#70 = Volume 23, Part 3 = November 1996
North American College Courses in Science Fiction,
Utopian Literature, and Fantasy
Compiled by Arthur B. Evans and R.D. Mullen
Although a few have been slightly edited to save space and
facilitate paging ("science fiction" has frequently been reduced to
"sf"), the responses to our questionnaire are for the most part
printed verbatim, which accounts for the differences in implied reader and tone.
Most of the course descriptions were originally printed in the college's general
catalogue or in the instructor's syllabus. In some cases the course is a general
course in which some sf, utopian, or fantasy texts are used. The listing is
alphabetical by state or province, except that entries received too late for
proper placement appear at the end of the list.
Alabama. University of South Alabama, Mobile
EH 201. Science Fiction. Analyses of short stories, viewed from the
postmodern perspective. TEXTS: Anthologies of short stories, currently The
Norton Book of Science Fiction.—Thomas A. Brennan, English Dept., Univ. of
South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688.
Alabama. Troy State University, Troy
English 326. Science Fiction. Explores the literary, social, and genre
importance of science fiction in the twentieth century. Course objectives: 1. to
appeciate the method and artistry of the works studied, 2. to develop an
understanding of the nature of speculative fiction, 3. to enable students to
analyze theme and method in literature, 4. to develop skills in original
research, 5. to develop skill at presenting ideas in class discussions, oral
reports, and written papers. Course content: 1. historical overview of the
development of science fiction, 2. definitions of key terms and techniques, 3.
in each work, primary focus on theme, with attention to narrative structure and
characterization, 4. understanding the various trends developing in the genre,
5. discussion of the role of science and technology in modern life, as reflected
in the works. TEXTS: Dick, Ubik, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, Lem, Solaris, Shippey, ed. The Oxford Book of Science
Fiction Stories.—Jim Davis, English Dept., Troy State Univ., Troy, AL
36082.
Alaska. University of Alaska, Fairbanks
English 111. Freshman English. In one segment of the semester,
we examined Fredric Brown's "Arena" and compared it to the 1960's Star
Trek version of the story. Not only were visual similarities and differences
discussed but also we surmised possible sociopolitical reasons for these
changes.—Todd Sformo, c/o ASIC, ABE/GED Dept., PO Box 749, Barrow, AK 99723.
English 692. Seminar on 20th Century Fiction. Sf works used here and
there in several courses. Sf TEXT in English 692: Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness.—Eric Heyne, English Dept., Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks,
AK 99775.
Alberta. University of Alberta, Edmonton
English 483. Studies in the Literature of Popular Culture: Sf and
Postmodernism. Sf and postmodernism have been linked in various ways in
recent years. Postmodern theorists have taken up Sf to show how the traditional
boundaries of genre have collapsed in the fluid new culture of postmodernity.
Students of the Chaos paradigm have turned to sf texts as touchstones for
understanding the transformation of Western culture into a culture of chaos,
while other critics of both sf and postmodernism argue that sf has become the
preeminent literary form of the postmodern era, since its generic protocols and
thematic systems are able to cope with the various and drastic transformations,
especially in information/simulation technologies, of the postindustrial West.
It has been argued that "sf has an advantage over most other disciplines in
that it has had something like a theory of postmodernism ingrained in its
futurism for many years," and that "with the catastrophic failure of
traditional humanistic thought, sf has rushed in with a treasury of powerful
metaphors and icons capturing the reality of insecure borders: the Female Man,
xenogenesis, the cyborg, the simulacrum, viral language, cyberspace, Mechs and
Shapers, and many others." In this course, we will look at various texts
from the past three decades which will allow us to explore the fruitful
connections between sf and postmodernism. There will be comparative analyses as
well as close individual readings of specific texts. TEXTS: Banks, The
Player of Games; Dick, Ubik; Fowler, Sarah Canary; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Jones, White Queen; Le Guin, Fisherman of the Inland Sea; Powers,
The Anubis Gates; Russ, The Female Man; Ryman, The Child
Garden; Stephenson, Snow Crash; Sterling, ed, Mirrorshades; Womack,
Random Acts of Senseless Violence.—Douglas Barbour, Department of
English, University of Alberta, Edmonton. Canada T6G 2E5.
Alberta. University of Calgary, Calgary
English 393. Science Fiction. This second-year "basic" sf
course is taught annually by various English dept. faculty, including Susan
Stone-Blackburn, R. Ramraj, Linda Howell, Janis Svilpis, et al. English 393
explores varieties of Otherness in science fiction through the 19th and 20th
centuries. It investigates alien creatures, fantastic voyages, strange worlds,
weird science, and extraordinary technologies. Questions about the changing
social impacts of literature and science help to frame class lectures and
discussions, while film viewings explore the visual realm of the science fiction
imagination. TEXTS: Benford, Timescape, Shelley, Frankenstein,
Wells, The Time Machine, Zamyatin, We, Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz, Clarke, Childhood's End, Dick, The Man in the High
Castle, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Herbert, Dune,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Warrick et al. eds., Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology. FILMS: Metropolis, Blade
Runner.—Susan Stone-Blackburn, 3323 Constable Pl. NW, Calgary, AB, CANADA
T2L 0K9, (403) 220-3153, "sstonebl@acs.ucalgary.ca".
English 453. Topics in Twentieth Century American Fiction: Contemporary
American Science Fiction. In the 1960s, American science fiction entered a
new era of critical respectability. Ursula K. Le Guin and Samuel Delany opened
the doors of the academy to this popular literature. These and other writers
such as Joanna Russ, Suzette Haden Elgin, Greg Bear, and Gregory Benford will be
studied for their blend of science fiction conventions with literary
sophistication and contemporary thought. TEXTS: Delany, Babel 17, Nova,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, Russ, The
Female Man, Benford, Timescape, Bear, Blood Music, Elgin, Native
Tongue.—Stone-Blackburn.
English 453. Topics in Twentieth Century American Fiction: American
Women's Speculative Fiction. A study of utopian and dystopian novels that
portray a spectrum of alternative societies. Texts range from fantasy to science
fiction and present a variety of perspectives on gender and society. TEXTS:
Gilman, Herland, Bryant, The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You, Le
Guin, The Dispossessed, Russ, The Female Man, Gearhart, The
Wanderground, Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time, Slonczewski, A
Door into Ocean, Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country.—Stone-Blackburn.
Alberta. Mount Royal College, Calgary
English 3393. Seminar in Science Fiction. A course intended to
acquaint the student with a selection of major authors of science fiction and
their works, with several of the major themes to be found in sf, with the
history of sf, and with the interrelationship between sf as an art form and
science as a mode of perceiving reality. In particular, the course will strive
1. to acquaint the student with the precursors to modern sf, with the history
and evolution of the genre, and with its contemporary manifestations, such as
New Wave, Feminist, and Cyberpunk, all of this with special reference to the
clash between science and religion and to attempts at their reconciliation; 2.
to evolve a definition of sf, including significant enough differentia that this
genre can be distinguished from other similar genres, such as fantasy literature
and gothic novels; 3. to examine sf as comparative literature since its
formulation and influence cut across the national, cultural, and linguistic
barriers that frequently circumscribe other genres; 4. to analyze the sf film
and to probe its relation to the literature of science fiction; 5. to see in sf
a means for bridging the gap between what C.P. Snow has called "the two
cultures," science and the humanities, inasmuch as this genre is both
scientific and literary; 6. to gain a basic understanding of the sciences that
form the backdrop for science fiction, such as astronomy, relativity theory,
entropy and thermodynamics, the mathematics of chaos, ecology, computer
technology, genetics, and parapsychology; 7. to acquire a particular way of
seeing as it is encouraged by sf; that is, to understand the sf story as
presenting a critique, often ironic, of present social conditions, and as
exploring the nature and limits of our own reality; 8. to discover the
connections between sf and utopian/dystopian thought and of these concepts to
the problems of free will and determinism; 9. to confront the question of
whether technology should be seen as humanity's saviour or destroyer, and to
relate this question to the problem of human consciousness, which itself is a
way of asking "What does it mean to be human?" 10. to understand how
the alien encounter can be viewed as a metaphor for the exploration of the
psychological and existential depths of human consciousness and how the alien
landscape maps symbolically the human condition; 11. to define a variety of
alternative futures, noting the plasticity of human nature and the fragility of
civilization. What, in effect, can we become? How can we achieve a desired
future and avoid apocalypse? What, therefore, is the relationship in humanity
between the power to comprehend and the power to destroy? 12. to write and
convey one's ideas on these issues and their intersection with our texts in a
clear, literate, and persuasive manner. TEXTS: Asimov, I, Robot,
Shelley, Frankenstein, Lem, Solaris, Heinlein, The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress, Pohl & Kornbluth, The Space Merchants, Elgin, Native
Tongue, Kapp, The Chaos Weapon, Clarke, Childhood's End,
Wells, The Time Machine, Zamyatin, We, Dick, Martian Time-Slip,
Sturgeon, Venus Plus X, Brunner, Shockwave Rider, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court,
Binsburg, ed. The Ultimate Threshold, Shippey, ed. The Oxford Book of
Science Fiction Stories. FILMS: Blade Runner, Firestarter,
Altered States, C.H.U.D., Them, Alien, Aliens,
Brazil, Outland, Silent Running, Quest for Fire, Dr.
Strangelove, War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2001,
2010, Total Recall, Planet of the Apes, Forbidden Planet,
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (among others).—Richard M. Collier,
English Dept., Mount Royal College, 4825 Richard Rd. SW, Calgary, AB, CANADA T3E
6K6.
Arizona. Arizona State University, Tempe
ENG 461. Women & Literature. This course is designed as an
overview of women's sf and fantasy. TEXTS: Bradley, The Shattered
Chain, Norton, Lavender Green Magic, McCaffrey, Dragonsong,
Kidd, ed. Millenial Women, Jackson, The Sundial, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Wilhelm, Juniper Time, Russ, The Female Man,
Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time, Lessing, The Marriages between
Zones Three, Four, and Five.—Thelma Shinn Richard, PO Box 870302, Dept. of
English, Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ 85287.
Arkansas. Henderson State University, Arkadelphia
English 3623. Science Fiction. In this course, the student will learn
about the background of the science-fiction genre, about the major themes in
modern sf, and about the types and classifications of sf. He will become
acquainted with the major writers of sf and with the major periodical
publications in this field. TEXTS: Rabkin, Science Fiction: A
Historical Perspective, Huxley, Brave New World, Clarke, Childhood's
End, Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants, Gibson, Neuromancer.—Larry
Don Frost, Box 7581, Arkadelphia, AR 71999.
Arkansas. University of Arkansas, Little Rock
English 3360.02. Selected Topics: Science Fiction. This course looks
at the literary origins of science fiction and traces its growth into the
twentieth century. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the literary quality of sf. TEXTS:
Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Shelley, Frankenstein,
Verne, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Ballard, The Drowned World,
Lem, Solaris, Orwell, 1984, Le Guin, The Dispossessed,
Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Wells, The Time Machine, War of the
Worlds.—Steve Anderson, Dept. of English, Univ. of Arkansas at Little
Rock, Little Rock, AR 72204.
California. Biola University, La Mirada
Seminar/ENGL 470. Topic or theme varies. Atwood's The Handmaid's
Tale was used for Canadian Literature and for a course called
"Totalitarianism and Guilt." —Brian Ingraffia, English Dept., 138000
Biola Ave., La Mirada, CA 906
California. California Maritime Academy, Vallejo
EGL320. Literature of the Fantastic. This course centers around the
reading and analysis of what may be loosely termed "quality supernatural
fiction." It attempts to define the literature of the fantastic in terms
that the average student may comprehend and thus relate to, within the larger
context of a true literary genre. The essential qualities of the novels and
short stories that will be dealt with in this course are the search for a
satisfying form to the "unanswerable" and a way of dealing with
"the experience behind the experience. . .the void beyond the face of
order." TEXTS: Shippey, The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories,
Stoker, Dracula, The Jewel of Seven Stars, Stevenson, The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Shelley, Frankenstein, Rice,
Interview with the Vampire, Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes,
Wilson, Lifeforce.—Kathryn D. Marocchino, 200 Maritime Academy Dr.,
Vallejo, CA 94590, (707) 648-4272
California. California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
English 380. Contemporary Literary Ideas. A topics course whose topic in
the spring quarter is usually science fiction. It is most often taught by David
Kann, but this spring is being taught by the undersigned. The 1996 topic is Hard
Science Fiction; some of the course will involve Internet work. TEXTS:
Baxter, The Time Ships, Bear, Moving Mars, Butler, Dawn,
Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama, Piercy, He, She, and It, Robinson, Red
Mars, Sheffield, Proteus in the Underworld, Stephenson, Snow
Crash, Sterling, Heavy Weather.—Michael Orth, English Department,
California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, "morth@cymbal.aix.calpoly.edu".
California. Claremont Graduate School, Claremont
English 371. Literature and Technology. Examines literary treatments
of technology from the late 19th century to the cyberpunk era. TEXTS:
Gibson, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Dick, Martian Time-Slip, Pynchon, V.,
Gravity's Rainbow. FILMS: Terminator, Blade Runner.—Marc
Redfield, Dept. of English, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA 91711-6163.
California. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont
LIT 105. The Alien in Science Fiction. A study of the alien worlds,
beings, and themes in science fiction and the ways the alien becomes a
commentary on our lives and conditions. Neither a history of science fiction,
nor a survey of its varieties, this course concentrates on the phenomenon of the
alien and the distinctive capacity of sf to extend our consciousness through the
encounter with the ambiguities, possibilities, and participation in the at-first
unfamiliar. TEXTS: Stapledon, Star Maker, Wells, The Time
Machine, Sturgeon, More Than Human, Clarke, Childhood's End,
Russ, The Female Man, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, The
Dispossessed, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Lem, Solaris.—Langdon Elsbree, Bauer Center, Claremont McKenna College,
Claremont, CA 91211, (909) 621-8000 ext. 2765, fax (909) 621-8249.
California. Foothill College, Los Altos Hills
Philosophy 2. Philosophy of Freedom. Central question of this course: Are
freedom and justice possible for each person in society? What are freedom and
justice in terms of a way of life or a life style? What economic, social, and
philosophical changes must be made to achieve freedom for each purpose? In
addition to the texts listed below, the course includes readings in or lectures
on Aristotle, Plato, Hobbes, Lenin, Pope Leo XIII, Beveridge, and Hitler. TEXTS:
Cohen, Four Systems; Bellamy, Looking Backward; Skinner, Walden
Two; Huxley, Brave New World; Gore, Earth in the Balance; and The
Soviet Constitution, revised 1976.—W.E. Tinsley, Foothill College, Los
Altos Hills, CA 95030.
California. Harvey Mudd College, Claremont
Interdisciplinary 26. Introduction to Women's Studies. Gender,
culture, and interdisciplinary approaches. Humanities 2. The Creative
Imagination. 20th century culture, gender, literature, and film. TEXTS:
Le Guin, Russ, Asimov, Lessing.—J'nan Morse Sellery, Dept. of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Harvey Mudd College, 301 E. Twelfth St., Claremont, CA
91711-5990, "jsellery@hmcvax.ac.hmc.edu".
California. The Master's College, Santa Clarita
English E299. Popular Fiction: Text and Film. This course seeks to
discuss the four subgenres of popular fiction: mystery-detective,
romance-adventure, gothic-horror, and science fiction. Students view film
adaptations of the texts and explore the works as both literature and
film-media. Sf TEXTS: Wells, The War of the Worlds, Bradbury, Fahrenheit
451. FILMS: War of the Worlds, Fahrenheit 451.—John
Hotchkiss, 21726 Placerita Cyn Rd., Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
California. Pasadena City College, Pasadena
English 25D. Science Fiction & Fantasy. This survey traces sf and
fantasy from their roots in myth to modern concepts of technological man. The
course will focus on sf and fantasy as they reveal the social and psychological
implications of the themes explored. TEXTS: Wells, War of the Worlds,
Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness,
Herbert, Dune, Clarke, Childhood's End, Stapledon, Sirius,
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.—Karen McGuire, 2260 Cooley Pl., Pasadena,
CA 91104, (818) 585-7231.
California. Saint Mary's College, Moraga
English 171. 20th-Century Science Fiction. In this course, we will try
to get a sense of the development of science fiction from the '30s to the
`Golden Age' and from there to the more experimental period that began in the
'60s. At the same time, we will sample the various kinds of stories that sf
writers typically write. Readings will consist chiefly of short stories and
novels, most of them relatively short, by a wide variety of authors. We will
also read a few critical essays and some essays on topics such as space travel,
conditions on other planets, etc. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The
SFRA Anthology, Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, Clarke, Childhood's
End, Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants, Miller, A Canticle
for Leibowitz, Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dick, Blade
Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, Gibson, Burning Chrome.—Robert Gorsch, Dept. of English,
St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA 94575.
California. San Diego State University, San Diego
English 525. American Fiction: 1950 to the Present. This course uses
science fiction, along with novels in other genres, as a vantage on literary,
philosophical, and cultural values and issues. Sf TEXTS: Gibson, Neuromancer,
Piercy, He, She, and It, Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Hoban, Riddley
Walker. Alida Allison, English Dept., San Diego State Univ., 5500 Campanile
Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-8140.
California. Southern California College, Costa Mesa
English ??. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Defining and distinguishing
sf from other forms of fantasy; analyzing sf and fantasy as part of the literary
canon; applying literary critical techniques to these forms of novels and
stories. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol.
1; Clarke, Childhood's End; Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451; Heinlein,
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; More, Utopia; Asimov (robot
stories), Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Tolkien, Lewis, MacDonald,
L'Engle.—S.R. Felt, English Dept., Southern California College, 55 Fair Dr.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
California. Stanford University, Stanford
English 2C. Fictions of Gender and Science. The program of this class
is to help you learn how to write clear and effective prose at the college
level. Good writing is not a gift. It is a learned social skill that requires
constant practice and revision. Good writing also requires the ability to think
critically and read analytically. To develop these skills, you will be required
to evaluate the work of your peers and analyze the assigned readings. The
assigned readings are organized around the interconnections of gender, science,
and science fiction. We will sample many different kinds of science fiction,
from the original television series of Star Trek to the short stories of
feminist science fiction writers like Joanna Russ. TEXTS: Packer and
Timpane, Writing Worth Reading; Russ, "Cliches from Outer
Space"; Mathews, "Children of Divers Kind"; Butler, "Bloodchild";
Willis, "Ado"; Cranny-Francis, "Sexuality and Sex-role
Stereotyping in Star Trek"; Lamb and Veith, "Romantic Myth,
Transcendence, and Star Trek Zines"; McHugh, China Mountain
Zhang, Penley, "Spaced Out: Remembering Christa McAuliffe";
Tiptree, "Through a Lass Darkly"; Silverberg, "Who is Tiptree,
What is He?"; Le Guin, "Introduction to Star Songs of an Old
Primate"; Thomas, Correspondence; Keller, "Introduction to Reflections
on Gender and Science."—Karen (Shelly) Cadora, PO Box 8403, Stanford,
CA 94309 or Wilbur A-10, Dept. of Modern Thought & Literature, Stanford
Univ., Stanford, CA 94305.
