St. Lawrence University
Science fiction (and fantasy) is as American as the Wild West movie, right? Wrong. From Jules Verne to Cuban cyberpunks to Japanese manga and anime artists, the people who bring you SF&F are as international as, well, the crew of the Starship Enterprise. In this course we will sample the global science fiction literature (and a wee bit of fantasy) that has been translated into English, and we will explore the extent to which SF&F, that literature which strives “to boldly go” beyond the limits of its earth-bound, bipedal, humanoid writer, still reflects the planet, the species, the culture and the era of that writer. Or not. The class will share a common list of readings and films, with each student writing an in-depth research paper on a particular global science fiction (or fantasy) novel.
For your second Oral Presentation, you will introduce the class to the particular SFF novel or novella you have been assigned for the Research Paper: you will teach half of a class.
Your active participation in class is important. Of course you need to attend class. I reserve the right to dock you a half-point from your final grade for each absence beyond the third, in addition to lowering your class participation grade (e.g. 4.0 becomes a 3.5, etc.). But you also need to arrive in class prepared to contribute to it. Bring any materials that we are planning to discuss that day -- texts, handouts, and notes from texts or films. Occasionally I will throw an unannounced quiz to ensure that you’ve come to class prepared. Such quizzes will usually be open notes, but not open text. Thus, it really pays to take good notes. Late arrival in class is also distracting, especially when one of your colleagues is giving his/her oral presentation. I will count every two instances of five minutes or more of lateness as equaling an absence. Please speak to me beforehand if you anticipate having to miss or be late for or leave early from any class.
If you need accommodation for special needs, please contact your instructor by the end of the first full week of classes. Please also contact the Office for Academic Services for Students with Special Needs (homepage, e-mail) as soon as possible. Another useful office for all students is the Academic Achievement Office, which can set you up with tutoring for this and other courses.
COMMON SCIENCE FICTION TEXTS:
Bookstore:
We -- Yevgeny Zamyatin (USSR: 1920)
Solaris -- Stanislaw Lem (Poland: 1961)
Cosmos Latinos -- Andrea L. Bell & Yolanda Molina-Gavilán (US: 2003)
Other:
Hard to be a god (alternate link) -- Arkadi & Boris Strugatsky (USSR: 1964)
Planet for rent -- Yoss (Cuba: 2002)
In addition, all of you will be required to do a research project on a specific science fiction novel (See Table below), which may require you to purchase or borrow another book.
Plus, other stories and excerpts, TBA
CRITICAL READINGS COMMON TO THE CLASS: (Subject to change):
Napier, Anime from Akira to Mononoke. Chapter 2: Anime & Local/Global Identity.
Histories and Introductions to various international anthologies and novels:
From socialist realism to anarchist-capitalism: Cuban cyberpunk: (Toledano: Science Fiction Studies)
New Soviet fiction (Intro by Theodore Sturgeon)
The development of the Strugatskys’ fiction (Intro by Darko Suvin)
Martians in Bartolo’s banana field (Yoss)
Historias futuras (Intro)
Cosmos Latinos (Intro)
Prologue to Morel (Borges)
The best Japanese science fiction stories (Intro)
Science fiction from China (Intros by Pohl, Wu Dingbo)
New worlds from the Lowlands (Intros by Asimov, van Loggem)
Plus, Hacker, D. A Pocket Style Manual. Fourth Edition. (2004).
SF FILMS FOR FIRST ORAL PROJECT (one for each student):
Vampires in Havana
|
Cuba
|
1985
|
La Jetée
|
France
|
1962
|
Alphaville
|
France
|
1965
|
Fahrenheit 451
|
France/UK
|
1966
|
Metropolis
|
Germany
|
1927
|
Woman in the moon
|
Germany
|
1929
|
Koi mil gaya
|
India
|
2003
|
|
Gojira
|
Japan
|
1954
|
Akira
|
Japan
|
1988
|
Pulgasari
|
Korea, N.
|
1985
|
Wonderful days
|
Korea, S.
