Science fiction in translation
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| Science fiction in translation
First Year Program St. Lawrence University Plenary: M-W-F 9:40-10:40 Bewkes 232 Seminar: Tues 2:20 - 3:50 Bewkes 232
This electronic document (http://it.stlawu.edu/~koon/classes/FYS/GlobalSF2006.html) is the official syllabus of this course. It will be updated as the course proceeds. Please bookmark this page and check back frequently. Last Revised: May 4, 2006. COURSE DESCRIPTION: 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. MAJOR ASSSIGNMENTS RESEARCH PAPER The major assignment of this course is a final paper, 10-12 pages double-spaced, due at the end of the semester. It will be the result of your research into a specific question based on an SFF novel or novella that will be assigned to you. We will spend time throughout the semester investigating the issues involved with writing a major research paper, and the various stages of the paper will be collected and graded by the instructor at specific dates in the semester. (See Major Deadlines below.) The thesis of this paper will address whether or not the story reflects something characteristic about its author, country, or era. ORAL PRESENTATION #1 Each student will give an oral presentation on an SFF film that is either filmed in a language other than English, or which is based on a non-English SFF work. The film will come from a list which appears later on in this syllabus. The presentation will be 8-10 minutes long, with no more than 5 minutes combined for plot synopsis and any film clips. We will work on this presentation in class, and it will be subject to multiple drafts. ORAL PRESENTATION #2 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. How should you structure class? There are many possibilities. What I don't recommend is that you simply stand in front of class and lecture us for a half hour. (particularly reading straight from notes) A combination of lecture, directed discussion, and other activities is probably the best approach, but feel free to explore your own ideas of presentation. Since this is an important part of this course and because I'm asking you to do a good share of the teaching, it is important that we discuss your intentions for class well in advance - - two weeks before class and then again one week before. Handouts are recommended, but I don't want you to hand out a page of notes with "all the answers" to the students without trying to get them to work through the issues and come up with their own answers first. PORTFOLIO Your portfolio is a record of your progress in this course. As such, it needs to include all drafts of every bit of written work you do during the course, including the various stages of your research paper including notes, all the materials associated with the topical projects just mentioned, and in-class free writes. Part of that portfolio should be the self-assessment, in which you reflect critically on the work assembled in the portfolio. Your self-assessment should be a frank, honest analysis of your work. It should neither be filled with platitudes nor excuses for why your grades were what they were. In fact, grades are completely irrelevant. What is your assessment of your own work? How did it improve during the semester? A three-ring binder, or its equivalent, is recommended for assembling your portfolio through the course of the semester. OTHER ASSIGNMENTS READING JOURNAL: One element of your participation grade will be your notes from the individual course readings, both stories and critical works. I will ask you to keep a notebook with extensive notes on all of the readings for this course, including films. I will occasionally ask you to hand it in, so that I can check that you are indeed keeping up. I will grade on completeness and quality, not on neatness (unless it is unreadable: taking notes electronically is not a bad idea). You will be allowed to use these notes, but not the original stories, in the in-class exams. PERSONAL WRITING MECHANICS INVENTORY: One element of your portfolio grade will be a running inventory of areas of your own writing that need work. After each assignment, you need to look through the instructor's, mentor's, or tutor's marks to see what you ought to add to this list. You should consult this list when proofreading all subsequent formal assignments. As a writer, it is important to practice the mechanics of writing, and to be aware of those areas in which you most need work. If one of these areas is 'homophones', for example, you may find it useful to compile a list of words that you have difficulty with ("to", "too", "two", or "its" and "it's", for example) but which the spell-checker refuses to help you with. MISCELLANEOUS ASSIGNMENTS: Finally, there will be occasional free-writes and quizzes throughout the semester, as the need arises. I do not know in advance how many there may be, so I will simply include the results of these assignments in your 'classroom participation' grade. ATTENDANCE 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. PLAGIARISM The SLU Student Handbook defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work of another person -- words, ideas, data, evidence, thoughts, information, organizing principles, or style of presentation -- without proper attribution." While we will talk about the dangers of plagiarism in class, it is your responsibility to be aware of what is -- and what is not -- plagiarism, whether intentional or not. Your instructor has a variety of tools at his disposal for testing written work for plagiarism, ample experience at detecting it, and a low tolerance for it. If you have questions about whether you are adequately citing or attributing work, please ask your mentor or instructor. Please see the material below. You are responsible for this material. ACADEMIC RESOURCES, SPECIAL NEEDS 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. GRADING OF ASSIGNMENTS
MAJOR DEADLINES:
FINAL EXAM, Thursday, May 11, 8:30am. PLUS..... One week and two weeks before each classroom presentation: Outline of presentation, list of prior readings for the classmates, meet with instructor One class before each classroom presentation: Class handouts for distribution 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
Napier, Anime from Akira to Mononoke. Chapter 2: Anime & Local/Global Identity. Histories and Introductions to various international anthologies and novels:
Plus, Hacker, D. A Pocket Style Manual. Fourth Edition. (2004). SF FILMS FOR FIRST ORAL PROJECT (one for each student):
NOVELS & NOVELAS FOR RESEARCH PAPER & SECOND ORAL PROJECT (one per student)
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
EUROPE (& USSR)
SPRING BREAK CUBA / LATIN AMERICA
EAST ASIA
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].
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.).
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.
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.
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
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