Political Science 153. Utopian Political Thought. The course will examine
a variety of ways in which utopias function: as thought experiments, as
standards of judgments, as blueprints for social change. How effective a device
is utopia for bringing about social change? What roles do males have in feminist
utopias? Are anti-utopias an attack on utopias or merely a pessimistic
forecasting of our own future? TEXTS: Plato, The Republic; More, Utopia;
Bellamy, Looking Backward; Gilman, Herland; Gibson, Burning
Chrome; Atwood, Handmaid's Tale; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time;
Hossain, Sultan's Dream; Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from
Omelas"; Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Part III; Forster, "The
Machine Stops"; Wright, from 12 Million Black Voices; Borges,
"Utopia of a Tired Man"; Barthelme, "I Bought a Little
City"; Pangborn, "Harper Conan & Singer David"; Haraway,
"A Manifesto for Cyborgs."—Elizabeth Hansot, Political Science
Dept., Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
California. University of California, Los Angeles
Film/TV 222. Seminar in Film Genres: Science Fiction. This graduate
seminar will explore theories, methods, and issues relevant to the concept of
"genre" within the context of a comparative study of the American sf
film with emphasis on the 1950s and the 1980s. Special concerns will be the
relation of formal generic elements and conventions to historical and cultural
contexts; the reflexive, iterative, and affective functions of special effects
and new technologies as the latter impact both the genre and the cinema, and the
organic and technological transformations and reproductions of the human body. TEXTS:
Benedikt, Cyberspace: First Steps, Bukatman, Terminal Identity: The
Virtual Subject in Postmodern Science Fiction, Kuhn, Alien Zone: Cultural
Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema, Landon, The Aesthetics of
Ambivalence: Rethinking Science Fiction Film in the Age of Electronic (Re)Production,
Penley, Close Encounters: Film, Feminism, and Science Fiction, Sobchack, Screening
Space: The American Science Fiction Film. FILMS: I Married a
Monster from Outer Space, Rocketship XM, The Flying Saucer, The
Incredible Shrinking Man, When Worlds Collide, The Day the Earth
Stood Still, Invaders from Mars, Close Encounters of the Third
Kind, Starman, The Terminator, Them!, Alien, Repo
Man, Wild in the Streets, Soylent Green, Night of the Comet,
Rollerball, Brainstorm, Blade Runner, Tron, Robocop,
The Lawnmower Man.—Vivian Sobchack, School of Theater, Film, and
Television, Univ. of California at Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles,
CA 90024, (310) 825-0119. "sobchack@emelnitz.ucla.edu".
California. University of California, Riverside.
Honors 32I. The Science in Science Fiction. The purpose of this course
is to explore interrelations of the scientific and literary cultures as they
occur in science fiction. Isaac Asimov defined science fiction as the form of
literature that measured the impact of scientific and technological
advancement on human beings. For the sake of argument, we will assume that sf as
literary form began with the writings of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells toward the
end of the 19th century. Verne's work is informed by then-new technologies of
locomotion (balloons, submarines, flying machines, ultimately rocket ships) ;
Wells's by Darwinian evolution and new theories of spacetime. We will chart the
development of sf, in major technological cultures such as the US, England,
France, and the Soviet Bloc, through the 20th century, as that development
reflects changing scientific/technological discoveries and interests: from
relativity and the paradoxes of space/time travel, to astrophysical mysticism,
to biology and genetics, and finally to information and chaos theory. There will
be a number of guest speakers in this course, in most cases either scientists
who will discuss the works of sf assigned from the perspective of their
scientific specialty; or authors of the works, who in many cases are
professional scientists themselves (e.g. Benford, Brin, Forward). Most such
encounters will be via interactive TV; some will be classroom appearances. TEXTS:
Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth; Wells, The Time Machine;
Clarke, Childhood's End; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Lem, Solaris;
Benford, Timescape; Brin, Startide Rising; Butler, Imago;
Gibson, Neuromancer; Forward, Dragon's Egg; Crichton, Jurassic
Park; Egan, Quarantine; Zukav, The Dancing Wu-Li Masters;
Bernal, The World, the Flesh, and the Devil; Delany, The Einstein
Intersection; Class reader with stories by Campbell, Heinlein, and Godwin.—George
E. Slusser, "slus@ucrac1.ucr.edu", Eaton Collection, University
Library, and Department of Languages and Literatures, University of
California-Riverside, Riverside CA 92521.
CL 274. The Literatures and Cultures of Science. This course examines
the cultural and literary ramifications of scientific activity in the Western
world, down to the encounter of East-West cosmologies in the modern period. It
traces "Science" from the moment this word designates a specific and
definable human activity, a "method," through the Greeks and various
ages of European culture, to the modern emergence of a two-cultures problem.
Science, as a mode of knowing, can be seen as challenging the ontological
systems of myth, religion, culture, and ultimately literature as narrative
expression of these realms. Periods (1) Materialist Science / Metaphysical
Idealism; (2) Alchemy and the Birth of Experimental Science; (3) Cogito
and Conquest of New Worlds; (4) Enlightenment and its Dark Twin; (5) Disease,
Health, and the Sciences of Society; (6) Science, Religion, Romanticism (7) The
Two Cultures (8) Masternarratives of Modern Science: Time and Space; (9) The
Mind-Body Nexus; (10) Zen and Implicate Order: Science East and West. TEXTS
(1) Writings of Heraclitus, Zeno; Plato, Timaeus; Aristotle, Physics,
Poetics; (2) Roger Bacon, The Mirror of Alchemy; Marlowe, Doctor
Faustus; Francis Bacon, The New Atlantis; (3) Descartes, Discours
de la méthode; Pascal, Pensées; Fontenelle, Entretiens sur la
pluralité des mondes; (4) Vico, La scienza nuova; Diderot, Le
rêve de d'Alembert; E.T.A. Hoffmann, "Der Sandmann"; (5) Galen,
"On Hygiene"; Alain Corbin, The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the
French Social Imagination; Smollett, Humphry Clinker; Blake,
"Songs of Experience"; (6) Goethe, Farbenlehre; deQuincey,
"The Literature of Knowledge and the Literature of Power"; Darwin, Origin
of Species; Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau; (7) Nietzsche, Unzeitgemässe
Betrachtungen; C.P. Snow, The Two Cultures; John W. Campbell,
"Who Goes There?"; Tom Godwin, "The Cold Equations"; (8)
J.D. Bernal, The World, the Flesh, and the Devil; Thomas Kuhn, The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions; Olaf Stapladon, Star Maker;
Robert A. Heinlein, "By His Bootstraps"; Poul Anderson, Tau Zero;
(9) Julian Jaynes, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the
Bicameral Mind; Carl Sagan, The Dragons of Eden; Michel Jeury, Le
temps incertain; Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End; Greg Bear, Blood
Music; (10) Jacques Monod, Le hasard et la necessité; Gary Zukav, The
Dancing Wu-Li Masters; Ilya Prigogine, La nouvelle alliance; William
Gibson, Neuromancer.—Slusser.
English 148M. C.S. Lewis. A survey of the fiction and criticism: Paradise
Lost, The Faerie Queene, Wordsworth, Herbert, etc. The first paper will
focus on Perelandra and its relation to Paradise Lost. The second
will concentrate on the meaning of "situation" and "wonder"
in Spenser and in Lewis' fiction and non-fiction. John Briggs, Department of
English, UC Riverside, Riverside CA 92521.
ENGL 14ONN. Studies in Literary Genres: Feminist Science/Fiction. This
course will include readings in feminist science fiction, feminist theory, and
the philosophy and history of science. The objective of the course is to
investigate the ways in which gender construction, scientific knowledge, and
various kinds of speculative fiction are mutually implicated and mutually
illuminating. Particular attention will be paid to feminist critiques of science
and the work of women scientists, the intersection of popular science fiction
and contemporary gender theory, and the implications for subject construction
(including race, class, and gender) of new digital technologies. Some time will
be spent collaborating with Dance 170 G students in their investigation of the
body and interactivity. TEXTS: Butler, Dawn; Shelley. Frankenstein;
Wittig, Les Guérillères; Russ, The Female Man; Stephenson, The
Diamond Age; selected stories; essays by Donna Haraway, Constance Penley,
Evelyn Fox Keller, Ruth Hubbard, Carole-Anne Tyler, Allucquere Rosanne Stone,
Sue-Ellen Case, Elizbeth Potter, Sherry Turkle, Elizabeth Grosz; and episodes of
Star Trek.—Marguerite Waller, Chair, Women's Studies, University of
California, Riverside, CA 92521.
California. University of California, San Diego
Lit/Gen 177. Science Fiction: The Next Generation. The standard
popular image of science fiction stems from the post-WWII Golden Age: the
fiction of Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke, the media "space opera"
embodied in the 60s by Star Trek and in the 70s by Star Wars. But
since the 60s sf proper has undergone a literary revolution, steering away from
the old icons of rockets, robots, and ray-guns to take on contemporary themes
and concerns: feminism, environmentalism, multiculturalism, computerization,
postmodernism, historical/sociological theory, literary tradition, and—of
course—the outlook for the future as we stand on the brink of the Millenium.
This course will explore the Next Generation through a reading of this
generation's writers, several of whom will be visiting the class for guest
lectures. TEXTS used in 1990, 1992, or 1994: Ballard, The Crystal
World; Bear, Blood Music; Benford, Timescape; Brin, The
Postman, The Glory Season; Butler, Parable of the Sower, Adulthood
Rites; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Ubik;
Gibson, Neuromancer; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Lem, Solaris;
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Robinson, Pacific Edge, Red
Mars; Turtledove, The Guns of the South; Vinge, A Fire Upon the
Deep; FILMS: The Quiet Earth, Blade Runner.—Stephen
Potts, University of California, San Diego, Department of Literature, 9500
Gilman Drive Dept 0410, La Jolla, CA 92093-0410.
California. University of La Verne, La Verne
English 280. Science Fiction. A course taught several times (last in
Spring 1992) in the University of La Verne Educational Programs in Corrections.
"This course is designed to familiarize students with the enormous energy
and diversity of the modern genre of science fiction." TEXTS: Adams,
A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Gibson, Neuromancer, Heinlein,
The Door into Summer, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness,
Silverberg, Hawksbill Station, Silverberg, ed., The Science Fiction
Hall of Fame, Vol. I. FILMS: Project Moonbase, La Jetée, Robinson Crusoe
on Mars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Doin' Time on Planet Earth.—Gary Westfahl,
Learning Center, University of California-Riverside, Riverside CA 92521.
California. University of Southern California, Los Angeles
English 375. Science Fiction. This course considers the scope and
significance of science fiction, with some attention to its historical
development. Its origins are glanced at by reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
and H.G. Wells's The Time Machine, but we are more concerned with the
later developments from Golden Age sf to Cyberpunk and related postmodern
developments. OTHER TEXTS: Asimov, Robot Visions; Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz; Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Lem, Solaris;
Pohl, Gateway; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Butler, Dawn;
Benford, Timescape; Rucker, Software and Wetware; Sterling,
ed., Mirrorshades; Gibson, Neuromancer. FILMS: Blade
Runner, The Terminator, and others.—Paul Alkon, English Department,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354.
Colorado. Colorado Christian University, Lakewood
HUM 470/C20. Science Fiction in Film and Literature. Film and written
classics including Asimov, Heinlein, Wells, Lewis, in the one literary genre
that is the "sociology of the future." TEXT: Silverberg, The
Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Lewis, The Space Trilogy;
L'Engle, The Space Trilogy.—Daniel W. Decker, 180 S. Garrison St.,
Lakewood, CO 80226.
Colorado. Mesa State College, Grand Junction
English 396. Topics: Science Fiction. Students will examine the
evolution of science fiction as a distinct literary form. Beginning with Wells,
the class will follow the course of science fiction through the Pulp Era of the
20s, the Golden Age of the 40s, the New Wave movement of the 60s, and finally
the post-New Wave present, with an emphasis on Cyberpunk. During their readings,
students will develop an understanding of science fiction's major themes and its
unique literary style and lexicon. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine,
Merritt, "The People of the Pit," Stapledon, Last and First Men,
Asimov, Foundation, Heinlein, Orphans of the Sky, Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz, Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Ballard, The
Drowned World, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Zelazny, Eye of
Cat, Delany, "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones,"
Gibson, Burning Chrome.—John Nizalowski, Mesa State College, Box 2647,
Grand Junction, CO 81502.
Colorado. University of Colorado, Denver
Political Science 402F. Crosslisted in English, Honors, and Master's of
Humanities. A senior-level and graduate course in utopian and dystopian
fiction and drama, team-taught by a novelist-English professor and a political
scientist specializing in practical utopianism. Catalog description:
"Political, philosophic, and literary examination of classic and
contemporary works of utopian and dystopian fiction. Fictional visions of
wonderful and terrible societies we might become." One class per week
focuses on utopian themes, the other on literary devices, with both areas viewed
critically. Examination of practical experiments based on utopian fiction,
philosophical speculation, and political movements. TEXTS: Zamiatin, We;
Orwell, Animal Farm and/or Nineteen Eighty-four; Huxley, Brave
New World and Island; Havel, Largo Desolato (a play); Le Guin,
The Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Bellamy, Looking
Backward; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Vonnegut, "Harrison
Bergeron." FILMS: Largo Desolato, The Handmaid's Tale, Nineteen
Eighty-four.— Mike Cummings, Chair, Political Science Department,
University of Colorado-Denver, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217.
Colorado. University of North Colorado, Greeley
English 325. Fantasy and Science Fiction. One-half semester on the
history and development of sf, study of sf types and formats, the craft of
writing sf, and including a talk by at least one sf writer, sometimes by phone. TEXTS:
Le Guin and Attebery, eds., The Norton Book of Science Fiction, Willis, The
Doomsday Book, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Hartwell, Age of
Wonders.—Lloyd Worley, Dept. of English, U. of N. Colorado, Greeley, CO
80639, "ldworle@bentley.univnorthco.edu".
Colorado. University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo
English 254. The Literature of Science Fiction. English 254 is one of
the survey courses in which novel, short story, drama and poetry are included. TEXTS:
Students are asked to read one novel from each of eleven categories and to
select one of the two short story collections to read. FOUNDATIONS: Wells, The
War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Verne, Journey to the Center of the
Earth, Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Shelley, Frankenstein,
Stoker, Dracula, Haggard, She, Orwell, 1984; FANTASY:
Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, Bradley, Darkover Landfall, Gentle,
Golden Witchbreed, McKillip, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Willis, Doomsday
Book; CLASSICAL MODEL: Niven, Inferno, Bova, The Starcrossed,
Farmer, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, DeLint, Jack, the Giant Killer;
ALTERNATE HISTORY: Gibson and Sterling, The Difference Engine, DeCamp, Lest
Darkness Fall, Hogan, The Proteus Operation, Suskind, Perfume,
Piercy, He, She, and It, Huxley, Brave New World; ALTERNATE
WORLDS: Clement, Mission of Gravity, Herbert, Dune, Clarke, Rendezvous
with Rama, Rama II, Slonczewski, A Door into Ocean, Sykes, Red
Genesis; "SOFT" SF SPECULATIVE: Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven,
Zelazny, Dream Master, Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Hambly, Those
Who Hunt the Night, Doctorow, The Waterworks; "SOFT" SF
EXTRAPOLATIVE: Herbert, The Santaroga Barrier, Streiber, Nature's End,
Pohl, The Space Merchants, The Merchant's War, Clarke, Ghost from the
Grand Banks; CATASTROPHE: Theroux, O-Zone, Stewart, Earth Abides,
Hyde, Jericho Falls, Kilian, Tsunami, McCollum, Thunder Strike!,
Cussler, Sahara; ALIEN INVASION: Heinlein, The Puppet Masters,
Niven, Footfall, Crichton, The Andromeda Strain; GENETIC CHANGE:
Preuss, Human Error, Knight, CV or The Observers, Vinge, The
Snow Queen, Koontz, The Watchers, Crichton, Jurassic Park;
TIME TRAVEL: Benford, Timescape, May, The Many Colored Land,
Wilson, A Bridge of Years, Gypsies, Anderson, The Boat of a Million
Years; SF/DETECTIVE: Killough, Dragon's Teeth, Asimov, Naked Gun,
Caves of Steel, Deighton, SS-GB, XPD, Hoeg, Similla's Sense of
Snow; SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS: Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol. 1, Asimov, ed. 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short
Stories.—Margaret Senatore, 180 G. Bonnymede Rd., Pueblo, CO 81001.
English 391. Special Topics in Women Writers of Sf. Harlan Ellison
once said that the best science fiction being written today is by women. The
purpose of this course is to exemplify the truth of this evaluation. This class
may both complement and supplement English 234. Although works by women are
included in English 234, when the same authors appear on both reading lists,
either the novels differ or the literary form differs. For example, in English
234, the work by Mary Shelley, the mother of science fiction, is Frankenstein;
in English 391, it is The Last Man. Rather than reading another novel by
Ursula K. Le Guin, either a short story or selected poetry will be read. Part of
the Women's Studies minor. TEXTS: Donawerth and Kolmerten, eds. Utopia
and Science Fiction by Women: Worlds of Difference, Shelley, The Last Man,
Lessing, The Fifth Child, Russ, The Female Man, Tepper, The
Gate to Women's Country, Butler, Parable of the Sower, Wilhelm, Where
Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Cherryh, Downbelow Station, Hoffman, Practical
Magic, Sargent, ed. Women of Wonder: The Classic Years, Women of Wonder:
The Contemporary Years.—Senatore.
Connecticut. Adult-Ed programs in central Connecticut
The Cultural Relevance of Star Trek. I have for the past 12
years taught a class called "The Cultural Relevance of Star Trek"
at community colleges and area adult education forums. I use Star Trek in
my class as a springboard for discussing American culture and my students' own
experiences, so that we talk about Star Trek (and its influences in
science fiction) as a metaphor and a mirror. I do sessions on diversity themes,
first contact, "the prime directive of non-interference" and the
issues it raises, technology (its perils and promises), religion, sexual
equality issues, environmental issues, psychological profiles of the characters,
mythological themes, etc. For each of these subjects, Star Trek is a
vehicle for discussing larger cultural issues. —Jeffrey H. Mills, 7 Quarry
Street, Ellington, CT 06029, (203) 875-6522.
Connecticut. Connecticut College, New London
English 2XX. Arthurian Legend. Despite changes in attitude and
culture, the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table has
remained potent over a span of eight hundred years. In this course we will
survey Arthurian literature from the Middle Ages to the present, examining
illustrations, paintings, and film, as well as texts. Emphasis will be placed on
establishing each text in its era and understanding the development of the
Arthurian legend. TEXTS: Gawain and the Green Knight; Chrétien de
Troyes, "The Knight of the Cart"; Morris, "The Defense of
Guinevere"; Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur, Vol. 2; Tennyson, Idylls
of the King; White, The Once and Future King; Bradley, The Mists
of Avalon; Beardsley's illustrations for Malory; pre-Raphaelite paintings of
Arthuriana. FILM: First Knight.—K. Fuog, Dept. of Continuing
Education, Connecticut College, New London, CT 06320.
Florida. Broward Community College, Davie.
English Lit 2310. Science Fiction and Fantasy. This sophomore-level
course serves as an introduction to science fiction and fantasy and to fantasy's
related subgenre, horror. Students read a mixture of novels and short stories,
from various eras or literary periods, and see several related films so that
they are conversant with the basic definitions, themes, and conventions of each
area and with the difficulties of establishing them. TEXTS vary but
generally include a number of the following: Wells, The Time Machine;
Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Silverberg, The Science Fiction Hall of
Fame; Vol 1; Haldeman, The Forever War; Tolkien, The Hobbit;
Le Guin, The Earthsea Trilogy; Beagle, A Fine and Private Place;
Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; King, Carrie; and Charnas, The
Vampire Tapestry.—W.A. Senior, English Department, Broward Community
College-Central, Davie, FL 33314.