|
2003
|
Solaris
|
US
|
2002
|
Aelita
|
USSR
|
1924
|
Solaris
|
USSR
|
1972
|
|
NOVELS & NOVELAS FOR RESEARCH PAPER & SECOND ORAL PROJECT (one per student)
War with the newts, Čapek (Czechoslovakia)
Solaris, Lem (Poland)
Futurological Conference, Lem (Poland)
We, Zamyatin (USSR)
Heart of the serpent, Yefremov (USSR)
Hard to be a god, A. & B. Strugatsky (USSR)
|
The Time Wanderers, A. & B. Strugatsky (USSR)
Fables of an extraterrestrial grandmother, Chaviano (Cuba)
Planet for rent, Yoss (Cuba)
Hypernova, Hernández (Cuba)
Kalpa Imperial, Gorodischer (Argentina)
Japan sinks, Komatsu (Japan)
|
OTHER RESOURCES:
Science Fiction Studies, especially special issues on Stanislaw Lem, Soviet SF, Global Science Fiction, etc.
The Ultimate science fiction guide:
countries
Online Russian / Soviet fiction (
Russica)
This instructor’s Cuban SF page
SCHEDULE:
This schedule is updated frequently. Keep your eye open for changes or for hyperlinks to new stuff.
Student presentations are marked in Green
SF FILMS & EARLY HISTORY
M Jan 23
|
Introduction to course. Georges Méliès: Le voyage dans la lune (Fr. 1902)
|
Individual films to be passed out.
|
T Jan 24
|
SEMINAR: Library orientation: ODY. Scavenger hunt.
|
|
W Jan 25
|
Introductions. How to take notes for a film. How to critique a film. Méliès déjà vu.
|
|
F Jan 27
|
Reading critical works: Asimov, Sturgeon, Pohl
|
|
M Jan 30
|
Discussion of Japan articles.
In-class work on OP#1 project.
|
Hand in copy of notes taken while viewing your film. Individual novels to be passed out.
|
T Jan 31
|
SEMINAR: Oral Presentation Workshop. Bring all your notes. Assignment 2
|
|
W Feb 1
|
SF “prehistory”: Mythology, Kepler’s Somnium, deBergerac (Ch. 1, 2, 6, 9), Munchausen
|
|
F Feb 3
|
Frank Reade & the pulps (Powerpoint. Wiki: Early science fiction)
|
Start reading We.
Winterlude in Ottawa runs till 2/19. Bring your skates.
|
M Feb 6
|
Early film (kinetoscopes, etc.). Early SF films (PPT)
|
Hand in OP critiques from 2+ critics.
|
T Feb 7
|
SEMINAR: ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Batch #1
|
|
W Feb 8
|
ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Batch #2
|
|
F Feb 10
|
Early films, continued. Jules Verne: From Earth to the Moon, Ch. 1
|
|
EUROPE (& USSR)
M Feb 13
|
Debrief on Oral Presentations. Jules Verne: Ch. 2, 3
|
List of sources due, Read one 1/3+ of your novel
|
♥ Feb 14
|
SEMINAR: Taking notes
|
|
W Feb 15
|
“Mitteleuropa” between the wars
|
|
F Feb 17
|
Introduction to the Writing Center.
Meet at Writing Center in ODY at 9:40 sharp!
|
2 sources due, with your notes for these sources.
|
M Feb 20
|
USSR: history, art, & SF. Sturgeon & Suvin
|
|
T Feb 21
|
SEMINAR: Citation style
|
|
W Feb 22
|
Zamyatin: We
|
Start reading Solaris
|
F Feb 24
|
Further discussion of We
|
Rules for Oral Presentations
|
M Feb 27
|
Čapek: War with the newts (O’Sullivan). Before class: read wikipedia on Capek and on this novel. Also read excerpt (Ch. 4 & 5).
|
Bibliography (1st draft) due.
|
T Feb 28
|
SEMINAR: Making a logical argument. ID and pirates
|
|
W Mar 1
|
Lem: The Futurological Congress (Johnston). Before class: read wikipedia on Stanislaw Lem, excerpt.from story.
|
|
F Mar 3
|
Lem: Solaris (Millard). Read to page 105 before class.
|
“One paragraph essay” version of your paper due.
