Senior Seminar: Science Fiction

ENG 495-002, Fall 2008
Senior Seminar: Science Fiction
TR 2:00-3:15, MO 202

Dr. Nicholas Laudadio, Morton 138
Office Hours, W 2-5
laudadion@uncw.edu
http://people.uncw.edu/laudadion/

Course Description
In this class, we will be working to make sense of one of the more is understood/maligned/misrecognized genres in literature and film studies: science fiction. In order to accomplish this rather ambitious goal, we will be confronting SF as an historical, critical, and political force that attempts to better understand the here that might just end up there (or beyond).

Required Texts
Books
• Course reserves available from the library and on the course site (the online readings require a login you will receive in class).
• James, Edward and Mendelsohn, Farah. The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction
• Butler, Octavia. Kindred.
• LeGuin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness.
• Dick, Philip K. The Man in the High Castle

These books are available from the university bookstore as well as the Seahawk bookstore, but feel free to buy them used from amazon, abebooks, or ebay. Just make sure that you have all your books in your hands with time left to actually read them for class. Given shipping delays and other unforseen circumstances, you might want to order your books now, not later (and, since we need it from day one, you might be better off getting the Cambridge Companion from the bookstore).

Films
Tarkovsky, Solaris (1972)
Scott, Blade Runner (1982)
Oshii, Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Gilliam, Brazil (1985)
Judge, Idiocracy (2004)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Body Snatchers (1993)*
Invasion (2007)*
Pixar, Wall-E (2008)

Given that this course does not have a separate screening time, you will be expected to watch films on your own time. While they will be made available in the library course reserve, there are not enough copies of the films for everyone (especailly we all wait until a few days before...). So, I strongly encourage you to either buy some (or all) of these films or put them in your netflix queue in a timely fashion. It's essential to the success of this class that you have read and watched the day's assignments in their entirety before attending class... it's hard to have an engaging, fun discussion about a film you haven't seen.
NB: I go out of my way to call on everyone in the class, so consider yourself warned.

Supplies
• Folder with pockets for your responses and essays; paper for taking notes; technological device happy to hold your files.
• Save all writing you do this semester in at least two locations (i.e on disk and in hard copy). Keep all work that I hand back to you.
NB: Always save repeatedly and backup regularly as important documents have a tendency to disappear--crashes/losses are not an acceptable excuse for late/missing assignments.

Class Requirements and Assignments
• You will be required to write a midterm essay (5-6 pgs), a final project (10-12 pgs, with annotated bibliography and formal prospectus), weekly responses (details below), participate in class discussions, and attend class regularly (see attendance policy below).
• Each assignment (including responses) should be typed in a standard 10 or 12 point serifed font in MLA style (refer to the website for more info).
• Late assignments will be reduced by one-third of a grade per class day. (Absence from class on the date due (as well as computer problems) does not excuse the lateness of your assignment.)

Weekly Responses
This semester you will be writing weekly two page discussion responses that will include a critical observation about a single, specific component of the day's reading/viewing, no fewer than four questions that you believe will help spark discussion (you will be deploying these, so give them some thought), and the results of your own textual/contextual research--for each major text expect you to find out more about these films, stories, novels, authors, and eras (you can use the library site as well as the web for this).

NB: Your responses should NOT begin with "This [object of study] was really good/bad..." or "I really love/hate this [thing i'm reading/watching] because..." You need to focus your criticism on tangible and specific aspects of the text you are discussing, not on your emotions/opinions/gut reactions. When you “run out of things to say,” you’re probably not being specific enough--keep writing!

Breakdown of Grades
Final project (10-12 pgs) (40%), midterm essay (4-5 pgs) (30%), weekly responses (20%).
Participation: includes class participation, attendance, and general attitude (10%).
In-Class Grades
A 95; A/A- 93; A- 91; A-/B+ 89; B+ 88; B+/B 87; B 85; B/B- 83; B- 81; B-/C+ 79
C+ 78; C+/C 77; C 75; C/C- 73; C- 71; C-/D+ 69; etc...
Final Reporting Grades
A 94-; A- 90-93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80-83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73

Attendance
You are allowed to miss two classes before you are penalized. Use them wisely (i.e. save for when you are really sick, or are faced with an emergency). After this missed class, your participation grade drops with every class you miss. After six missed classes, you will receive a failing grade. The class depends upon your presence.
• If you miss more than one class, you must contact me in person; otherwise, I will assume you have dropped the class. You will also want to get notes from another student.
• Don’t leave class early without asking me first.

Incompletes
The incomplete grade may be given only to students who have 1) fulfilled the attendance requirement for the course and 2) completed all but one of the written assignments.

Academic Dishonesty
As a reminder: plagiarism is using another person’s words (even just a few words and even if they are from some old website) and/or ideas as if they were your own. To avoid plagiarism, simply put the material you have taken in quotation marks and cite the person’s name and publication information in your paper. Please note that turning in an assignment that you wrote for another class also falls under the heading of academic dishonesty and is prohibited. If you turn in any such assignments, you will receive an “F” for the course and I will notify the dean's office.

For more information on the university's Honor Code, see http://www.uncw.edu/policies/documents/03.100_Academic_Honor_Code_final_071905.pdf

Writer’s Block
Feel free to stop in during office hours for any reason; as paper time draws near, you’ll probably want to schedule an appointment if you’re desperate for additional feedback. Please do not wait until the last minute to do so; I cannot (as you can probably imagine) schedule time for very many students two days before the deadline. If you need additional assistance on your paper draft beyond this meeting, please seek out the Writing Place; the staff are there to provide feedback on papers. (Please keep in mind, however, that merely having someone on the staff read your paper does not ensure you a higher grade. http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/writingplace/ 962-7155 (appointments are recommended). Hours: M-Th 10-9; Friday 10-3; Sun 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Disabilities
If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodation, you should inform me of this fact in writing within the first week of class. If you have not already done so, you must register with the Office of Disability Services in Westside Hall (extension 3746) and obtain a copy of your Accommodation Letter. You should then schedule an appointment with me to make mutually agreeable arrangements based on the recommendations in your letter.