Florida. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
LIT 3313-7444. Science Fiction. Definitive texts from the 1890s (the
scientific romances of H.G. Wells) to the 1980s (the cyberpunk movement). The
emphasis is on recurring motifs and intertextual echoes among sf writers. TEXTS:
Silverberg ed., Sf Hall of Fame (Vol.1), Wells, The Time Machine, The
War of the Worlds, Clarke, Childhood's End, Herbert, Dune,
Smith, The Best of Cordwainer Smith, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Lem, Star
Diaries, Gibson, Neuromancer.—Carol McGuirk, 51 SW 10th Terrace,
Boca Raton, FL 33486.
LIT 3313-0364F. Science Fiction. Objective: To survey representative
works in the development of the genre. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine,
Asimov, I, Robot, The Caves of Steel, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress, Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, Sturgeon, More Than Human,
Clarke, Childhood's End, 2001, Card, Ender's Game, Dick, The
Man in the High Castle, Herbert, Dune, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, Gibson, Neuromancer, Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country.—Robert
A. Collins, English Department, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
33431.
LIT 3312-0338. Literature of Fantasy. A survey of representative works
in fantasy and horror. TEXTS: FANTASY, Walton, The Prince of Annwn, MacDonald,
The Golden Key, Lilith, Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of
Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring,
The Two Towers, The Return of the King; HORROR, Lovecraft, The Lurking
Fear & Other Stories, King, Carrie, The Shining, Leiber, Conjure
Wife, Our Lady of Darkness, Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes.—Collins.
LIT 6934. Seminar: The Fantastic in Literature. Research paper
required. TEXTS: SCIENCE FICTION, Wells, The Time Machine, Asimov,
Caves of Steel, Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Bradbury, Fahrenheit
451, Clarke, Childhood's End, Le Guin, The Dispossessed,
Gibson, Neuromancer; FANTASY, Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
(trilogy), Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country, Lovecraft, The Lurking
Fear & Other Stories, King, Different Seasons, Eco, The Name
of the Rose, Borges, Labyrinths (collection).—Collins.
Florida. Florida International University, Miami
LIT 4001. Science Fiction in Literature and Film. This introductory
course explores the nature and functions of science fiction literature and film
from a variety of critical perspectives. TEXTS: Asimov, The Foundation
Trilogy, Gibson, Neuromancer, Le Guin, The Dispossessed,
Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Shelley, Frankenstein, Stapledon, Last
and First Men, Starmaker, Vonnegut, Player Piano, Wells, The Time
Machine, The War of the Worlds. FILMS: Alien, Blade Runner,
Forbidden Planet, Frankenstein, Metropolis, Star Man, Them!, The Day the Earth
Stood Still, On the Beach, 2001: A Space Odyssey.—Charles Elkins, Dept. of
English, Florida International Univ., University Park, DM 453, Miami, FL 33199.
Florida. Rollins College, Winter Park
E/WS 241. Gender Images in Science Fiction. Like speculative fiction
itself, this course is a wedding of many ideas: how we define ourselves as women
and men; how the genders interact; how we make our decisions and choose and
apply our values as individuals, as a nation, as a world; how we learn to
celebrate and love the alien, the diverse, the spark of individual fire we see
in each other though we seldom comprehend it fully. We will study literature,
the finest use of language, to examine the incomprehensible and define the
delicate tendrils of connectedness we must all seek out and nurture in our
lives. In speculative fiction, we will find new metaphors to help us analyze the
complexities of our values, our gender definitions, our treatment of each other,
and our proposed solutions to the complex problems which confront us all as
individuals and as an earth whose life is imperiled. TEXTS: Asimov, Foundation
and Empire, Ellison, ed. Dangerous Visions, Heinlein, Glory Road,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, McCaffrey, The Ship Who Sang,
Russ, The Two of Them, Sturgeon, Godbody, Tiptree, Brightness
Falls from the Air, Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Vonnegut,
"Miss Temptation."—Twila Yates Papay, Box 2655, Rollins College,
Winter Park, FL 32789.
Florida. University of Central Florida, Orlando
LIT 3313.B01. Science Fiction. Instead of rereading selected favorite
works (yours or mine) of science fiction, or instead of taking an introductory
approach to science fiction, we are taking a much more limited approach. We will
study selected dystopian science fiction. TEXTS: Zamyatin, We,
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Le Guin, The Dispossessed,
Gibson, Burning Chrome.—Dan Jones, Dept. of English, Univ. of Central
Florida, Orlando, FL 32816.
Florida. University of Florida, Gainesville
IDH 2931. Undergraduate Honors: American Science-Fiction Literature and Film.
Objectives: to survey twentieth-century American science-fiction literature and
film, to develop critical skills in thinking about the role of science fiction
within contemporary American culture, to develop analytical skills through
writing about science-fiction stories and films. TEXTS: Warrick, et al., The
SFRA Anthology, Heinlein, Starship Troopers, Herbert, Dune, Le
Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five,
Haldeman, The Forever War, Gibson, Neuromancer, Rose, Alien
Encounters, Sobchack, Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film.
—Andrew Gordon, Dept. of English, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611.
Florida. University of Miami, Coral Gables
English 383. Science Fiction. This survey of science fiction
emphasizes novels that are generally regarded as influential or innovative.
Lectures and class discussions will stress the literary, social, political, and
imaginative qualities of the works. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine,
The War of the Worlds, Heinlein, Starship Troopers, Roshwald, Level
7, Lem, Solaris, Ballard, The Drowned World, Dick, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness,
Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama, Butler, Dawn.—Patrick A. McCarthy,
English Dept., Univ. of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, (305) 284-2553, fax (305)
284-2182.
Florida. University of Tampa, Tampa
WRI 230F. Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. This course explores the
special considerations and opportunities in writing science fiction and fantasy.
TEXTS: Card, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy; Dozois,
ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction.—Richard Matthews, English Dept.,
University of Tampa, Tampa, FL 33606.
Georgia. Augusta College, Augusta
ENG 295A/495B. Science Fiction. The class will be required to read
most of the short stories in the anthology, focusing on stories by writers such
as Heinlein, Asimov, Ellison, etc. Five classic novels will be read also. The
course will also examine common sf themes—the encounter of humans with alien
intelligence, for example—as treated by popular sf television series in order
to pin down whatever differences national, cultural, etc. may exist in the
handling of sf themes. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol. 1, Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ballard,
Hello America, Wells, The Time Machine, Le Guin, The Left Hand
of Darkness, Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet. FILMS: Blade
Runner, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Blake's 7.—James Smith, Dept. of Lang., Lit.,
and Communication, Augusta College, Augusta, GA 30904.
Georgia. Columbus College, Columbus
LIT 109. Fantastic Fiction: Science Fiction & Fantasy. A survey of
the fantastic in fiction, including high and low fantasy, horror, myth, and
folktales, and a brief survey of classic science fiction. TEXTS: Poe,
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," "MS. Found in a
Bottle," "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym," Clarke, "The
Sentinel," "The Star," Wells, "The Story," "The
Country of the Blind," Hawthorne, "The Birthmark," Heinlein,
"All You Zombies," Bradbury, "There Will Come Soft Rains,"
Weinbaum, "A Martian Odyssey," Bester, "Fondly Fahrenheit,"
"The Man Who Murdered Mohammed," Zelazny, "A Rose for
Ecclesiastes," Dick, "Faith of our Fathers," Ellison, "I
Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," Le Guin, "White Lies," Russ,
"When It Changed," Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron," Gibson,
"The Gernsback Continuum."—Joe Francavilla, Dept. of Lang. &
Lit., Richards Hall, Columbus College, Columbus, GA 31907-5645.
Georgia. Georgia Tech, Atlanta
English 3308. Survey of Science Fiction. Science fiction is a
literature engendered by the strains of the high-change era which has followed
the industrial revolution; like all literature, it has roots in ambiguous
feelings—in this case, very largely our hopes for a future enhanced by our
technology and our fears for our own humanity as the rate of change threatens to
swamp traditional mores and values. While certain elements familiar in sf—most
notably the utopia, the fantastic voyage, and the wonderful machine—appear in
literature from the earliest times, the sense of historical change at the heart
of science fiction is missing from those narratives. After a brief survey of
earlier literature, we begin with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and proceed
through the last two centuries at the rate of a novel a week. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein, Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,
Wells, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Twain, A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Zamiatin, We, Pohl, Gateway,
Clement, Mission of Gravity, Bova, Death Dream, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness.—Bud Foote, LCC, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332.
English 3161. Senior Seminar in Science Fiction. This course varies in
topic; it always concentrates on one author, one period, or one theme related to
sf. During the winter term of 1995-96, our topic was the sf works of Ben Bova.—Foote.
Hawaii. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu
English 363B. Science Fiction. After taking this course, you will be
able to discuss (a) what science fiction is, who writes it, who reads it, and
why it is written and read; (b) some important sf themes; (c) the literary
aspects of an sf text; and (d) the evolution of sf. During the first week, we
will read Forster's short story "The Machine Stops" as a paradigmatic
sf text. We will find definitions of sf and then apply the definitions to this
text, with the goal of beginning to understand what sf is all about. We will
then read four groups of authors. All the texts in a group deal with an
important sf theme; the themes are arranged "spatially," from the
center (an individual) outward: humans as creator, humans in society, humans
meeting the alien, humans and the transcendent. As we discuss each text, I will
comment on its literary aspects, frequently by playing the first text in each
group (a "mainstream" text) off against the others, though one of my
points will be that the best science fiction compares favorably with works in
the literary mainstream. Also, since three of the four groups of texts contain—besides
the mainstream work—a "classic" (= pre-1960) sf work and a more
contemporary (= post-1960) science-fiction work, we will be able to consider,
partially at least, the evolution in time of the theme and of the genre. THEMES
(AND TEXTS): What is Science Fiction? (Forster, "The Machine
Stops"); Homo Faber: Promethean Man's Creations (Shelley, Frankenstein,
Asimov, I, Robot; Hogan, The Two Faces of Tomorrow); Homo
Gregarius: Society's Future (Orwell, 1984; Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar;
Le Guin, The Dispossessed); Homo/Alienus: The First Contact Theme (Capek,
War with the Newts; Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Haldeman, The
Forever War; Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles); Homo/Deus: The
Future of Religion (Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet; Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz; Herbert, Dune). —Todd H. Sammons, Dept. of
English, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, 96822.
English 393. Junior Honors Tutorial: Critical Approaches to Science
Fiction. In this course, we will interrelate two sets of texts:
"classical" (= important, canonical) science-fiction short
stories/novels and "classical" (same synonyms) sf criticism. Though
selective, the syllabus nevertheless spans the history of modern sf, from its
nineteenth-century precursors (Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, H. G. Wells), on into
the twentieth century, and winding up with the 1980's "cyberpunk"
movement. By semester's end, I hope that as a result of taking this course you
will feel informed about an important kind of popular literature and more
comfortable about your ability to read literary criticism and do literary
research. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed., Science Fiction Hall of Fame,
Vol. I; Shelley, Frankenstein; Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues under
the Sea; Wells, The Time Machine; Clement, Mission of Gravity;
Clarke, The City and the Stars; Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy;
Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Bester, The Demolished Man;
Sturgeon, More Than Human; Lem, Solaris; Dick, The Man in the
High Castle; Ballard, The Drowned World; Delany, The Einstein
Intersection; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Russ, The Female Man;
McCaffery, ed., Storming the Reality Studio; a selection of critical
texts.—Sammons.
Honors 491/492. Honors Colloquium: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Science
Fiction. We will begin by reading a paradigmatic sf story, then what many
critics consider the first sf novel, then a series of classic sf short stories.
After this basic orientation to the genre, we will read a core sequence of sf
texts, each one chosen because of an obvious (and sometimes even a multiple)
affinity to an academic discipline, including—but certainly not limited to—American
Studies, anthropology, astronomy, biology, computer science, English, history,
linguistics, physics, psychology, sociology, women's studies. On your own, and
for your senior project, you will read and write on an sf work germane to your
academic interests and background. TEXTS: Forster, "The Machine
Stops"; Shelley, Frankenstein; Silverberg, ed., Science Fiction
Hall of Fame (vol. 1); Vonnegut, Player Piano; Clement, Mission of
Gravity; Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness; Lem, Solaris; Gibson, Neuromancer.—Sammons.
Idaho. Idaho State University, Pocatello
English 115. Fantastic Literature. This is both an introduction to the
study of literature and an examination of a particular literary mode. We will
study methods of literary analysis applicable to many sorts of literature, but
we will be applying them to fantastic tales, poems, and plays. If you are
already a reader of fantasy or science fiction, you should reach a higher level
of critical sophistication and become more aware of the traditions behind those
contemporary forms. If you are unfamiliar with them, you should gain an
appreciation of the varieties and uses of the fantastic. TEXTS: Apuleius,
The Golden Ass, Boroff, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Carter, The
Bloody Chamber, Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Larsen, Silk Road,
Lem, Solaris, Lewis, Till We Have Faces, MacDonald, The
Princess and the Goblin, Lilith, Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country,
Gibson, Neuromancer, Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, The Tempest,
selected poems and short stories.—Brian Attebery, Dept. of English, Box 8056,
Idaho State Univ., Pocatello, ID 83209.
Illinois. Bradley University, Peoria
English 368. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Introduction to sf and
fantasy from an historical perspective; extensive study of some classic sf
novels and the tradition behind some major post-modern short fiction (1960 to
contemporary); study of some classic sf texts and introduction to critical
terminology and theory. Intense study of the iconography of selected sf and
fantasy films. Careful study and analysis of theme and iconography of two major
fantasy novels. TEXTS: Attebery and Le Guin, eds. The Norton Book of
Science Fiction; Wells, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds;
Forster, The Machine Stops; Huxley, Brave New World; Atwood, The
Handmaid's Tale; Tolkien, The Hobbit; Le Guin, A Wizard of
Earthsea; choice of another novel from a selected list. FILMS: Metropolis;
The Day of the Triffids (selected scenes); Fahrenheit 451; Star Trek: The
City at the Edge of Forever; Blade Runner; The Hobbit. —Edgar L. Chapman,
English Department, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625.
Illinois. Eureka College, Eureka
IDS 490. Senior Seminar: The Future. Senior Seminar is designed to
give Eureka College seniors a taste of what graduate school is like as well as
provide a "transition to life-long learning." I have selected science
fiction works because the emphasis in sf is the future. All of the books that we
will read and discuss in this course will have ideas and concerns that are
important for the future. TEXTS: Science Fiction: The Future,
Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Time Machine, Huxley, Brave
New World, Clarke, Childhood's End, Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Burgess, A Clockwork Orange,
Kosinski, Being There.—Loren L. Logsdon, Humanities Div., Eureka
College, Eureka, IL 61530.
Illinois. Greenville College, Greenville
English 172. Literary Visions of the Future. A study of several
20th-century extrapolative novels, short stories, poems, and films. Our purpose
is to see the sorts of futures these writers have foreseen, to investigate the
societal trends that might have inspired them, and to ask how accurate such
visions might be. TEXTS: Zamyatin, We, Huxley, Brave New World,
Orwell, 1984, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Bradbury, Fahrenheit
451, plus short stories and poems. FILMS: Metropolis, Things to
Come, THX 1138, Fahrenheit 451, On the Beach, 1984.—Dale F. Martin, Dept.
of English, Box 159, Greenville College, Greenville, IL 62246.
Illinois. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
ENGL 532-051. Rhetoric of Technology. This course will provide a forum
in which to interrogate the rhetorical underpinnings of technological practices.
The thesis of the course is that what we call technology is in fact a socially
constructed activity. All technologies obtain their legitimacy within a given
culture through specific social and institutional practices. A technical
community is defined by the sorts of practices, discursive and otherwise, within
which its knowledge claims are made and against which they are either validated
or discarded. Two questions that this course will consistently confront: Are
other technologies possible? Are they desirable? TEXTS: Bolter, Writing
Space, Gibson, Neuromancer, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness,
Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, packet of essays on
theory.—Joe Amato, Lewis Dept. of Humanities, Illinois Instit. of Tech., 3101
S. Dearborn St., Chicago IL 60616-3793.
Illinois. John A. Logan College, Carterville
English 102. Composition II. Survey of short stories and poetry. This
is an introductory literature course. Sf TEXTS: Le Guin, "The Ones
Who Walk Away from Omelas," Bisson, "The Coon Suit," Robinson,
"Zurich."—Edgar V. McKnight, Jr., 708 Emerald Lane, Carbondale, IL
62901, (618) 529-2468.
Illinois. Loyola University, Chicago
English 395. Honors Tutorial: Texts and Hypertexts. Reading and
writing texts and hypertexts, using on-line and print resources to produce
hypertext assignments on technology, gender, class and history. TEXTS:
Gibson, Neuromancer, Shelley, Frankenstein, Butler, Adulthood
Rites, Stephenson, The Diamond Age.—Steven Jones, English Dept.,
Loyola University, 6525 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60626.
Illinois. Milliken University, Decatur
English 171. Creative Writing Round Table: Focus on Science Fiction and
Fantasy. This course is for writers and writer wannabes. It exists to give
them access to an audience besides themselves plus access to an editor, me. It
concentrates on the students as writers. Of course, they are heavy readers of
science fiction as well as Trekkers, Whodies, Dwarfers, and so forth. The end
result will be the publication of either a chapter or a short story in booklet
form for our delight and edification. Caveat: This course was designed
especially for me; I am leaving Milliken in June, and have no idea when or if
this course will ever be taught again.—Gretchen Grove, English Dept., Milliken
Univ., Decatur, IL 62522.
Illinois. North Central College, Naperville
English 247. Readings in Science Fiction. This course looks at a
variety of early and contemporary literature of the genre, noting its reflection
of developing knowledge and experimentation in technology and the natural and
social sciences. Some readings may focus on the envisioning of future societies
which explore possible consequences of this new knowledge. Others use the genre
to present classic themes of personal and human identity, journey and test,
conflicts between good and evil, and other themes that permeate literature. In
addition to the selected readings, film examples will also be studied. TEXTS:
Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, Huxley, Brave New World, Wells, The
Island of Dr. Moreau, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, a selection
of short stories. FILMS: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The
Handmaid's Tale, Altered States, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010.—Jane
A. Barnes, 30 N. Brainard St., Naperville, IL 60566-7063.
Illinois. Roosevelt University, Chicago
English 356/456. Science Fiction. I do a course about every two years.
Every time I try something different; last time it was a summer course in which
we went through the Norton Book of Science Fiction, supplemented by
various handouts, and focused on fictional strategies rather than the history of
the genre. Before that, I used the Silverberg Hall of Fame together with
novels by Farmer, Haldeman, Benford, and Wells. In that class, I set up a
speakerphone so that the students could interview all the authors directly
(except for Wells, of course, although the thought crossed my mind I probably
could have fooled most of them with a good impostor). TEXTS: Farmer, To
Your Scattered Bodies Go; Haldeman, The Forever War; Benford, Against
Infinity; Wells, The Time Machine; Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and
I Must Scream".—Gary K. Wolfe, Department of English, Roosevelt
University, 430 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605.