Include all related work.
|
M Mar 6
|
Class discussion of Lem’s Solaris. Complete book by classtime. Expect a quiz
|
Start reading Hard to be a god
|
T Mar 7
|
SEMINAR: Evaluating sources, Martian bunnies, Exercises
|
|
W Mar 8
|
More on Soviet SF: SFS Book review, Sturgeon, Octavia Butler obit
|
|
F Mar 10
|
EXAM I
|
Outline due. Include all related work.
|
M Mar 13
|
Yefremov: Heart of the Serpent, Leinster’s First Contact (Van Kennen)
|
|
T Mar 14
|
SEMINAR: Annotating
|
|
W Mar 15
|
A. & B. Strugatsky: Hard to be a god (Judge)
|
|
♣ Mar 17
|
Class discussion of Strugatskys’ Hard to be a god
|
Annotated Bibliography due. Include all related work.
Start reading Yoss’ Planet for rent
|
SPRING BREAK
CUBA / LATIN AMERICA
M Mar 27
|
Cuba & Cuban SF: Overview
|
|
T Mar 28
|
SEMINAR: Review material so far, 5-paragraph exercise. In Memoriam: Stanislaw Lem
|
|
W Mar 29
|
A. & B. Strugatsky: Time Wanderers (Gilbert). Yoss: Martians... & Toledano: From socialist realism
|
|
F Mar 30
|
Exam: Capek, Lem, the Soviets, Ch. 1-3 of Planet for rent. Questions Proposed by the class.
|
“5 paragraph” research essay due. Include all related work.
|
M Apr 3
|
Chaviano: Fables of an extraterrestrial grandmother (Cottle). Read Ch. 1-3.
|
|
T Apr 4
|
SEMINAR: Individual conferences
|
|
W Apr 5
|
Hernández: Hypernova (Griffin). Read Semiotics for wolves.
|
|
F Apr 7
|
Yoss: Planet for rent (Rowley)
|
|
M Apr 10
|
Class discussion of Planet for rent, Intro to Cosmos Latinos.
|
|
T Apr 11
|
SEMINAR: Outlining again.
|
|
W Apr 12
|
Short stories from Cosmos Latinos: Arango’s Cosmonaut, Chaviano’s Annunciation, Encinosa’s Like the roses had to die, Aguiar’s Helh.
|
|
F Apr 14
|
Introduction to Historias Futuras. Fantastic Realism: Piñera: 3 ultrashorts & Jorge Borges: Library of Babel, Book of Sand.
|
Writing mechanics journal due. Writing mechanics journal due.
|
M Apr 17
|
Abre los ojos. Airs Fri-Sun, Apr. 14-6, Ch. 71: 4-7-10pm. Wikipedia: Magical realism, Cyberpunk
|
|
T Apr 18
|
SEMINAR: Peer review I: Summarize each paragraph, reconstruct Outline
|
|
W Apr 19
|
Latin American SF and Napier on Japan
|
|
EAST ASIA
F Apr 21
|
Japan: Napier
|
First draft of research paper due. Include all related work.
|
M Apr 24
|
Mechanics issues. Assorted Japanese short stories
|
|
T Apr 25
|
SEMINAR: The mechanics of writing: Grammar, punctuation, etc.
|
|
W Apr 26
|
Komatsu: Japan Sinks (Crittenden)
|
|
F Apr 28
|
Oshii: The Ghost in the Shell. Airs Tues-Thurs., Apr. 25-7.Ch. 73: 4-7-10pm.
|
Reading notebook (notes) due.
|
M May 1
|
China: Conjugal Bliss in the arms of Morpheus (Wei Yahua)
|
|
T May 2
|
SEMINAR: Peer review II
|
|
W May 3
|
Korea. Byung-chun Min: Natural City. Airs Mon-Tues., May 1-2: Ch. 77: 4-7-10pm
|
|
F May 4
|
Review
|
Due Monday, May 8 @ noon: Research paper: final draft, Portfolio & self-assessment due in class.
|
FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 11, 8:30am.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
SELECTIONS FROM THE SLU STUDENT HANDBOOK
All students at St. Lawrence University are bound by honor to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. By virtue of membership in the St. Lawrence community, every student accepts the responsibility to know the rules of academic honesty, to abide by them at all times, and to encourage all others to do the same.
