectures, and the historical context for our texts will be provided as a separate document.
Extensive paper-writing experience is not required; the two peer critique workshops and my feedback will guide you through the paper-writing process.
- Grading:
10% Attendance
10% Participation (class discussion, two peer critique workshops, in-class writing and reading comprehension assignments)10% Presentation (one 15-minute presentation on a work in a medium of your choice; group grade: 5%; individual grade: 5%; or 10% if presented individually)
10% Quizzes (four multiple-choice quizzes on reading comprehension, literary terminology, and critical approaches)15% Written homework (5% each x 3) (three short-answer homework assignments)
5% Paper Proposals (two 1-page paper proposals, double-spaced); Presentation Proposal (1 page, double-spaced)15% Paper 1. This paper should be 3 to 4 pages in length, double-spaced, 12-pt font
25% Paper 2. This paper should be 4 to 5 pages in length, double-spaced, 12-pt font- Exam Format:
- Final paper instead of final exam.
- Class Format:
- We'll meet in-person once a week on Wednesdays for approx. three hours on the East Bank campus. We'll take a 15-minute break in the middle of each class session. Most of our class sessions will involve lecture, class discussion, and close reading of specific passages. Toward the conclusion of the course, some class time will be taken up by student presentations, peer critique workshops, and in-class conferences regarding the two papers.
- Workload:
- This course involves a substantial reading load, a moderate amount of writing, and minimal group work.
-----------------
Required Texts
The texts below are available at the bookstore or through online booksellers, such as Amazon.com.
1. Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus. Mary Shelley. (available for free on Project Gutenberg)2. 1984. George Orwell.
3. The Man in the High Castle. Philip K. Dick.
4. The Handmaid's Tale. Margaret Atwood.
5. A Wizard of Earthsea. Ursula K. Le Guin.
6. Harmony. Project Itoh.
7. The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes. Neil Gaiman (graphic novel).
8. The Big Book of Science Fiction: The Ultimate Collection. Eds. Jeff and Ann Vandermeer (anthology of short stories).
9. The Secret History of Fantasy. Ed. Peter S. Beagle (anthology of short stories and essays).
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/17483/1179
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 18 April 2017
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