BGS 379. Science Fiction: An Interdisciplinary Humanities Module. A
one-credit correspondence course. Science-fiction movies are some of the most
popular films of all time, but science fiction itself remains the province of a
relatively limited number of passionate readers. This course will explore both
the reasons for science fiction's popularity and the reasons it seems
challenging to many readers—and will offer guidelines on how to read this
unique form of literature in order to get the most from it. The course includes
a discussion of the philosophical views underlying the fiction; a brief history
of science fiction in literature, art, film, and theater; and an examination of
common themes and techniques. Evaluation is based on two paper assignments and
exercises in the module. TEXTS: Gary K. Wolfe, Science Fiction: An
Interdisciplinary Humanities Module; Wells, The Time Machine; Le
Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness or Haldeman's The Forever War or
Robinson's Red Mars or some other modern sf novel chosen with the consent
of the instructor. For further information, write or call External Studies
Program, Roosevelt University, 430 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
60605-1396; telephone 312-341-3866.—Arny Reichler, Director.
Illinois. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
ENG 309. Popular Literature: Science Fiction. An introduction to and
survey of sf from Frankenstein to the present; our overview makes use of
novels, films, short fiction, and TV shows. TEXTS: Science Fiction:
The SFRA Anthology, ed. Warrick et al; The Norton Book of Science
Fiction, ed. Le Guin & Attebery; William Gibson, Neuromancer; Margaret
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, The
Time Machine.—Jack G. Voller, English Dept., Southern Illinois University,
Edwardsville, IL, 62026-1431. "jvoller@siue.edu".
ENG 309. Popular Literature: Feminist sf. Contrary to popular
assumption, sf is not—or is no longer—a genre only for adolescent males.
While much of the phallocentric/chest-beating/anal compulsive residue of Western
white culture may still be found, it is increasingly the case that sf's fuller
possibilities are being realized by female writers who are discovering in sf's
extrapolative, imaginative, and narrative freedoms the means of giving voice and
life to alternative visions of social and personal being-in-the-world. We begin
with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (published in 1818) and end with
contemporary works; most of our reading, of necessity, will be in post-1960
texts. TEXTS: Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology, ed. Warrick, et
al; The Norton Book of Science Fiction, ed. Le Guin & Attebery;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Gilman, Herland; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Joanna
Russ, Extra(Ordinary) People, Sargent, The Shore of Women; Shelley,
Frankenstein.—Voller.
Illinois. University of Illinois, Chicago
English 121. Science Fiction and Modern Culture. TEXTS: Wells, The
Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon, Verne, The Mysterious
Island, Silverberg ed., The Science Fiction Hall of Fame (Vol.1),
Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Dick, The Man in the High
Castle, Le Guin, The Dispossessed.—John Huntington, English Dept.
m/c 162, 601 S. Morgan, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, (312)
413-2247, fax (312) 413-1005.
English 298. Honors Seminar—Popular Fiction: The Instance of sf.
This course combines extensive readings in sf of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s with
readings of other popular fiction of the period in The Saturday Evening Post,
The Ladies Home Journal, and Collier's. We will also be reading
critics and theorists of literature. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The
Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz,
Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan, Shute, On the Beach, Williams, The
Sociology of Culture, Astounding Science Fiction, July 1939.—Huntington.
Illinois. University of Illinois, Springfield
English 480. Science Fiction and Film. The course examines recurring
science fiction topics or themes as these find expression in paired readings and
films. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Time Machine,
Zamyatin, We, Delany, Babel-17, Le Guin, The Dispossessed,
Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time. FILMS: The Day the Earth
Stood Still, 2001: A Space Odyssey.—Judith L Everson, Brookens 485,
Univ. of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL 62794.
Illinois. William Rainey Harper College, Palatine
Lit. 216-001. Science Fiction. Surveys sf short stories and novels as
popular literature and assesses sf's unique contribution to the history of
ideas. TEXTS: Hull & Pohl eds., Tales from the Planet Earth,
Silverberg ed., Science Fiction Hall of Fame (Vol.1), Warrick et al.
eds., Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology, Asimov, The Gods Themselves,
Clarke, Childhood's End, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Pohl, Gateway, Vonnegut, Cat's
Cradle.—Elizabeth Anne Hull, 855 S. Harvard Dr., Palatine, IL 60067,
708-925-6323, fax 708-925-6037.
Illinois. Wright College, Chicago
LIT 229. Science Fiction—Psychology and Prophecy. Course objectives:
1. to develop critical thinking, 2. to become acquainted with the various myths
that form an integral part of the reading of the course, 3. to become acquainted
not only with some of the major writers in the field, but also with various
types of science fiction such as scientific romance, the `sword and sorcery'
novel, the tale-of-horror science fiction and with various genre and thematic
definitions associated with these materials. By the end of the course, the
student will be familiar with the elements of science fiction that distinguish
general fiction from science fiction and science fantasy. TEXTS: Wells, The
Island of Dr. Moreau, Doyle, The Lost World, Vonnegut, Cat's
Cradle, Clarke, Childhood's End, Burgess, A Clockwork Orange,
Howard, Conan the Conqueror, Heinlein, The Puppet Masters, Glory
Road, Lovecraft, Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre.—Bob
Blackwood, English Dept., Wright College, 4300 N. Narragansett, Chicago, IL
60634, fax (312) 202-8082.
Indiana. Ball State University, Muncie
English 104. Composition 2. Higher-level instruction in composition
with emphasis on critical thinking and writing in response to literary texts. TEXTS:
Bradbury, "October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic," Cheever, "The
Enormous Radio," Thurber, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,"
Raine, "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home."—Michelle L. Wallace, Dept.
of English, RB 281, Ball State Univ., Muncie, IN 47306.
Indiana. DePauw University, Greencastle
French Seminar 420—Science Fiction in France. This course is a
survey of science fiction in France from its beginnings to the present. We will
explore the origins and evolution of this literary genre from the early
imaginary voyages and utopias of the 17th and 18th centuries, to the scientific
fictions of Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires, to the modern French sf of
the 20th century. The methodological approach will be threefold: thematic
(encounters with the alien other, man vs. machine, utopia/dystopia, etc.),
narratological (how sf signifies, techniques of reader alienation, "absent
paradigms," etc.), and sociological (historical contexts, gender roles,
evolution of science, etc.). TEXTS: Cyrano de Bergerac, Voyage dans la
Lune, Fontenelle, Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes, Voltaire, Micromégas,
Mercier, L'An 2440, Verne, Voyage au centre de la Terre, Rosny
Aîné, Les Navigateurs de l'infini, La Mort de la Terre, Renard,
"Les Vacances de M. Dupont," "Le Brouillard du 26 octobre,"
Barjavel, Ravage, Klein, Les Voiliers du soleil, Boulle, La
Planète des singes, Wintrebert, Les Maîtres-feu.—Arthur B. Evans,
Dept. of Romance Languages, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 46135, "aevans@depauw.edu",
(317) 658-4758, fax (317) 658-4856.
English 155-W. Science Fiction. In this course we will study some of
the most challenging and complex works of science fiction, paying close
attention to certain themes dear to the genre: utopia and dystopia, aliens and
extraterrestrial contact, visions of the future and varieties of reality. All
these themes are simultaneously entertaining fictions and philosophical
speculations on reality and society. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein,
Wells, The Time Machine, Butler, Kindred, Russ, The Female Man,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Dick, A Scanner Darkly,
Watson, The Embedding, Gibson, Neuromancer, Orwell, Nineteen
Eighty-Four, Simmons, Hyperion, Robinson, Red Mars.—Istvan
Csicsery-Ronay, English Department, DePauw Univ., Greencastle, IN 46135, "icronay@depauw.edu".
Indiana. Indiana State University, Terre Haute
English 335. Science Fiction. A course is offered each semester in three
sections by instructors in the English Dept., Indiana State University, Terre
Haute, IN 47809.
Section 1. I use about 35 stories and 2 films per semester, divided
among 6 critical/theoretical approaches to sf. I lift a quote from Le Guin's
introduction—namely, the course is both for those with little knowledge of sf
(improves their reading skills for sf) and for fans to read more deeply. TEXTS:
Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction.—Elaine
Kleiner.
Section 2. Representative sf texts from mainstream to pulp, so that
students can enjoy both but tell the difference. TEXTS: Warrick, et al.,
eds. The SFRA Anthology (I teach every story in it), Shelley, Frankenstein,
Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Wells, The Time Machine,
Huxley, Brave New World, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness.—Charles
Nicol.
Section 3. We approach science fiction as social criticism, stressing
conquest and colonization, technology and the myth of progress, utopian/dystopian
and feminist issues. While we stress cultural critique, we also examine science
fiction in relation to both mainstream literature and other popular genres,
particularly war fiction and mystery and detection. TEXTS: Asimov, Caves
of Steel, Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade
Runner) or UBIK or The Man in the High Castle, Hogan, Inherit
the Stars or Entoverse, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness or The
Dispossessed, Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Sterling, ed., Mirrorshades,
Gibson, Neuromancer. Selected short fiction from the Hall of Fame
volumes. FILMS: Clips from Flash Gordon serials, The Thing (both
versions), Metropolis, Things to Come, and Fleischer's Superman
cartoons. The complete Blade Runner (Director's Cut) when that novel is
assigned.—Jake Jakaitis.
Indiana. Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
English C392. Science-Fiction Film. An historical survey of sf cinema
primarily American and British. In each decade we will be concerned with the
problem of defining the limits and boundaries of this complex genre, and of
exploring the conventions consisting of visual imagery or iconography,
narrative, and sound (music and dialogue) which historically have differentiated
the sf film from other genres. We will also consider the complex thematic
interrelationship between science, magic, and religion as it is manifested in
the main types and categories of sf film since the 1950s, including the monster
film, the disaster film, space opera, hard sf, and cyberpunk. TEXT: Phil
Hardy, ed., The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Science Fiction. FILMS:
Metropolis, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Planet of the
Apes, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris, Zardoz, Close Encounters of the Third
Kind, Blade Runner, Dune, The Abyss, Alien 3, The Lawnmower Man, Johnny
Mnemonic.—William Touponce, English Dept. IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN 46202.
"wtouponc@indycms.iupui.edu"
English L385 (V656). Science Fiction: Cyberpunk. This course
investigates the movement known as "cyberpunk," which came into
prominence in the American sf community, but whose ideas, such as
"cyberspace," have now spread internationally to the general public
and are exerting an influence on film and television as well as comics and other
visual media. We will seek to survey major themes and concerns of the movement
by reading programmatic statements made by its leaders and spokesmen and by
reading major works of fiction by its most prominent members. We will seek to
understand how cyberpunk sf departs from and revises the sf of previous decades.
Particular attention will also be given to an analysis of the styles of the
texts themselves in order to properly appreciate the aesthetics of cyberpunk.
Reading journal is required. TEXTS: Sterling, ed., Mirrorshades;
Sterling, Crystal Express; Gibson, Neuromancer; Rucker, Living
Robots; Kishiro, Battle Angel Alita; Wagner, Wild Palms. FILMS
& VIDEOS: TekWar, Nemesis, and others.—Touponce.
English L200. Stephen King. For eight spring semesters now I have
offered a course on Stephen King in which I have taught all the fiction
(including the Bachman fiction) and most of the films. Normally I use as the
centerpiece what has just come out. Since only The Green Mile is certain—there
are three others promised in 1996!—I am still at sea. With the Mile,
though, I will certainly do Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
and the film. If the fourth Dark Tower comes out I will probably do them. Though
if the new "Bachman" novel appears, that may open up a whole new line
of inquiry.—Edwin Casebeer, 5649 North College Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220.
"casebee@indyvax.iupui.edu".
Indiana. Purdue University-Calumet, Hammond
English 373. Science Fiction/Fantasy. Representative works of science
fiction and fantasy, examined in relation to both mainstream and popular
literature. Emphasis is on technique, theme, and form. TEXTS: Huxley, Brave
New World, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Wyndham, Chrysalids,
Clarke, Childhood's End, Orwell, 1984, McCaffrey, Dragonflight,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, various sf and fantasy short stories.—Sharon
Snyder, Lawshe Hall 218E, Dept. of English & Philosophy, Purdue Univ.,
Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323.
Indiana. Purdue University-North Central, Westville
English 373. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Essentially a masterworks
course with the intent of distinguishing among science fiction, fantasy, and
horror. The historical background is shared through lectures rather than
readings. TEXTS: Asimov, Foundation and Empire, Heinlein, Stranger
in a Strange Land, Herbert, Dune, Zelazny, Lord of Light, Le
Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea, Stoker, The Jewel of Seven Stars, The
Mammoth Book of New World Science Fiction: Short Novels of the 1960s, Dozois,
ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction.—R. Schlobin, 1915 David Drive,
Chesterton, IN 46304, "dragon@niia.net".
English 232,01. The Fantasy and Science-Fiction Short Story. An
"open" course: major themes in literature that various faculty adapt
to special interests. It has been primarily used in the summer session. The
short stories are designed to illuminate the distinctions among science fiction,
fantasy, and horror. TEXTS: Selections from Carr, ed. The Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. IV and Hartwell, ed. Masterpieces of Fantasy
and Enchantment.—Schlobin.
Indiana. University of Evansville, Evansville
Writing 212. Advanced Exposition. The course utilizes utopian
texts in contrast to "realistic" fiction in order to disclose both the
subversive narrative strategies and the insurrectionist epistemologies of
utopian authors. Students examine the two basic types of texts and develop
extended research projects on utopian themes. Among the issues examined is that
of the relation of closural authority, realism, and utopography to the
master-narratives of progress and evolution. Dickens's and Conan Doyle's tidy
codas are shown to represent evasions or arbitrary finalizations of a type which
utopian authors, on the whole, refuse to employ; consequently, utopian fiction,
even in its dystopic mode, eschews finitude and compels its readership into open
imagining and narrative reciprocity. TEXTS: Dickens, Hard Times;
Doyle, Hound of the Baskervilles; More, Utopia; Wells, The Time
Machine; Gilman, Herland; Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; supplementary reserve readings in narrative
theory and utopian tradition.—Larry W. Caldwell, Department of English,
University of Evansville, Evansville, IN 47722.
Indiana. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame
ENGL 414:01. Realism and the Supernatural. An attempt to develop a theory
of the supernatural and the uncanny in "realistic" fiction from Defoe
to James. TEXTS: Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (excerpts) and "A
True Relation of the Apparition of One Mrs. Veal"; Poe, Narrative of
Arthur Gordon Pym; Godwin, Caleb Williams; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Scott, "The Tapistried Chamber"; Hoffman, Best Tales of Hoffman;
LeFanu, Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu; Brontë, Jane Eyre;
James, The Turn of the Screw; Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Stoker, Dracula.—INSTRUCTOR:
James Walton.
ENGL 433B:01. Arthurian Literature. The stories surrounding Arthur are
both the oldest and most enduring fables of the post-classical era. Almost every
century since the sixth has contributed at least one major version of the
evolving legend. The twentieth century, despite its technological
preoccupations, has proved highly receptive to the fantasy and idealism inherent
in Arthurian legend. We will examine the origins of the Arthurian story and
study in detail the texts listed. TEXTS: Gawain and the Green Knight;
Malory, Morte D'Arthur; Chrétien de Troyes, Erec et Enide and Lancelot;
Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; Tennyson, Idylls
of the King; White, Once and Future King.—INSTRUCTOR: Les Martin.
ENGL 436Z:01. Sr. Sem: Monsters, Saints, and Heroes. Beowulf, a
poem most people consider to be about a hero, shares a manuscript with some
rather curious companions: a fragmentary epic on Judith, a story about St.
Christopher, and two texts about various kinds of marvels and monsters. This
juxtaposition asks us to consider just how neat the categories
"monster," "saint," and "hero," really are. This
senior seminar will examine a wide range of critical and cultural issues
presented by a number of prose and verse texts (in Modern English translation)
from Anglo-Saxon England. This class will examine the belief systems underlying
these texts and the cultural work the texts performed. The seminar will offer a
"hands-on" introduction to work in the field, including some
background in the language, in the reading of manuscripts and their
illustrations, and in research strategies. INSTRUCTOR: Katherine O'Brien
O'Keefe.
ENGL 325:01. Science Fiction. From Lucien to Vonnegut and beyond, the
writer of Science Fiction has directed attention not to Character as Fate, but
to the Will as wearing different instruments and committing prestidigitation
with possibility and prophecy. We will read about this will, and the magicians
it creates in its determination to command rather than perceive, through the
lenses of fictions based on hypotheses in Aristophanes, Lucian, More, Swift,
Vonnegut, Vance, and others such as Williamson, Heinlein, Stewart, and Harrison.—INSTRUCTOR:
Lew Soens.
ENGL 300N:01. Fearing Fictions: The Literature of Terror. From Puritan
sermons to contemporary "slasher" films, American audiences have been
fascinated by the monstrous, the frightening, and the uncanny. Why are we
entertained by what ought to distress and repulse us? What is the connection
between our fantasy fears and our actual fears? Do encounters with the
terrifying, the gruesome, and the strange challenge, even endanger, our values
and beliefs—or do they reaffirm them? This course will investigate such
questions through close analysis of selected American "classics" in
the gothic mode, selected popular horror fiction, and a few films. In some of
our texts, various "hauntings"—both supernatural and psychological—will
lead us to explore issues of personal identity, perception, and knowledge. In
others, we'll examine the horror lurking beneath the surface of the
"normal" and the everyday—in our social institutions, cultural
assumptions, and national myths. Students will be encouraged to develop their
own theories on the nature and function(s) of the art of terror. The only
prerequisite is a willingness to read, think, and apply critical intelligence to
what is often unsaid, unseen, and threatening. TEXTS: James, The Turn
of the Screw; Faulkner, Sanctuary; Capote, Other Voices, Other
Rooms; O'Connor, The Violent Bear It Away; Blatty, The Exorcist;
Rice, The Vampire Lestat; a course packet to include short stories by
Poe, Hawthorne, Gilman, Jackson, Oates, Stephen King. Films: The
Haunting, Psycho, The Exorcist, Halloween.—INSTRUCTOR: Brian
Riley.
—The department's Spring 1996 catalogue sent us by Donald P. Costello,
Associate Chair, English Department, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
46556.
Indiana. Wabash College, Crawfordsville
English 37. Studies in Literary Genres, Science Fiction. This course
is intended as a serious investigation of a broad and widely-defined field of
wr
iting known as Science Fiction. While the heart of sf creativity has always
resided in the short story or the novella, this course will focus narrowly on
the more demanding form of the science fiction novel. Each novel imagines a
particular vision of the world in full and literate detail. Each novel
represents a significant departure from contemporary literary forms in its
style, language, and content. And each novel presents a glimpse of a possible
future, extrapolated from the present time. TEXTS: Wells, The Time
Machine, The War of the Worlds, Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles,
Clarke, Childhood's End, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Dick,
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Gibson, Neuromancer, Lem,
Solaris, Simmons, Hyperion. FILMS: Metropolis, Forbidden
Planet, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blade
Runner, The Terminator, Solaris.—Thomas P. Campbell, Box
352, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 "campbelt@wabash.edu".
Iowa. Briar Cliff College, Sioux City
ENGL 71M. Science Fiction. This course seeks to acquaint students with
the majors forms and ideas of contemporary science fiction, so that by the end
of the term they understand how to read and evaluate this new and exciting form
of literature. TEXT: Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA
Anthology.—Adam J. Frisch, Dept. of English, Briar Cliff College, Sioux
City, IA 51104-2324.