Responsibility for avoiding behavior or situations from which academic dishonesty may be inferred rests entirely with the students. Claims of ignorance, unintentional error, and academic or personal pressure are not excuses for academic dishonesty. Students should be sure to learn from faculty what is expected as their own work and how the work of other people should be acknowledged. Instructors are expected to maintain conditions which promote academic honesty.
Instructors have the duty to investigate any instance involving possible academic dishonesty and must present evidence of academic dishonesty to the Academic Honor Council rather than make private arrangements with the student involved. Violations of the St. Lawrence University Code of Academic Honor are administered under the constitution of the Academic Honor Council [See Student Handbook for the Constitution].
Academic Honesty
The primary objective of the University is the promotion of knowledge. This objective can be furthered only if there is strict adherence to scrupulous standards of honesty. At St. Lawrence, all members of the University community have a responsibility to see that standards of honesty and integrity are maintained.
Students who respect academic honesty and who are orderly and meticulous in their treatment of both their own work and the work of others should anticipate no difficulty with cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty. Borrowing ideas or language from others is acceptable scholarly practice and in many instances actively to be encouraged.
Academic dishonesty generally arises from one of two sources: either a student has knowingly cheated or plagiarized or he/she has been careless or slipshod in discriminating between his/her own work and that of others or in acknowledging sources accurately. These latter difficulties are easily circumvented. Any standard handbook on English usage or term paper writing manual will furnish a methodology as well as appropriate internal reference, endnote, or bibliographical forms (cf., for example, the Harbrace Handbook, A Guide to MLA Documentation, or Writers Inc.).
Academic Honesty
A major objective of the University is the pursuit of knowledge which can be achieved only by strict adherence to standards of honesty. At St. Lawrence, all members of the community have a responsibility to see that these standards are maintained.
Academic Dishonest*
1. It is assumed that all work submitted for credit is done by the student unless the instructor gives specific permission for collaboration.
2. Cheating on examinations and tests consists of knowingly giving or using or attempting to use unauthorized assistance during examinations or tests.
3. Dishonesty in work outside of examinations and tests consists of handing in for credit as original work that which is not original, where originality is required.
The following constitute examples of academic dishonesty:
a) Plagiarism: Presenting as one's own work the work of another person - words, ideas, data, evidence, thoughts, information, organizing principles, or style of presentation-without proper attribution. Plagiarism includes paraphrasing or summarizing without acknowledgment by quotation marks, footnotes, endnotes, or other indices of reference (cf. Joseph F. Trimmer, A Guide to MLA Documentation).
b) Handing in false reports on any experiment.
c) Handing in a book report on a book one has not read.
d) Falsification of attendance records of a laboratory or other class meeting.
e) Supplying information to another student knowing that such information will be used in a dishonest way.
f) Submission of work (papers, journal abstracts, etc.) which has received credit in a previous course to satisfy the requirement(s) of a second course without the knowledge and permission of the instructor of the second course.
Claims of ignorance and academic or personal pressure are unacceptable as excuses for academic dishonesty. Students must learn what constitutes one's own work and how the work of others must be acknowledged.
St. Lawrence students are required to sign the following statement prior to registration for classes:
"I hereby acknowledge that I have read the above document and I understand my responsibility in maintaining the standards of academic honesty at St. Lawrence University."
STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS FOR THE
COMMUNICATION SKILLS COMPONENT OF THE FIRST YEAR PROGRAM
2005-2006
Statement of Philosophy
First-Year colleges provide ideal environments for fostering the complex intellectual and social skills that are at the heart of a liberal education. The First-Year Program (FYP)/ First-Year Seminars (FYS) play a significant part in the development of students’ abilities to communicate effectively and to use writing and speaking to help them to become critical readers of a variety of texts.
Improving student abilities in reading, writing, speaking and research requires serious, sustained practice and overt, in-class reflection upon that practice. A critical feature of this sustained practice is that students receive detailed, constructive response to their work from instructors, from peers, and from mentors and/or Writing Center tutors.