Iowa. Iowa State University, Ames
English 330. Science Fiction. This course replaces English 240 in the
1997_99 catalog. It will be an introduction to the study of science fiction as a
distinct genre from its origins in the nineteenth_century, with special
attention to H. G. Wells; emphasis on reading protocols and the rhetoric of sf
with a hasty review of how various schools of literary criticism have defined
the genre from our Golden Age into the new millennium. TEXTS: Wells, War
of the Worlds and Time Machine; Bradbury, Martian Chronicles;
Asimov, Caves of Steel; Pohl, Gateway; Le Guin, Dispossessed;
the short fiction of Robert Heinlein, James Tipree, Jr., Joanna Russ, Samuel
Delany, Ted Sturgeon, Connie Willis, Joan Vinge, Kim Stanley Robinson, Octavia
Butler, John Kessel, Pat Murphy, Nancy Kress, Michael Swanwick, Bruce Sterling,
Terry Bisson, Tanith Lee, and many another gifted writer of contemporary sf
shows up in the course on a regular basis.—Virginia Allen, Department of
English, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011_1201. 515-294_3510. "vallen@iastate.edu".
Iowa. Luther College, Decorah
Paideia II. Speculative Fiction. Course rotates within Paideia II; it
has been taught at least 3 times during the past 6 years. It is a team-taught,
interdisciplinary course. We had a physicist, a religion professor, and an
English professor team teach, with joint lectures and 3 sections of discussion
groups. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, Bear, Blood Music,
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz, and an anthology.—P. Scholl and David Faldet, Dept. of English,
Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101-1045.
Iowa. St. Ambrose University, Davenport
English 360. Contemporary Science Fiction. An advanced study of
speculative fiction from 1960 through the present, focusing especially on the
Cyberpunk movement of the 1980s and '90s. TEXTS: Herbert, Dune, Le
Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and The Dispossessed,
Butler, "Bloodchild," Card, "Ender's Game" and Xenocide,
Dick, A Scanner Darkly and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,
Gibson, Neuromancer, Cadigan, Mindplayers, Stephenson, Snowcrash.—Carl
Herzig, 518 W. Locust St., Davenport, IA 52803.
Iowa. William Penn College, Oskaloosa
ENGL 199. Science Fiction. This course takes a thematic approach to
science fiction, focusing on major issues such as first contact, apocalypse,
defining what is human, space exploration, utopia/dystopia. In addition to the
sf elements themselves, we will examine how this genre, as with any good
literature, provides an opportunity to explore the human condition. TEXTS:
Wells, The Time Machine, Blish, A Case of Conscience, Niven and
Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye, Warrick et al., eds. Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—Joseph Green, Dept. of English, William Penn
College, Oskaloosa, IA 52577.
Iowa. University of Iowa, Iowa City
English 182. History and Theory of sf. A famous science fiction writer/
editor, Damon Knight, has defined sf as "that literature which I point to
and call sf." He's right, of course, but most of us need a bit more than
that, since our fingers aren't that powerful. This course is designed to try to
figure out the "rules" that distinguish sf from mainstream and fantasy
literature, and then to ask whether those "rules" have any relevance
or utility in a contemporary writing scene characterized by postmodern and
slipstream approaches. Since sf has clearly evolved through stages, with each
stage suggesting a different set of concerns and priorities, the
"theory" of sf almost inevitably turns out to be "theories,"
each theory tied to a particular historical period. So, we'll also look at sf
over a range of time, paying particular attention to the formative years
starting in 1926, when pulp sf codified the genre. Since diversity is perhaps
sf's most salient characteristic, our reading for the course will consist of
short stories—lots of them. TEXTS: The Year's Best Science Fiction:
Twelfth Annual Edition, ed. Gardner Dozois; The Norton Book of Science
Fiction, eds. Ursula K. Le Guin and Brian Attebery; The Science Fiction
Hall of Fame, Vol I, ed. Robert Silverberg. Recommended but not required
texts are the two new editions of the Women of Wonder series, edited by
Pamela Sargent, and Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century, by Edward
James.—Brooks Landon, English Dept., Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Guided Correspondence English 182. Differs in content from classroom
course so that both may be taken for credit. May be taken by e-mail. Brief
historical survey beginning with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a Gothic
precursor, and following with H.G. Wells, one of the "fathers" of the
genre, and moving, then, into a look at the genre as it has existed over the
past 60 years. This course is primarily guided by theme, not time, for ideas,
not sequence, are at the heart of science fiction. For more information, contact
"credit-programs@uiowa.edu" or the GCS office at 800-272-6430. —Landon
POLISCI 138. Current Political Theory—Science Fiction as Political
Theory. This is a topics course, new each time in themes and readings. So
far the course has explored (1) Sf as Syzygy, (2) Orwell's Political Myths and
Ours, (3) Subgenres of Sf, (4) Deconstructing Modernity in Sf, (5) Sf as
feminist theory, (6) Dreams as Realities in Sf, and (7) Sf as Green Politics. It
analyzes a book each week, mostly novels, and 3-5 films each term. The aim is to
appreciate the sf genre as an important form of political theory in fiction and
film. The assignments include writing politically oriented stories of alien
encounters, alternate histories, micro-macro ties, single changes, fantasy
styles, time travels, utopias, and dystopias. Students also write sf poems,
myths, and film outlines. TEXTS for (6): Anderson, Orion Shall Rise;
Bear, Heads; Delany, the Neveryon series (4 volumes); Dick, The
Man in the High Castle, "The Pre-Persons"; Kress, Beggars in
Spain; Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven, "The Ones Who Walked Away
from Omelas," "The Princess," "She Unnames Them,"
"The Wife's Story"; Wilhelm, The Dark Door, Death Qualified;
Willis, Lincoln's Dreams; Le Guin and Attebery, eds., The Norton Book
of Science Fiction. FILMS: Aliens, Batman Returns, Blade Runner,
Carrie, The Shining, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Total Recall, 2001: A
Space Odyssey, 2010: The Year We Make Contact. ARTICLES: Bettelheim,
"The Art of Moving Pictures: Man, Superman, and Myth"; Le Guin,
Introduction to Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences; Slusser,
"The Politically Correct Book of Science Fiction: Le Guin's Norton
Collection"; Spinrad, "Political Science Fiction."—John S.
Nelson, Dept. of Political Science, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242;
319/351-0899; john-nelson@uiowa.edu.
POLISCI 30. Introduction to Political Thought and Action. The course
acquaints students with political theory, and it usually includes several novels
or stories of science fiction: Delany, "The Tale of Old Venn"; Le Guin,
The Dispossessed; Piercy, He, She and It and Woman on
the Edge of Time; Robinson, The Gold Coast and Pacific Edge.
Films for the course often include Blade Runner and 1984.—Nelson.
ENG 8:462. Seminar: Cultural Studies—Cyborg Culture. This seminar
examines the theoretical and cultural currency of the cyborg (cybernetic
organism) as a symbolic condensation of the promises and perils of postmodernist
identity. If, as Michel Foucault argues in The Order of Things,
"man"—that psycho-physical paradigm instantiated in the
nineteenth-century human sciences (philology, biology, political economy)—is
"an invention...nearing its end," then the cyborg marks its point of
disappearance and the simultaneous emergence of a new form of corporeality
associated with the posthuman sciences—cybernetics, robotics, computer
technology. This vast mutative transition finds potent expression throughout the
theoretical and aesthetic cultures of postmodernity, and this seminar will,
therefore, employ an interdisciplinary focus upon texts derived from diverse
media in order to descry the psycho-social horizons of cyborgization. Our
purpose will be two-fold: 1. to elicit the immanent logic of cyborg culture in
terms of its sexual-economic-cultural normativity (what does it mean to be a
cyborg in the bedroom? in the workplace? in the public sphere of civic
responsibility?), and 2. to establish critical standards to evaluate these norms
without recourse to the waning verities of a moribund humanism (how can one be a
feminist and/or queer cyborg? a labor-activist cyborg? a politically committed
cyborg?). The materials we will survey include: theoretical texts by Norbert
Weiner, Daniel Bell, Jean Baudrillard, Paul Virilio, and Donna Haraway; films by
David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, and Lizzie Borden; novels and stories by Thomas
Pynchon, Pat Cadigan, J.G. Ballard, and William S. Burroughs; art works by Alan
Rath, H.R. Giger, and Survival Research Laboratories; music by John Cage, Front
242, and Sonic Youth; comics by Howard Chaikin and Katsuhiro Otomo; as well as
advertisements, music videos, CD-Rom games, virtual reality hardware and
software, and various artifacts of material culture.—Rob Latham, 308 EPB,
English Dept., Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Kansas. Benedictine College, Atchison
EN 398. Science Fiction. A survey of the development of science
fiction as a modern genre (approximately 1920-present). Students will read and
discuss the novels and short stories assigned from the list of texts. TEXTS:
Stapledon, Last and First Men, Silverberg, ed. Science Fiction Hall of
Fame, vol. 1, Clarke, Childhood's End, Gibson, Neuromancer, Le
Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz,
Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Heinlein,
Starship Troopers, Pohl, Gateway.—George E. Nicholas, English
Dept., Benedictine College, Atchison, KS 66002.
Kansas. Kansas State University, Manhattan
English 125. Honors Composition 2. Analyses of short stories, mostly
from The Norton Book of Science Fiction, organized around broad topics
like, "what is sf?" "war and sf," "gender and
aliens".—Carol Franko, English Dept., Kansas State Univ., Manhattan KS
66506.
English 635. Readings in 20th-Century British Literature: Science Fiction.
Explores the historical contexts, themes, narrative strategies, and shifting
generic conventions of 20th-century British science fiction. Texts: Wells, The
Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, "Under the Knife," The
Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man; Stapledon, Odd John &
Sirius; Huxley, Brave New World; Lewis, Perelandra; Orwell,
Nineteen Eighty-Four; Burdekin, Swastika Night; Wyndham, Consider
Her Ways, Clarke, Childhood's End; Ballard, The Drowned World;
Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Carter, Heroes and Villains; Zoline,
"The Heat Death of the Universe" (which was cheating); Banks, Consider
Phlebas (which, however was OUP); Ryman, "Omnisexual"; Gywneth
Jones, "The Mechanic."—Franko.
English 395. Topics in English: Women Writers of Science Fiction. A
proposed, 2-week, intercession course (for this May). Probable texts: Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Perkins Gilman, Herland: A Lost Feminist Utopia;
Butler, Dawn; Russ, To Write Like a Woman: Essays in Feminism and
Science Fiction; plus short stories and/or essays by Le Guin, Russ, James
Tiptree (Alice Sheldon) and others.
—Franko.
Kansas. University of Kansas, Lawrence
English 203. Special Topics: Science Fiction. Goal of this course: In
English 203, we will not only learn about science fiction and how to
"read" it, we will also learn strategies for reading and writing about
literature. I will teach a short story, tentatively slated to be Weinbaum's
"A Martian Odyssey." TEXTS: Shippey, ed. Oxford Book of
Science Fiction Stories, Capek,
R.U.R., Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Russ, The Female Man, Tepper, Sideshow, Wells, War of the
Worlds.—Karen Hellekson, 446 Arkansas St., Lawrence KS, 66044, "klh@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu"
or Dept. of English, 1089 Wescoe, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence KS 66045.
English 209. Introduction to Fiction. A genre course using
representative texts of different genres, including science-fiction. In the past
I taught Gibson's Neuromancer; for next semester I have dropped it (due,
alas, to poor student response) in favor of Tepper's Grass. I will also
teach a short story, tentatively slated to be Weinbaum's "A Martian
Odyssey."—Hellekson.
English 506. Science Fiction; English 790 Studies in a Genre. The 23rd
anniversary offering of the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of
Science Fiction will begin July 13 with the Campbell Conference and conclude on
July 26. The subjects for discussion in the Institutes alternate each year
between the stories in the four volumes of James Gunn's The Road to Science
Fiction and a list of some two-dozen novels. In 1996 discussion will focus
on the novels. The purpose of the Institute is to provide students with an
understanding of contemporary and future science fiction through a study of how
sf got to be the way it is. This summer, so as not to compete with other summer
English courses, almost all scheduled for the morning hours, Institute sessions
will begin at 1:00 p.m. and normally end by 4 p.m. If the size of the class
permits, sessions will be held in the English Department conference room in
Wescoe Hall; classes will meet on both Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21.
The Institute offers three hours of graduate or undergraduate credit. Tuition
for Kansas residents will be $243.30 for undergraduates, $330.30 for graduate
students; for non-residents, $813.30 for undergraduates, $942.30, for graduate
students. Housing and meals, if desired, can be arranged separately. Information
on housing and a form to indicate interest in the Institute or the Workshop can
be obtained by writing the undersigned. The reading for the course should be
completed before the course begins. The grade in the course is based on a paper
due four weeks after the course ends. The paper can be an ambitious essay about
several novels by an author or on novels by several authors discussing the same
theme, a lesson plan, or a science-fiction short story. Permission to enroll in
the course may be obtained from the undersigned. He also will have available,
before the course begins, a schedule of the order in which the novels will be
discussed. TEXTS: Recommended: Gunn, The Road to Science Fiction,
4 volumes. Required: Aldiss, Helliconia Spring; Asimov, The Caves of
Steel, The Foundation Trilogy; Benford, Timescape; Bester, The
Demolished Man; Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Clement, Mission of Gravity; Delany, Babel-17; Dick, The
Man in the High Castle; Gibson, Neuromancer; Gunn, The Listeners;
Heinlein, The Puppet Masters; Herbert, Dune; Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness; Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants; Pohl, Gateway;
Silverberg, Dying Inside; Sturgeon, More Than Human; Vance, The
Languages of Pao; Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan; Van Vogt, The
World of Null-A; Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds;
Wolfe, The Shadow of the Torturer. Because texts often are difficult to
find, the Center has arranged with the Oread Book Store, Kansas Union, Lawrence,
KS 66045, to supply books by mail; write for a price list. This is the only
source for Xerox copies of The Road to Science Fiction.—James Gunn,
English Department, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045; "jgunn@falcon.cc.ukans.edu".
Kansas. Washburn University, Topeka
EN 199/377. Science Fiction. Science fiction depicts scientific
innovations and discoveries and their impact on individuals, society, and the
sentient universe. Students will explore science fiction through reading and
discussing selected novels, short stories, and articles. TEXTS: Le Guin
and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction, Shelley, Frankenstein,
Wells, The Time Machine, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,
Asimov, Foundation, Le Guin, The Dispossessed.—Roy Sheldon,
Dept. of English, Washburn Univ., Topeka, KS 66621.
Kentucky. Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights
English 310. Science Fiction and Utopian Literature. This course
surveys the literature of science fiction and utopian thought in both historical
and contemporary forms, with an emphasis on those texts that have both defined
and challenged traditional ways of looking at the genre. We will be especially
concerned about the boundaries of science fiction, as we study authors who have
1. always been defined as sf writers, 2. those who have rarely been so defined,
3. those who have crossed the border between what is generally regarded as a
popular culture domain and elite or mainstream literary territory. We will used
various approaches to the genre, including Darko Suvin's concept of
"cognitive estrangement," the "archetypal utopian city" of
Jorge Luis Borges, and the experimentalism of the British "new wave." TEXTS:
Ballard, The Crystal World; Borges, Ficciones or Labyrinths;
Dick, The Man in the High Castle or Dr. Bloodmoney or The Three
Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?;
Disch, Camp Concentration; Kafka, Selected Stories; Le Guin, The
Word for World is Forest; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz;
Cordwainer Smith, selected stories; Sturgeon, More Than Human; Lewis, Out
of the Silent Planet; Wells, The Time Machine or The Island of Dr.
Moreau.—Tom Zaniello, Dept. of Literature and Language, Northern Kentucky
Univ., Highland Heights, KY 41099.
Kentucky. University of Kentucky, Lexington
English 642 or 740 (graduate) or English 442 (undergraduate). 20th Century
Literature: Modern British Utopian Novel. Close readings of novels that
argue with each other in the cycle running from Erewhon to Island.
Butler, Erewhon; Wells, The Time Machine, The First Men in the
Moon, A Modern Utopia; Zamyatin, We; Lawrence, The Plumed
Serpent, Lady Chatterley's Lover; Huxley, Brave New World;
Orwell, Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four; Huxley, Ape and
Essence; Burgess, The Wanting Seed, A Clockwork Orange;
Huxley, Island.—Jerome Meckier, English Department, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0027.
Kentucky. University of Louisville, Louisville
Political Science 386. Political Theory and Utopia. The objective of this
course is to explore and analyze the elements of political theory through an
examination of selected literary and experimental utopian societies. Readings
and discussions focus upon the history and character of utopian thought and
practice, particularly as it relates to such questions as the nature of
politics, the ideal form of government, the proper limits of social authority,
the meaning of equality and such problems as alienation, conflict, political
participation, political stability and change. TEXTS: More, Utopia;
Bellamy, Looking Backward; Morris, News from Nowhere; Zamiatin, We;
Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Pitzer, America's Communal Utopias.—Susan
Matarese, Department of Political Science, University of Louisville, Louisville,
Kentucky 40292.
Kentucky. Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green
Eng 340. Speculative Fiction: Parables for our Times. Speculative
fiction is a rather wide-ranging genre that includes not only science fiction in
the strictest sense of the term, but also a variety of fictional narratives that
are not necessarily science-based (e.g., socio-political fantasies). The common
denominator in our readings is their speculation about possibilities,
which may be political, psychological, ecological, or even mythological. Quite
often, these emphases combine and overlap. The best speculative fiction—no
matter how "alien"—encourages us to think not only about what we can
do but who we are and who we could be. In this course, we
will become acquainted with the development of speculative fiction as a distinct
literary genre. We will read, discuss, and write about texts that give us
the opportunity to explore that development and the genre's prevalent themes. We
will approach the readings not merely as entertainment (although they are
certainly that) but as literature. Thus, we will discuss the literary
conventions and techniques the authors employ to tell their highly imaginative
stories. In addition, we will consider speculative fiction's impact on popular
visual media, particularly film, and its relation to our cultural consciousness.
TEXTS: Warrick et al., eds., Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Clarke, Childhood's End; Huxley, Brave
New World; Shelley, Frankenstein; short stories. FILMS: Blade
Runner, 2001.—Karen Schneider, English Dept. Cherry Hall, Western
Kentucky Univ. Bowling Green, KY 42101, 502-745-5772.
English 200. Introduction to Literature. Introductory study of
fiction, poetry, and drama demonstrating techniques by which literature reflects
human experience. Sf TEXT: Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron."—David
LeNoir, Dept. English, Western Kentucky Univ., 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY
42101.
Louisiana. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
English ??. Special Topics in English Literature: Literature of the
Fantastic. Experience dragons, gallant knights, lordly ladies, ogres,
vampires, sociopaths. Readings from the spectrum of fantasy literature from the
epic to science fiction. TEXTS: Gardner, Grendel; Burgess, A
Clockwork Orange; Voltaire, Candide; Twain, A Conneticut Yankee at
King Arthur's Court; and others.—Douglas Holt, Dept. of English, Louisiana
State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. (Entry obtained with the help of J.R.
Madden, 7515 Sheringham Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-5762.)
Louisiana. Louisiana State University, Shreveport
English 315. Science Fiction and Fantasy. A course in the origin and
development of science fiction as a literary and cinematic genre, with a focus
on the opportunity for social criticism that sf affords. It includes a survey of
the history of science fiction, its distinguishing traits, and its variations
from "mainstream" fiction. Students will be provided a set of critical
methodologies for reading, interpreting, and evaluating sf and will practice
these methodologies through close reading, discussion, and writing on a number
of sf stories and novels. TEXTS: Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton
Book of Science Fiction, Asimov, The Caves of Steel, Clarke, Childhood's
End, Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land.—Merrell Knighten, Dept.
of English, One University Place, Louisiana State Univ. at Shreveport,
Shreveport, LA 71115.
Louisiana. Louisiana Tech University, Ruston
English 475. Science Fiction. The works to be discussed in this course
will focus on these four areas: 1. man in control of science and technology—the
"wonder" of space, space exploration, and other worlds; 2. the
destructive potential of science and technology, the perils of science, of space
exploration, and of other worlds; 3. the problem of identity and of the self in
society; 4. the nature of "life" and of "intelligence" in
society. TEXTS: Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy;
Aldiss, Trillion Year Spree; Hartwell, Age of Wonders; Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles; Budrys, Rogue Moon, Who?; Dick, Blade
Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Hartwell, ed. The World
Treasury of Science Fiction. FILMS: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade
Runner, Who?, The Terminator.—Dennis Minor, Dept. of English, Louisiana
Tech Univ., PO Box 3162, Ruston, LA 71272.
Louisiana. Loyola University of New Orleans.
English V180. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. We will survey the
major science-fiction/fantasy themes and forms in an effort to assess their
relevance to our complex post-modern society. The values discussed and the
issues raised by this study—such as individual freedom vs. social determinism—should
help the student better grasp the individual's role in our contemporary
technological world. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, Time
Machine; Stoker, Dracula; Zamiatan, We; Le Guin, Left Hand
of Darkness; Tolkien, Return of the King; Gardner, Grendel;
Gibson, Neuromancer; packet of essays and stories.—Ronald Foust,
English Department, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA 70118.
Louisiana. University of New Orleans, New Orleans
ENGL 4231. Science Fiction and Fantasy. A course in the study of a
literary genre divided into two parts. In the first part, we look at a couple of
"pure" examples of two distinct narrative genres, science fiction and
fantasy. Trying to discover what is unique to each genre, we will examine the
nature of their narrative worlds, the codes governing their discursive
strategies, and the ways in which readers make sense of them. In the second part
we will turn to a narrative form, science fantasy, which combines features from
each of the genres. We will try to identify the generic features of this
hybridized form and take a look at a number of science-fantasy types. In so
doing, perhaps we can account for the growing popularity of this particular
narrative form. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine; Tolkien, The
Hobbit; Asimov, I, Robot; Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet;
Leiber, Conjure Wife; Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Lindsay, Voyage
to Arcturus; Herbert, Dune.—Carl Malmgren, Department of English,
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148.
ENG 2938. Science Fiction. This course approaches science fiction as a
genre of literary narrative which explores the shapes of tomorrow through
extrapolation from existing technologies or speculation about imaginary
technologies. Sf particularly concerns itself with the impact that technological
change has upon the human condition and human institutions. The genre will be
treated as literature and at the same time discussed in the larger contexts of
its scientific, social, and ideational backgrounds and implications. We will
read classic, `golden age,' and contemporary sf stressing concern with the human
condition in alternative presents and futures. The course is designed to enable
students to develop their capacity for reading sf as one of the most authentic
forms of literature in a technotronic society and to cultivate thoughtful
attitudes toward the emerging realities of the future: the viability of liberal
and humanistic values, the direction and dynamics of change, the role of science
and technology, the position of humanity in technotronic cultures. By the end of
the term, the student will also have developed an overview of the history of sf
and its relation to other forms of prose literature. TEXTS: Scholes and
Rabkin, Science Fiction: History, Science, Vision; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Wells, The Time Machine; Asimov, I, Robot; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Heinlein; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness; Dick, The Man in the High Castle.—Malmgren.
Maine College of Art, Portland
HU 206B. Issues in Western Culture. In The Dispossessed Le Guin
explores dimensions of capitalism and socialism as they relate to the personal
experience of a scientist. His questions and concerns about both structures
anticipate our own—but by setting the novel on another world Le Guin allows us
to study those issues free of the biases that may cloud our relationships to
them here on earth. TEXT: Le Guin, The Dispossessed.—Dana
Sawyer, Chair, Liberals Arts Dept., 797 Spring St., Maine College of Art,
Portland, ME 04101.
Maine. University of Maine, Fort Kent
Eng 341. Studies in Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy. Introduces
the concept of genre through the study of science fiction and fantasy. Among the
topics of study are theories of genre, genre markers, the history of the chosen
genres, theoretical perspectives on the particular genres, and typical themes,
characters, situations. TEXTS: Rabkin, ed. Science Fiction, An
Historical Anthology, Aldiss and Lundwall, eds. Penguin World Omnibus of
Science Fiction, Beagle, The Last Unicorn, Clarke, Childhood's End,
Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Herbert, Dune, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Lem, The Cyberiad, Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz, Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Burgess, A
Clockwork Orange, Card, Speaker for the Dead. —William R. Willan,
25 Pleasant St., UMFK, Fort Kent, ME 04743.
Maryland. Hood College, Frederick
AFAM 301. African-American Political Autobiography. This course examines
the connections between autobiography, political philosophy, utopian thought and
politics in African-American autobiographies. Selected African-American
autobiographies will be analyzed to determine the criticisms authors launched
against their societies, the social and political alternatives suggested, and
the agencies they suggested be mobilized to institute change. TEXTS:
Lorene Cary, Black Ice; Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the
Life of a Slave Girl; David Hilliard and Lewis Cole, This Side of Glory:
The Autobiography of David Hilliard and the Story of the Black Panther Party;
Pauli Murray, The Autobiography of a Black Activist, Feminist, Lawyer, Priest
and Poet; Assata Shakur, Assata.—Hoda M. Zaki, Department of
History and Political Science, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick,
Maryland 21701, 301-696_3697, "hzaki@nimue.hood.edu".
Maryland. Towson State University, Towson
English 417. Topics in Writing—Writing Science Fiction. The purpose
of this course is to familiarize students with the different skills and
techniques needed for successful writing in the field of science fiction. TEXTS:
Card, How to Write Science Fiction, Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The
Norton Book of Science Fiction, Silverberg, ed., The Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol. 1.—John L. Flynn, English Dept., Towson State Univ., Towson,
MD 21204, (410) 830-2871, "flynn@midget.towson.edu".
Maryland. University of Baltimore, Baltimore
ENGL 357. Other Worlds. A critical introduction to recent and classic
works of fantasy, science fiction, and other forms of "speculative
fabulation." TEXTS: Gibson, Neuromancer, Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades,
Cadigan, Synners, Williams, Aristoi, Stephenson, Snow Crash,
Diamond Age, Griffith, Ammonite, Piercy, He, She, and It,
Sterling, Heavy Weather.—Stuart Moulthrop, School of Communications
Design, Univ. of Baltimore, 1420 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201-5779.
Maryland. University of Maryland, College Park
English 349, Comparative Literature 48BE, and Women's Studies 348.
Literature by Women: Science Fiction. This class explores science fiction by
women: works by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Joanna Russ, Ursula K. Le Guin,
Carol Emshwiller, the Black writer Octavia Butler, the local Maryland writer
Severna Park, the Indian writer Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, and the South American
writer Angélica Gorodischer. We will watch the film Making Mr. Right in
class, and invite Severna Park to read on campus. We will ask if the history of
science fiction by women is the same as that for male writers, and if women had
(or have) a special tradition within the genre. We will use feminist theory to
look at aspects of the science, psychology, and literary strategies of these
works. And we will examine how the writers' differing (and changing) standpoints
on the political isssues of feminism, sexuality, and colonizing are represented
in their fictions. Class will be almost entirely discussion, with student
reports on the writers and student panels on the feminist readings. TEXTS: Shelley,
Frankenstein; Gilman, Herland; Russ, We Who Are About To. . . ;
Le Guin, Eye of the Heron; Emshwiller, Carmen Dog; Butler, Dawn;
Park, Speaking Dreams; Hossain, "The Sultana's Dream";
Gorodischer, "The Perfect Wife."—Jane Donawerth, "jd32@umail.umd.edu";
Department of English, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
English 769. Feminist and Popular Culture Approaches to Science Fiction
by Women. In the light of feminist theory and popular culture studies, this
course examines works by women from the seventeenth century (Margaret
Cavendish's Blazing World) to the present (Ursula K. Le Guin's The
Dispossessed, and Joanna Russ's Female Man), focusing on contemporary
popular science fiction. We will look at some short stories from early sf pulp
magazines, and at works by cult writers like Marion Zimmer Bradley. We will read
fiction by African-American, lesbian, and international writers, including
Octavia Butler, Eleanor Arnason and Severna Park, and Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
and Angélica Gorodischer. These are some of the questions we will ask: Is there
a women's tradition of science fiction? What is the relation between feminist
utopias and sf by women? What problems do women writers have with the genre,
especially with masculinized science, the convention of woman as alien, and the
tradition of the male narrator? What debates on women's issues get worked out in
science fiction? Why do women writers choose a popular culture form? What is the
relation between fan culture and women readers and writers? Focusing on
discussion, this course will ask students to participate through frequent
reports and panels. Requirements include a one-page book review of a recent
novel not read in class (which everyone will send to SFRA Review for
possible publication), and a series of 1-page proposal abstract, 8-page oral
paper, and 15 to 20-page essay, as well as oral reports, panels, and
participation. The last time I taught this course, I worked with Melissa Sites
and Carale Breakstone, graduate students in our program, to set up a free
symposium on sf by women, featuring talks by Robin Roberts, Carol Kolmerten,
Joan Gordon, and me, and readings by Severna Park and Carol Emshwiller; the
symposium was incorporated into the course through preparatory readings of the
speakers' works, attendance instead of one week's class, and a potluck for the
speakers. OTHER TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Le Guin, Always
Coming Home; Russ, We Who Are About To...; Jones and Merchant, Unveiling
a Parallel; Bradley, The Shattered Chain; Gearhart, The
Wanderground; Cherryh, Serpent's Reach; Butler, Dawn; Arnason,
Ring of Swords; Park, Speaking Dreams; Emshwiller, Carmen Dog;
Hossain, "The Sultana's Dream"; Gorodischer, "The Perfect
Wife."—Donawerth.
Massachusetts. Amherst College, Amherst
English 151/WAGS 51. Science Fiction. Surveying a range of classic and
contemporary texts in the genre of science fiction, this course will explore the
relation between the politics of world making and the technologies of literary
representation. Special attention will be accorded to questions of gender, race,
class, sexuality, and nation as these affect the construction of fictional
worlds. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, Hoffmann, "The
Sandman," Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Heinlein, The Puppet
Masters, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Butler, The Wild Seed,
Delany, Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, Russ, "When It
Changed," Tiptree, "The Girl Who Was Plugged In," Gibson, Neuromancer.
FILMS: Metropolis, The Island of Lost Souls, Invasion of the Body
Snatchers, Aliens.—Andrew Parker and Michèle Barale, English Dept.
Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002.
Massachussets. Bentley College, Waltham
EN 350:CO2. Cyberpunk, Cyberspace, Hypertext: Literature in the Age of the
Computer. This course explores the impact of new information technology on
literature in three crucial areas: 1) Cyberpunk, a relatively new form of
science fiction that offers visions of the near future, emphasizing changes in
social relations, cultural boundaries, business, and political economy produced
by computerization and worldwide network communication; 2) Cyberspace, the
ongoing development of virtual environments for education, work, play, and
crime; 3) Hypertext, the linked webs of electronic documents that may eventually
replace all printed documents, and are already challenging our notions of what
reading means. The center of this course is the point of tension between the
sense that cyberpunk is a marginal, resistant phenomenon and the sense that
cyberpunk articulates something central to what the world now is or is becoming.
To that end, it sees cyberpunk less in a tradition of science fiction than at
the center of postmodernism, that catch_all term that here refers most
specifically to Post_industrialism and late capitalism, Post_nationalism, the
end of "progress" and "history," the erosion of the
"real" in favor of the hyperreal, and finally, the absence of
collective epistemological and ethical meta_narratives that could underpin a
stable code of what is true and false or right and wrong. Crucial questions for
the course include what it means to "be" postmodern, as opposed to
being able to talk about the postmodern, and whether virtual realities are
fundamentally different from "reality," and change what
"reality" means. Another feature of the course, one which attempts to
address in a practical way the difference between being postmodern and merely
talking about it, is the creation of a class website as a virtual space for the
course work. (At present this website is accessible only through Bentley
College's intranet, though it may be open to the general Internet in the coming
year.) The class web consists of basic course materials and projects carried out
collaboratively by the students. Current projects included a joint cyberpunk
fiction experiment, in which various class members contribute stories or
fragments to a hypertext that is held together by electronic links and mutually
agreed upon "common_world" elements. A second project attempts to
provide a loose cognitive map of cyberpunk including a glossary of terms, a
timeline, some cultural intertexts, and links to various other cyberpunk_related
sites on the World Wide Web. TEXTS: McCaffery, ed., Storming the Reality
Studio; Gibson, Neuromancer; Stephenson, Snow Crash; Baird, Crashcourse.
FILMS: Blade Runner, Hackers.—Robert Crooks, English Department,
Bentley College, Waltham, MA 02154.
Massachusets. Boston Visionary Cell, Boston
Workshop: Building the Time-Machine. In this course we will explore the
prospect of building a time-machine from developing a concept to working
drawings and a model. This engineering genre begins in 1899 when Alfred Jarry
read the French translation of Wells's Time Machine and wrote an essay,
"How to Construct a Time-Machine." Over the intervening 97 years there
have been a number of attempts in relation to the prevailing speculative
theories of physics, such as today's communication hypotheses by means of
faster-than-light particles. The results of the course will be proposed as an
exhibit to the Science Museum of Boston. TEXTS: Wells, The Time
Machine; Jarry, Selected Works of Alfred Jarry, ed. Shattuck and
Taylor; various books and articles on speculative physics.—Paul Laffoley,
Boston Visionary Cell, 36 Bromfield Street, Suite 200, Boston MA 02108.
Telephone 617-482-9044.
Massachusetts. Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater
EN 252. Literary Types: Science Fiction. The history and development
of science fiction is explored from Frankenstein to the present day.
Aside from an introductory phase rich in 19th-century material, the course
follows a thematic approach, devoting a week each to lecture, discussion, and
readings (ancient, 19th-century, and modern) in speculative fantasy, weird sf,
time travel/parallel worlds, speculative hard sf, aliens, robots, speculative
soft sf, utopias/dystopias, and social sf. TEXTS: Lawler, Approaches
to Science Fiction; Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The Science
Fiction Research Association Anthology; Hurley, ed., Frankenstein
(abridged), Strange Stories (3 vols.), Tales of the (Near?) Future.—Mike
Hurley, Dept. of English, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325.
Massachusetts. Emerson College, Belmont
WP 208. Writing sf. An introductory creative writing course. Students
begin by reading and discussing published stories and writing short exercises
focussed on character, dialogue, setting, point of view, and style. The class
jointly creates a "shared world" and each writes a short piece set in
that world. All writing is photocopied and workshopped in class. By the end of
the semester students have produced either a substantial story or the opening
chapters of a projected novel. TEXT: Dozois, ed., The Year's Best
Science Fiction: Twelfth Annual Collection. (A more advanced course, WP 308—Writing
Genre Fiction, gives interested students an opportunity to continue their work.)—Lynn
F. Williams, Div. of Writing and Publishing, Emerson College, 100 Beacon St,
Boston, MA 02116.
LI 532A. Utopia and Anti-Utopia. Since the literary utopia was
invented by Thomas More in the 16th century, it has been a medium for
philosophers, dreamers, political scientists, and satirists. In this course, we
will explore both the positive eutopia and the negative dystopia or
antiutopia as well as some of the intentional communities based on
utopian ideals. TEXTS: More, Utopia, Swift, Gulliver's Travels,
Bellamy, Looking Backward, Wells, The Time Machine, Zamiatin, We,
Skinner, Walden Two, Le Guin, The Dispossessed, Atwood, The
Handmaid's Tale, Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time, Read, The
Green Child, Shakespeare, The Tempest. —Williams.
Massachusetts. Framingham State University, Framingham
English 21.111 [one section]. Approach to Literature: Fantasy &
Science Fiction. An exploring of imagination in tales based on traditional
lore and wisdom, and in stories premised upon scientific knowledge. TEXTS:
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, Marlowe, Dr. Faustus, Coleridge, Rime
of the Ancient Mariner, Shelley, Frankenstein, Poe, Stories and
Poems, Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Warrick et al, eds. Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—Joseph Jurich, English Dept., Framingham
State Univ., Framingham, MA 01701-9101.
English 21.111 [another section]. Approaches to Literature: Science
Fiction. Looking at scientific concepts as metaphor, the course explores
some central science-fiction issues: definitions of "otherness" and
the bounderies of "self." TEXTS: Lewis, Perelandra;
Sterling, Schismatrix; Gibson, Burning Chrome; Lem, Solaris;
others.—Marianne Messina, English Dept., Framingham State Univ., Framingham,
MA 01701-9101 or PO Box 6046, Holliston, MA 01746.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
21.763. Modern Science Fiction. This course tracks the evolution of
science fiction from the fifties to the present. Students read stories from two
anthologies—The Norton Book of Science Fiction and Dozois's current Year's
Best sf—and five novels, one from each decade: Bester's The Stars My
Destination; Delany's Babel-17; Silverberg's Dying Inside;
Gibson's Neuromancer; and Barnes's Mother of Storms.—Joe
Haldeman, Department of Writing and Humanistic Studies, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
21.759. Writing Science Fiction. This course begins with a series of
lectures about the process of writing fiction and the particular challenges
offered by science fiction. In the course of the lectures, students read stories
from the Norton anthology and Dozois's current Year's Best sf. Under the
instructor's guidance, the students write at least two short science-fiction
stories (or one novella or the beginning of a novel, if they seem to have talent
in that direction). The last half of the semester is given over to roundtable
workshop discussion of the students' work.—Haldeman.
Massachusetts. Northeastern University, Boston
ENG 1276. Science Fiction. This course traces the development of
various science fiction themes, conventions, and approaches from early
man-versus-machine tales to alien encounters. We will examine how the genre is a
time capsule of the relationships of humans and technology, humans and nature,
humans and the stars in all their promise and dangers. From Frankenstein
through H.G. Wells, through short fiction of the "golden age" (1940s
and '50s), to the visions of contemporary writers. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein,
Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, Kress, Beggars in Spain, Clarke, Childhood's
End, Bear, The Forge of God, Robinson, Red Mars.—Gary
Goshgarian, 406 Holmes Hall, Dept. of English, Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA
02115.
Massachusetts. Salem State College, Salem
ENG 478. Science Fiction. An introduction to classic works of science
fiction. TEXTS: Herbert, Dune, Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange
Land, Silverberg, ed. Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Simak, City, Wells, The Time Machine, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, among others.—John Steele, Dept. of English, Salem State
College, 352 Lafayette St., Salem, MA 01970.