Underlying the teaching of communication skills in the FYP and the FYS is the assumption that these courses are components of a university-wide, four-year commitment to teaching communication skills across the undergraduate curriculum.
Goals
Though the goals for speaking, writing, and research are discussed in separate sections below, they are related activities. Instruction in these skills is most effective when grounded in a holistic view of communication. Students should be made aware of the differences and similarities between oral and written modes of discourse.
1. Oral Communication
By the end of the FYP/FYS students should demonstrate an increased ability:
a) to develop an oral presentation through a series of drafts, demonstrating substantial conceptual and performative revision.
b) to produce a speech with a clearly defined rhetorical purpose that is appropriately and adequately fulfilled given the audience being addressed.
c) to use informal conversation, in class or out, to facilitate close reading and promote critical thinking.
d) to speak from notes or outline, rather than from a manuscript or in an impromptu fashion.
2. Written Communication
By the end of the FYP/FYS, students should demonstrate an increased ability:
a) to develop a piece of writing through a series of drafts, demonstrating substantial revision at both the conceptual and the sentence level.
b) to produce an essay with a clearly defined rhetorical purpose that is appropriately and adequately fulfilled given the audience being addressed.
c) to use informal writing, done in class or out, in journals, reader-response papers, or exploratory essays, to facilitate close reading and promote critical thinking.
d) to produce writing that is characterized by a mature prose style and that conforms to the conventions of standard written English.
3. Research
By the end of the FYP/FYS, students should be better able to conduct productive, imaginative research. Specifically, they should demonstrate an increased ability:
a) to assess the research requirements of a particular assignment and to meet those requirements by using library collections, electronic databases, and Web-based sources.
b) to be able to choose amongst the sources to determine which are most appropriate for a particular assignment.
c) to assess and represent the complexity of a particular line of inquiry and to enter responsibly into the conversation about the issues it raises.
Policies
I. FYP courses
An FYP course will be approved if students:
a) are given diverse and repeated opportunities to write and speak, including the opportunity to write and speak in response to readings, discussions, lectures, films, etc. These responses may occur in class or out, and they may take many forms: freewriting, open or directed journals, graded or ungraded exploratory essays, essay exams, small group discussion, impromptu discussion, oral exams
b) are required to engage in at least three formal, graded writing projects. A “project” requires that students develop a piece of writing over time on the basis of appropriate feedback at a number of stages in the process
c) are required to engage in at least two oral communication projects, one of which undergoes a process of revision. A “project” requires that students develop a speech over time on the basis of appropriate feedback at a number of stages in the process. At least one speech must be extemporaneous, by which we mean that students should deliver a prepared speech from an outline or minimal notes
d) are required to conduct library research and use the sources as an integral part of at least one written and/or oral project
e) are instructed in and held responsible for the ethical use of sources
f) are required to keep all of their written work in a course portfolio, to reflect in writing upon their work, and to submit the completed portfolio to their faculty for review
II. First-Year Seminars
A First-Year Seminar will be approved if students:
a) are given diverse and repeated opportunities to write and speak, including opportunities to benefit from detailed formative feedback from instructors and peers
b) are asked to assess adequately the research requirements of a particular assignment and to seek out efficiently the means of meeting those requirements
c) are given diverse opportunities to incorporate appropriate illustrative or persuasive detail in oral and written communicatio
d) are required to complete at least one and no more than two projects comprising some combination of formal and informal oral, written, and research activities that demonstrate a satisfactory grasp of the program’s communication goals
e) are instructed in and held responsible for the ethical use of sources
f) are required to assemble all their work in a portfolio that includes a written assessment of that work, and to submit the completed portfolio to their faculty for review
Recommendations
In addition, it is strongly recommended:
1. that students engage in oral and written assignments that address a variety of audiences, ranging from instructors and peers to other imagined or real audiences.
2. that students write and speak for a variety of purposes: to explore, to express, to inform, and to persuade
3. that students be encouraged to respond to texts via creative projects
4. that students engage in a variety of research tasks that encourage critical use of sources
5. that colleges include assignments that require the production and analysis of visual images, so as to improve visual literacy