Massachusetts. Stonehill College, North Easton
English 314. Science Fiction: Worlds Made Cunningly. The last two
dec-ades have witnessed the acceptance—at times reluctant—of science fiction
as a legitimate genre of mainstream literature, akin to medieval allegory and
romance. Twentieth-century American sf, in particular, has made an impressive
popular as well as academic impact upon culture and its literary establishment.
We will attempt to define and explore the history and significance of
"scientific romances," "scientifiction," and, more recently,
"sf" as reflected in the best representative 20th-century authors:
British, European, and American. Our purpose will be to develop a critical and
analytical reading and understanding of various works by identifying and
evaluating important and often recurrent themes and concerns. These include
consideration of the implications of continued research and discoveries in the
hard and soft sciences and technology upon religious, social, philosophical, and
cultural values as these are extrapolated by sf authors in their fictions. We
will consider utopias and dystopias, the idea of interplanetary space/time
travel, "close encounters" of several kinds involving alien
intelligence and robots, and we will discuss how these are germane to late
twentieth century readers and literature. TEXTS: Wells, The Time
Machine, The War of the Worlds, Asimov, I, Robot, Foundation, Clarke,
Childhood's End, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Herbert, Dune,
Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness.—Maurice H.J. Morin, Dept. of English, Stonehill College, North
Easton, MA 02357.
Massachusetts. Suffolk University, Boston
English 378. Fantasy and Folklore. Fantasy is discussed as a genre and
mode; various theories of fantasy are explored. While the course deliberately
"transforms itself" at each offering, such writers as Adams, „ apek,
Carroll, Gardner, Le Guin, Lewis, and Singer have had return appearances. (Watership
Down and Till We Have Faces seem to be constants.) Speculative
fiction has been represented through the works of Barthelme, Barnes, Crowley,
Kafka, and Lightman (Einstein's Dreams). Science fiction, variously
emphasized, has included works by Bradbury, Clarke. Dick, Disch, Lem, McIntyre,
and Wilhelm. Lem's The Cyberiad and The Futurological Congress are
frequent inclusions. Folklore-and more specifically, the folk-tale—is a
significant concentration. Investigated are the scholarship, criticism and
history relevant to folk narrative study (works by Aarne, Degh, Luthi, Propp,
Thompson, Zipes); the application of such study to the investigation of ethnic
types; the relationship of folk-tales —and especially motifs—to fantasy,
myth and science fiction; the comparison of the oral to the literary tale; the
revisionist text. Such topics as "the trickster," "the
master-maid" vs. "the female victim," "the peasant and the
tyrant" have been important considerations, as well as the larger question
of superstition, magic, belief in the supernatural vs. science and technolgy as
this forms the basis for a system of values and provides for distinct
literatures.—Marilyn Jurich, Department of English, Suffolk University, Beacon
Hill, 41 Temple Street, Boston, MA 02114-4280, (617) 573-8271.
Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts, Boston
English 334. Science Fiction. For advanced undergraduates, primarily
English majors. TEXTS: Wells, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine;
Stapledon, Odd John, Sirius; Heinlein, The Puppet Masters; Lewis, Out
of the Silent Planet; Stewart, Earth Abides; Butler, Kindred;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Slonczewski, A Door into Ocean;
and a sampler of short stories. FILMS: Flash Gordon, Things to Come,
2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Jurassic Park.—Robert Crossley, 109
Brooks St., Brighton, MA 02135, "crossley@umbsky.cc.umb.edu".
CORE C110-4. Cultural History: Mars, 1877-2019. This course studies
the nature, methods, and uses of cultural history by examining in some detail a
single example: how scientific and literary images of Mars during the past
century have mirrored and expressed cultural ideas and values. TEXTS:
Wilford, Mars Beckons, Wells, The War of the Worlds, Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles, Grossman, ed. The Frontier in American Culture,
Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, Robinson, Red Mars, plus a packet
of photocopied materials.—Crossley.
English 697B. The End of the World. Graduate program. TEXTS:
Friedrich, The End of the World: A History, Wells, The Time Machine,
The War of the Worlds, Stapledon, Last and First Men, Shelley, The
Last Man, Roshwald, Level Seven, Stewart, Earth Abides,
Robbins, Skinny Legs and All, plus a packet of readings. —Crossley.
Massachusetts. Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston
LITR 460. Science Fiction. In this course, we will examine science
fiction as a vehicle for philosophic and technical inquiry. TEXTS:
Crichton, Jurassic Park; Gibson, Burning Chrome, Neuromancer;
Campbell, Grammatical Man.—Michael Greene, Wentworth Institute of
Tech., 550 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115.
Michigan. Adrian College, Adrian
Religion 300. Topics: Religion and Fantasy. Our subject is the
interrelationships between religious beliefs and values on one hand, and
literary/cinematic fantasy (and science fiction) on the other. The study of
fantastic literature raises important philosophical problems, such as, what is
the reality status of the fantastic? how is the fantasy-world related to
reality? what is the literary structure of fantasy? The presence of religious
themes in much "secular" fantasy and science fiction, and also of
fantastic elements in biblical and other religious literature, raises further
questions: Is religion inherently fantastic? Is fantasy inherently
"religious"? What are the theological implications of the fantastic? TEXTS: the Bible; Aichele/Pippin (eds.), Fantasy and the Bible; Zipes (ed.),
Arabian Nights; Tolkien, The Tolkien Reader; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Crowley, Little, Big; Beagle, The Last Unicorn;
Stephenson, Snow Crash. FILMS: Aladdin, Dragonslayer, Time
Bandits, Strange Days, 12 Monkeys.— G. Aichele, Department of Religion
& Philosophy, Adrian College, Adrian, MI 49221.
Michigan. Ferris State University, Grand Rapids
LITR 233. Science Fiction. Course objectives: to introduce you to a
diverse range of sf literature, to use sf to analyze evolving concepts of our
culture, to teach a critical method of reading popular literature, to increase
an imaginative response to technology and society, to demonstrate the place of
popular literature in ideology, and to have a little fun. TEXTS: Wells, The
Time Machine; Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Ore, Becoming
Alien; Gibson, Neuromancer; Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction
Hall of Fame; Blish, Cities in Flight; Brunner, Shockwave Rider;
Butler, Dawn; Card, Ender's Game; Asimov, I, Robot; Clarke,
Childhood's End; Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Silverberg, Down to Earth;
Herbert, The Dosadi Experiment. ALSO: The radio version of The
War of the Worlds and a Star Trek episode.—Robert von der Osten,
1401 Walwood Terrace NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505. "rvondero@music.ferris.edu".
Michigan. Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant
English 323. Fantasy and Science Fiction. Objectives: 1. to understand
the nature, and perhaps the "art," of literature called
"fantasy" and literature called "science fiction," 2. to
explain fantasy as a non-discursive discourse, universal in history, that,
depending upon the age and culture in which it is created or composed,
represents the idea of man and the physics of the world proper to that age and
culture, 3. to explain science fiction as a species of fantasy that arises in
history with the ages of reason, science, industry, technology, electronics,
nuclear physics, extra-galactic astronomy, etc. (it is a very discursive or
expositional fictional literature which presents the idea of man and the physics
of the world as they have developed during the 19th and 20th centuries), 4. to
present an overview of the historical and current character of fantasy and
science fiction, 5. to see the universal topicality of fantasy and science
fiction (it is about everything, from the most speechless of religious mystiques
to the most analytical and empirical of scientific disciplines, from aesthetics
to pragmatics, from lyric poem to warehouse inventory), 6. to perceive that the
"quality" ("beauty"?) of works of fantasy and science
fiction is found just as that of all art—in the excellence with which the form
(the story-telling) fits the matter (the story), 7. fantasy and science fiction
are often vehicles of imaginative escape, 8. to see that fantasy, by the very
alienness of its setting and its characters' anatomies, provides a fresh
perspective upon spiritual and psychological reality, 9. to see how science
fiction, far being a literature than can predict the future, concentrates upon
history and the present, maintaining the classical dialectic of "ancients
and moderns," 10. to hear specialists from a variety of disciplines, such
as religion, sociology, chemistry, and physics, often to try on a
"speculative mood," in addressing a particular work of fantasy or
science fiction read in the course, 11. to discover that fantasy and science
fiction are not trivial—that, in fact, they are some of the most important
cultural phenomena of the 20th century." TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The
Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Shelley, Frankenstein, Stoker, Dracula,
Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, Stewart, Earth Abides, Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz, Haldeman, The Forever War, Tolkien, The
Hobbit, Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea, Clarke, Childhood's End.
—John Pfeiffer, English Dept., Central Michigan Univ., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
BCA 527. Film Directors. This course examines
the film output of John Carpenter and RKO producer Val Lewton. Emphasis is on
the films' fantasy/horror themes, tropes, and motifs as well as biographical
background regarding both personalities that addresses the themes shown in the
various titles. TEXTS: Cumbow: Order in the Universe: The Films of
John Carpenter; Telotte: Dreams of Darkness: Fantasy and the Films of Val
Lewton. One of a series of courses under the same number focusing on
directors and producers.—Robert Craig, Broadcast & Cinematic Arts
Department, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
BCA 525. Film Genre Study: The Early Horror Film. This
course examines the development of the horror film from its beginnings in the
silent era to 1969. Critical study is given to cultural trends, analysis of
technique, and development of the student viewer's critical skills. One of a
series of courses under the same number focusing on various film genres. TEXTS:Carrol, The Philosophy of Horror; Waller, ed., American
Horrors: Essays on the Modern American Horror Film.—Craig.
BCA 525. Film Genre Study: The Contemporary Horror Film.
Examines the historical development of the horror film since 1969. Texts same as
for the preceding course.—Craig
BCA 525. Film Genre Study: The Fantasy Film. A genre
study of the themes, techniques, and historical development of fantasy in film.
The class views a selection of fantasy-based titles from various genres such as
comedy, horror, animation, and action-adventure, as well as studying classic and
contemporary techniques in special effects cinematography. Films include titles
from Melies to present-day commercial theatricals. One of a series of courses
under the same number focusing on various film genres. TEXT: Von Gunden: Flights
of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films. —Craig.
BCA 525. Film Genre Study: Science Fiction.
Subtitled "Cautionary Tales of the Industrial Age," this course pairs
sf films with required readings of several sf novels. Students discuss how
science and scientists are depicted in both media and how the themes and lessons
of the respective films and novels apply to the present day. One of a series of
courses under the same number focusing on various film genres. TEXTS: Atwood,
The Handmaid's Tale; Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Dick, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Kuhn, ed., Alien Zone: Cultural
Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema; Orwell, 1984.—Kenneth
Jurkiewicz, Broadcast & Cinematic Arts Department, Central Michigan
University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
BCA 525. Film Genre Studies: Science Fiction. With the
concurrent rise of industrialism and mass culture, modern audiences have been
both fearful of and fascinated with the impact of science and technology on the
individual and community. As the most popular and influential of the mass media—due
to its unparalleled ability to visually depict what previously could only be
described in print or imagined in the mind's eye—film even from its infancy
has helped shape our perceptions about the role of the scientist and technocrat
in forming our society. This course will examine how these perceptions were
created and sustained in literature and the cinema by examining various key
works of popular fiction and film which have been of particular historical,
cultural, and esthetic importance in terms of perpetuating certain stereotypical
images of scientists and their works. These stereotypes of scientists can be
broken down into four basic categories: 1) The Scientist as Romantic/Idealistic
Overreacher (as in The Bride of Frankenstein and The Thing); 2)
The Scientist as Rationalist/Humanist (as in Things to Come, which
depicts the triumph of humanistic empiricism); 3) The Scientist as Corporate
Capitalist (as in Metropolis, Blade Runner, Robocop, and They Live);
and 4) The Scientist as Totalitarian Collectivist (as in 1984, A Clockwork
Orange, Brazil, and The Handmaid's Tale. Films which illustrate the
development of these stereotypes will be shown and discussed in class, along
with an exploration of some of the original novels on which these films were
based, including: Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Burgess, A Clockwork
Orange; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Orwell, 1984;
and Shelley, Frankenstein.—Jurkiewicz.
Michigan. Lansing Community College, Lansing
English 220. Science Fiction. English 220 acquaints
students with popular, modern literature of science fiction. History and
definitions of science fiction are given, but the emphasis is on short stories,
novels, and films—their questions and criticisms of society, the world, and
human existence. TEXTS: Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451; Dick, The Man
in the High Castle, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?);
Gibson, Burning Chrome; Huxley, Brave New World; Le Guin, The
Lathe of Heaven; Orwell, 1984; Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space
Merchants.—Rafeeq O. McGiveron, Department of Humanities and the
Performing Arts, Lansing Community College, Box 40010, Lansing, MI 48901.
517-483-1018.
Michigan. Michigan State University, Lansing
LBS 490E. Science and Utopia. By examining utopian
fiction and nonfiction drawn from the past three and a half centuries, this
course will study science's influence upon the utopian imagination and, vice
versa, the utopian imagination's influence upon the development of science and
technology. Spanning from the English Renaissance to the American Bicentennial,
these writers raise political, philosophical, moral, literary, economic, and
scientific questions that, variously, support and challenge their societies' and
their scientists' images of themselves. That is, in this course we will look at
writers who love science, those who hate it, and those who bring to their works
a more complex mixture of attitudes towards science. Some of the specific
questions we will study include: What is a utopia? Or, more usefully, what
issues and ideas does the utopian imagination explore and how are they explored?
How has the utopian imagination responded to the challengings of traditional
beliefs by modern science's new questions and answers? What conflicts have
developed between the utopian imagination and the scientific worldview? On the
other hand, what opportunities for the utopian imagination has that worldview
opened up? What deep fears about science has the utopian imagination exposed?.
What hopes about science has it launched? TEXTS: More, Utopia;
Bacon, New Atlantis; short pieces by several French utopists, and
excerpts drawn from the writings of Marx and Engels; Bellamy, Looking
Backward; Wells, Modern Utopia; Huxley, Brave New World;
Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time.—Robert Shelton, Lyman Briggs School,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48825-1107.
Michigan. Michigan Technological University, Houghton
HU 303. The Literature of J.R.R. Tolkien. This course
re-examines the major works of J.R.R. Tolkien in light of his own theories of
fantasy (faerie) and in view of the works which most influenced him in his
writing so as to provide students with a clear idea of his process of
sub-creation and a greater appreciation for the magnitude of his accomplishment.
TEXTS: Tolkien, The Tolkien Reader; Wright (trans.), Beowulf;
Green (ed.), King Arthur and His Knights; Tolkien, The Hobbit, The
Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King,
RESERVE TEXTS: Kocher, Master of Middle Earth; Foster, A Guide
to Middle Earth; Tyler, The New Tolkien Companion.—Charles W.
Nelson, Department of Humanities, Michigan Technological University, Houghton,
MI 49931.
Michigan. Oakland University, Rochester
English 566. The Mode of the Fantastic. A graduate
course which will explore the theoretical and textual basis of the fantastic. TEXTS:
Abbott, Flatland; Apuleius, The Golden Ass of Apuleius, trans.
Robert Graves; Bierce, Civil War Stories; Carter, Nights at the Circus;
Giraudoux, Four Plays; Hume, Fantasy and Mimesis; Le Guin, The
Wizard of Earthsea; O'Brien, The Third Policeman; O'Faolain, And
Again?; Simmons, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion; Stephens, Crock
of Gold; Stoppard, Arcadia; Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions;
Jackson, Fantasy: the Literature of Subversion.—Donald E. Morse,
English Department, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309.
English 306. The Mode of the Fantastic. An
undergraduate course exploring the range, variety, and depth of the fantastic
from classical to contemporary literature and film. TEXTS: Abbott, Flatland;
Aldiss, Dracula Unbound; Amis, Time's Arrow; Anon., "Lludd
and Llefelys" from the Mabinogion; Aristophanes, The Birds;
Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Kafka, "A Common
Confusion"; Landow, "And the World Became Strange: Realms of Literary
Fantasy," Laszlóffy, The Heretic; Morse, "Uses of the
Fantastic in Modern Irish Literature"; O'Brien, The Third Policeman;
Rabe, The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel; Saint-Exupéry, The Little
Prince; Shelley, Frankenstein; Shepard, Buried Child; Simmons,
Children of the Night; Stoker, Dracula; Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle.
FILMS: Anna's Film and Dracula (Coppola).—Morse.
Michigan. Saginaw Valley State University, University Center
History 305. Utopian Communities in
Nineteenth-Century America. This course examined the European genesis and
implementation in the United States of two major community movements, the
Fourierists and the Icarians, which were derived from utopian writings. It also
included the intersection of Robert Owen, the Owenites, and the evolution of
end-of-century membership into Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward clubs.
The course began with an investigation of the cultural settings that advanced
these systems during this era. It reviewed the leaders' backgrounds, the
underlying rationale for promoting these social alternatives, the publications
and means used to circulate communitarian ideology, and the membership. An Audio
Visual on "Utopia" helped to introduce the topic. Early lectures
presented a survey of American Communities utilizing time line charts. The two
required texts were Carl J. Guarneri, The Utopian Alternative: Fourierism in
Nineteenth-Century America, and Robert P. Sutton, Les Icariens: The
Utopian Dream in Europe and America.—Diana M. Garno, PhD History candidate
at Wayne State University, Detroit MI 48202. Adjunct faculty, Saginaw Valley
State University, University Center, MI 48710. diadonphil@AOL.
Michigan. St. Mary's College, Orchard Lake
ENG 324. Special Topics: Science Fiction. This course
is designed to give students an overview of major themes in science fiction and
of the genre's historical development in the 20th century with emphasis
particularly on US science fiction. The course is meant as an introduction to
the genre, encouraging students through a project /presentation toward the end
of the semester to pursue other manifestations of science fiction outside of
literature, such as film and television, advertising, computer and video games,
music, counterculture, etc. TEXTS: Shakespeare, The Tempest, Lang,
Metropolis, Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Island of Dr.
Moreau, Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, Lem, Solaris, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Hoban, Riddley Walker, Heinlein, Starship
Troopers, Haldeman, The Forever War, Dick, The Man in the High
Castle, Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades, Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.
—Steffen Hantke, 2344 Ellsworth, Apt. 102, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.
Michigan. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
English 313 sec. 001 Literary Studies: Science Fiction.
An elective course for upperclasspersons. There are no prerequisites. We will
examine both the history and the diversity of science fiction prose by reading
some of the best examples written since the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Generally, we will approach each primary text in three ways: through a
consideration of its backgrounds (scientific, mythic, and so forth), through
specific questions the text raises (moral questions, questions of plausibility,
and so forth), and through the traditional discipline of criticism (what is
science fiction? what is the relationship of character to theme? and so forth). TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein; Poe, The Portable Poe; Hawthorne, Selected
Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne; Wells, The Time Machine & The
War of the Worlds; Zamiatin, We; „ apek,
War with the Newts; Stapledon, Star Maker; Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles; Clarke, Childhood's End; Miller, A Canticle
for Leibowitz; Dick, Ubik; Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness; Lem, The Futurological Congress; Gibson, Neuromancer.—Eric
Rabkin, English Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045.
Michigan. University of Michigan, Flint
ENG 228. Women and Literature. Study of writing by
women in order to explore the concerns of women writers, recurrent themes in
their works, and feminist approaches to literature. TEXTS: Piercy, Woman
on the Edge of Time, Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Le Guin, "Sur".—Lois
M. Rosen, Dept. of English, Univ. of Michigan, Flint, MI 48502-2186.
Minnesota. Hamline University, St. Paul
English 398. Writing with Technology. This class is
computer-intensive, training students to publish on the World Wide Web and to
build text-based virtual reality spaces. Gibson's texts will serve as models for
their project, which concerns the creation of a 3D information space which
stores information based on some metaphorical/allegorical principles. The course
looks ahead to a time when information will be stored in virtual space, as
Gibson's novels foresee. TEXTS: Gibson, Burning Chrome, Neuromancer.—Richard
Smyth, "rsmyth@piper.hamline.edu", English Dept., Hamline Univ., St.
Paul, MN 55104.
Minnesota. Southwest State University, Marshall
English 100. Literature and Humanity. A course in
science fiction with environmental theses. It was developed in conjunction with
a series of courses on Humanity and the Environment, which included courses in
ecology, biodiversity, and the economics of the environment, science fiction on
environmental issues, and a group tour to Florida for nine days to study
ecosystems there. TEXTS: Huxley, Brave New World, Herbert, Dune,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Dick, Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep?, Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Piercy, Woman on the
Edge of Time.—Susan McLean, English Dept., Southwest State Univ., 1501
State St., Marshall, MN 56258.
Lit 1208-308. Author: Short Course: Le Guin. This
five-week course will study science fiction, fantasy, and essays by Ursula K. Le
Guin. TEXTS: The Left Hand of Darkness, A Wizard of Earthsea,
Tehanu, and assorted essays from The Language of the Night and Dancing
at the Edge of the World.—McLean.
Missouri. Cottey College, Nevada
English 201. English Literature 1 (Survey). I plan to
teach More's Utopia as a male-gendered Renaissance utopia, as compared to
Margaret Cavendish's The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing World
(1666) as a female-gendered utopia.—Michael J. Emery, English Department,
Cottey College, Nevada, MO 64772.
English 202. English Literature 2 (Survey). I teach
Wells's The Time Machine as an example of the loss of faith in Victorian
values.—Emery.
English 106. Women and Literature. I teach Le Guin's The
Left Hand of Darkness as an example of gender fantasy, along with Woolf's Orlando.—Emery.
Missouri. DeVry Institute of Technology, Kansas City
Humn 420. Contemporary Literature. Upper-division
humanities course; covers mostly 20th century, mostly American literature, all
genres. TEXTS: Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Le Guin, "The Ones Who
Walk Away from Omelas"—James K. Norman, 11224 Holmes Rd., DeVry Inst. of
Tech., Kansas City, MO 64131.
Missouri. Stephens College, Columbia
Eng 255L. Literary Studies: Science Fiction. Offered on a
rotating basis; the topic for 255L was at least once utopias. I have taught the
sf course at least 12 times since 1976. My course attempts to do two things: to
offer some sense of the history of the genre (I always begin with Frankenstein
and The Time Machine) and to feature as many of the women writers as
possible, if only because we are a women's college. I have also given a lot of
attention to the situation of sf in popular culture, with videos and other
media. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Time Machine,
Dick, Ubik, Russ, The Female Man, Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness, Charnas, Walk to the End of the World, Lem, Solaris,
Warrick, ed. The SFRA Anthology. VIDEOS: Frankenstein, Blade
Runner, and clips from other films.—Tom Dillingham, English Department,
Stephens College, Columbia, MO 65215.
Missouri. Truman State University, Kirksville
English 206. Science Fiction. Rotates with Science
Fiction, Fantasy, and Mystery. Instructor and syllabus vary. The following
is from the last time I taught the course. Theme: Creating tomorrow; this course
will focus on sf as extrapolative fiction; the ideas that become familiar to us
through reading are less apt to surprise or shock us if they become part of our
cultural reality; and we take for granted both the technologies and any problems
they create. Course Objectives: to read both for enjoyment and for analysis of
ideas and their presentation; to connect literary style and subject with current
sociocultural concerns; to become more familiar with the scientific ideas that
have created our technological society. TEXTS: Benford, Timescape,
Brin, The Postman, Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar, Bujold, Falling
Free, Card, Ender's Game, Le Guin, The Dispossessed, The Lathe of
Heaven, Lem, Solaris, Pohl, Gateway, Bova, ed, The Best of
the Nebulas, Silverberg, ed, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol I. —Martha
Bartter, Division of Language and Literature, Truman State University,
Kirksville, MO 63501.
Missouri. University of Missouri, Columbia
English 189. Modern Literature in the Age of Science.
An investigation of the way scientific and technological advances have affected
both the content and the form of modern literature. TEXTS: Poe, The
Fall of the House of Usher, Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Wells, The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, Huxley, Brave New World,
DeLillo, White Noise, Gibson, Neuromancer, Pynchon, The Crying
of Lot 49, Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven, Vonnegut, Galapagos,
M. Joyce, Afternoon: A Story (hypertext), J. Joyce, Finnegans Wake.—Timothy
Materer, English Dept., 107 Tate, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65203.
Missouri. University of Missouri, Rolla
English 225. Science Fiction. This course focuses on
science fiction since 1959 but provides students with a historical background
via three early novels and several short stories. The short stories are read at
the beginning in order to review the principles of reading and writing about
literature; the ten novels are divided into pairs that both illustrate some of
Gary K. Wolfe's icons of science fiction and reflect different historical
periods. TEXTS: Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA
Anthology, Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The War of the Worlds,
Zamiatin, We, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Lem, Solaris,
Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, McCaffrey, The Ship Who Sang,
Le Guin, The Dispossessed, Gibson, Neuromancer, Slonczewski, A
Door into Ocean.—Elizabeth Cummins, Department of English, Univ. of
Missouri, Rolla, MO 65573, (314) 341-4622, "cummins@umr.edu".
English 226. Utopian Literature. This course currently
concentrates on British fiction of the 19th and 20th centuries, although both
More's Utopia and Swift's Gulliver's Travels are examined for
relevant background issues. Plato, Campanella, Bacon, Voltaire, and Johnson are
introduced through lecture overviews. The speculative nature of utopian/dystopian
alternatives is the main focus of the course. TEXTS: including More and
Swift: Wells, A Modern Utopia; Orwell, 1984; Huxley, Brave New
World and Brave New World Revisited; Butler, Erewhon; Morris, News
from Nowhere; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Golding, The Lord of
the Flies; James, The Children of Men.—James N. Wise, Department of
English, University of Missouri, Rolla, MO 65401-0294.
English 227. Fantasy Literature. In this course, we will
read a variety of fantastic literature, focusing on definitions of fantasy and
methods of creating fantastic worlds. Students will interact both critically and
creatively with the texts studied. TEXTS: Shippey, The Oxford Book
of Fantasy Stories; Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings; Le Guin, A
Wizard of Earthsea; Hoban, The Medusa Frequency.—Gene Doty, Dept.
of English, 1870 Niner Circle, Rolla, MO 65409-0560.
Missouri. Washington University, St. Louis
L14 E Lit 380. Race, Class, and Gender in American Science
Fiction. This course is designed to explore how race, class and gender have
been represented within science fiction as a function of the genre's
presentation of "desirable" social and political futures. We will
raise the following issues: the effect of an author's political position and
social background on his/her characters and their technocultural surroundings;
the role that dominant racial/ethnic stereotypes play in the construction of
futuristic social orders; the challenges that racial "others" have
posed as producers of science fiction; the connection between literary style and
politicial thought in popular literature; and the place of science and
technology in the valorization of popular images of race, gender, and class. TEXTS:
Heinlein, Farnham's Freehold; Delany, Stars in My Pockets Like Grains
of Sand; Clark, Imperial Earth; Wu, Hong on the Range; Bear, Queen
of Angels; Pournelle and Stirling, Go Tell the Spartans; Barnes, Gorgon
Child; McIntyre, Starfarers.—DeWitt Kilgore, English Dept.,
Washington Univ., Campus Box 1122, One Brooklyn Dr., St. Louis, MO 63130.
Mississippi. Delta State University, Cleveland
English 492. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Course
goals: 1. to have fun reading and discussing the ideas and themes in science
fiction and fantasy, 2. to broaden our knowledge of what's in sf and fantasy, 3.
to deepen our appreciation of what's in sf and fantasy, 4. to practice critical
reading and critical thinking (what are the patterns, the "hidden
agendas," and the assumptions in this kind of fiction?). TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, War of the Worlds; Lewis, Perelandra;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Card, Ender's Game; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Tolkien, The Hobbit; Smith, Children of the Lens; Heinlein, Stranger
in a Strange Land; Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five; Bear, Blood
Music; Lessing, Shikasta. FILMS: Close Encounters, Starman,
Blade Runner, Brazil.—Carolyn J. Elkins, 218A Kethley, Div. of Langs.
& Lit., Delta State Univ., Cleveland, MS 38733.
Montana. Montana State University, Billings
English 380. Science Fiction. This course examines the
major themes of science fiction and traces its historical development as one of
the most popular genres of modern speculative fiction. Significant sf short
stories, novels, and films will be studied. TEXTS: Benford, Timescape;
Niven, Ringworld; Butler, Parable of the Sower; Lethem, Gun,
With Occasional Music; Kessel, Good News from Outer Space; Simmons, Hyperion;
Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?; Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology. FILMS:
Metropolis, Things to Come.—Gary Acton, Dept. of English &
Philosophy, Montana State Univ., 1500 N. 30th St., Billings, MT 59101.
Nebraska. College of Saint Mary, Omaha
ENG 263. Science Fiction. This 3-credit course is
designed to familiarize the student with the specialized genre of literature
known as science fiction. Although sf is only one area of fiction, the study of
sf can be used to understand and appreciate all areas of literature. Through the
study of this genre, the student should not only gain a better understanding of
literature but be given the impetus to examine and strengthen her understanding
of self, life, and God. TEXTS: Asimov, I, Robot, Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Herbert, Dune,
Huxley, Brave New World, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness,
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space
Merchants, Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1,
Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds.—Polly Nimmer, College
of Saint Mary, 1901 South 72nd St., Omaha, NE 68124-2377.
Nebraska. Dana College, Blair
88135-I. Religion and Science Fiction. In this course,
we will use works of science fiction as a medium for consideration of religious
themes. Science Fiction often deals with religious ideas in imaginative and
unusual ways, either explicitly or implicitly suggesting views of good and evil,
creation and sin, God and the supernatural, the afterlife, and the goals of
human history. As sf authors speculate about other times and worlds, they are
also asking questions about the values of our time and world. As feminist
theologian Sallie McFague puts it, "One of the most powerful ways to
question a tradition is to imagine new worlds that challenge it. Speculative
fiction, with more tenuous ties to everyday life than realistic fiction, creates
a world in sharp contrast to our conventional one and, hence, simply by
juxtaposition questions and criticizes it." By questioning basic
assumptions about reality, science fiction encourages thought about our views of
ultimate meaning, salvation, the divine, and other religious topics. Through the
study of religious themes in science fiction, students can be led to reflect on
religion in a new way which encourages consideration of their own beliefs and
values. TEXTS: L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, Lewis, Out of the
Silent Planet, Shelley, Frankenstein, Clarke, Childhood's End,
Huxley, Brave New World. FILMS: E.T., Terminator 2, Invasion of
the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Return of the Jedi.—John
Lyden, Dept. of Religion, Dana College, Blair, NE 68008.
Nebraska. Peru State College, Peru
English 275. Film Criticism. A course recently keyed
to the PBS series American Cinema/American Culture; students study some
sf films in the context of American (and world) culture, history, literature,
and politics. FILMS: The Handmaid's Tale, 2001: A Space Odyssey,
Solaris, 1984, Stalker, On the Beach, Alphaville, La Jetée, Invasion of
the Body Snatchers, The Man Who Fell to Earth.—Bill Clemente, Dept. of
English, Peru State College, Peru, NE 68421, "clemente@pscosf.peru.edu".
HP 101. Twentieth Century Issues (Honors). Taught by a
colleague. Through literature such as fiction, drama, poetry, biography, this
course will focus on selcted issues such as education, the environment, racism,
behaviorism, nuclear war, political leadership and the psychology of leadership,
mass political movements, and the use of propaganda. FILMS: 1984, On
the Beach, Threads. TEXTS: Shute, On the Beach; Huxley, Brave
New World; Frank, Alas, Babylon.—Clemente.
English 202. Appreciation of Literature. Introductory
literature course designed to increase the student's appreciation of literature
with an emphasis on modern literary forms. TEXTS: I used various short
stories from a number of authors, from "Nightfall" to "The Girl
who was Plugged In."—Clemente.
English 201. Advanced Composition. Training in writing
a variety of types of papers with emphasis on writing across the curriculum.
Areas of focus include Genetic Engineering, Genetic Roles, and Obedience and
Authority. TEXTS: selections from Z, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, Brave
New World, and a variety of short stories. FILMS: The Murderer,
The Stepford Wives, The Handmaid's Tale, 1984.—Clemente.
Nevada. University of Nevada, Reno
English 223 or Sociology 497 or Library Science 490. Science
Fiction and Information Control. The future is all that we can change. This
course will examine the role that libraries (information resources) have played
in science fiction and the importance of the transmission of knowledge, whether
it be conveyed orally (Fahrenheit 451), statically stored (The
Foundation Trilogy), or mechanically/electrically disseminated (Clarke's 2001).
The storage, retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge has been a constant
concern of sf writers and one that has seldom been appreciated or understood.
And, with the ever-increasing application of computer technology and robotics to
information systems, the likelihood of knowledge-control by a single person (Asimov's
Foundation Trilogy), by a government (Orwell's 1984), or by a
machine (Clarke's 2001) becomes ever more possible. By means of science
fiction one can imagine and examine alternatives to the present course of
events. Technological change has a way of creating sociological change. OTHER
TEXTS: SFRA Anthology, Visions of the Future; Bradbury, Fahrenheit
451; Huxley, Brave New World; and various other germane novels and
stories.—Milton T. Wolf, Director of Collection Department, University of
Nevada Library, Reno, NV 89557-4577.
Nevada. Western Nevada Community College, Carson City
English 223 CO1. Utopia & Dystopia in Fiction and Film.
[Apparently a nonce course; the following is verbatim from a handbill sent us by
Mr Wallman.] Is this the best of all possible worlds? What could be better? How
could it be worse? Explore the possibilities with Ray Bradbury, Stephen King,
Ursula Le Guin, and through works of fiction and film like Handmaid's Tale,
Clockwork Orange, Fahrenheit 451, and The Running Man. Jeffrey
Wallman, M.A., is an instructor in the English Department at UNR. He has more
than two hundred novels to his twenty-two pseudonyms in all genres—mystery,
science fiction, western and historical romance. He also has sales of more than
one hundred short stories, novelettes, and articles with work represented in
numerous anthologies in six languages, as well as television adaption, movie and
television scripts.—Jeff Wallman, 2324 Loki Court, Reno NV 89512.
New Brunswick. University of New Brunswick, St. John
English 3130. Science Fiction. A study of the history of
the genre with a concentration on the various subject areas of speculative
fiction: utopian/dystopian, robots, mad scientists, BEM'S, fantastic worlds, and
travels in space and time. TEXTS: Dunstand and Gorlan, Worlds in the
Making; Freedman, 2000 Years of Space Travel; Aldiss, Billion Year
Spree; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, Island of Dr Moreau;
Zamiatin, We; Huxley, Brave New World, Island; Orwell, 1984;
Le Guin, Left Hand of Darkness; Brunner, Shockwave Rider; Ballard,
Drowned World; Lem, Cyberiad; Do Andoids Dream of Electric
Sheep?.—William Prouty, Dept. of Humanities and Languages, Univ. of New
Brunswick, Box 5050, Saint John, N.B. CANADA E2L 4L5.
English 3143. Utopian Fiction. A study of major
literary utopias from Plato's Republic to contemporary dystopian fiction. TEXTS:
Utopian Literature, A Selection, ed J.W. Johnson; More, Utopia; Shakespeare,
The Tempest; Marvell, "The Garden"; Milton, Paradise Lost Books
IV & XI; William Morris, News from Nowhere; Zamiatin, We;
Thoreau, Walden, B.F. Skinner, Walden Two; Huxley, Island.—Prouty.
English 3154. Themes in Contemporary Science Fiction. Examines
contemporary speculative fiction with regard to scientific theory, technological
and social change, political alternatives, and human destiny. TEXTS:
Dunstan and Garlan, Worlds in the Making; Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451;
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Wyndham, The Chrysalids;
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Le Guin, Left Hand of
Darkness; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Ballard, The Drowned
World; Brunner, The Shockwave Rider; Clarke, Childhood's End;
Bradley, a Tower novel.—Prouty.
New Hampshire. Plymouth State College, Plymouth
English 171. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Science
fiction and fantasy are two related literary forms, or genres, which have
achieved wide popularity in the 20th century. In this course, we will study the
history of two genres, read a selection of major works, both short stories and
novels, and examine the influence of sf and fantasy on modern culture, including
cinema, the graphic arts, and political discourse. TEXTS: Shippey, ed. The
Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories, Shippey, ed. The Oxford Book of
Fantasy Stories, Stewart, Earth Abides, Heinlein, Red Planet.—Arthur
M. Fried, English Dept., Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH 03264-1600.
New Jersey. Rowan College of New Jersey, Glassboro
Honors Humanities Seminar. The appeal of science
fiction is undeniable, and its forms innumerable, for sf writers place
themselves at the intersection of what is real and what is possible, exploring
scientific, utopian, and galactic frontiers. The course begins by looking
briefly at the history of sf and particularly at sf's American heritage.
Stopping points along the way might include the pseudo-scientific fantasy of
Hawthorne and Poe. We might consider the social criticisms implicit in Twain's Connecticut
Yankee and Gilman's Herland (a wonderfully ironic single-sex utopia).
The instructor will provide the necessary background on selected
"classics" of science fiction so that students can see the development
of the genre across time and traditions: we will touch upon More's Utopia,
Butler's Erewhon, Bellamy's Looking Backward, Orwell's 1984,
and Huxley's Brave New World. The focus of the course, however, will be
on students' experience of 20th-century writers (mostly, but not exclusively
American) including Heinlein, Bradbury, Pohl, Le Guin, Russ, Atwood, Lem, Blish,
Ellison, Pynchon, and Piercy. TEXTS: Gilman, Herland, Abbott, Flatland,
Haldeman, The Forever War, Butler, Kindred, and assorted stories
by Dick, Vonnegut, and Pohl, followed by presentations by students of other
writers of the students' choosing.—Dr. Barbara Patrick, English Dept., Rowan
College of New Jersey, Glassboro, NJ 08028.
New Jersey. Ramapo College, Ramsey
SINT 346. Survey of Science Fiction. From Shelley to
Wells to Le Guin and Dick, the course will examine sf writers' world views and
critiques of human nature and society and their use of such scientific and
pseudoscientific concepts as entropy and social Darwinism. TEXTS: Sargent,
ed. Women of Wonder; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, The Time
Machine; Clarke, The City and the Stars; Asimov, The Naked Sun;
Delany, Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand; Butler, Dawn;
Piercy, He, She, and It; and assorted short stories from Science
Fiction: A Historical Anthology and The Oxford Book of Science Fiction,
etc. FILM: Blade Runner.—Kathleen L. Fowler, 40 W. Oak St.,
Ramsey, NJ 07446.
New Jersey. Rutgers University, Newark
English 350:377. Science Fiction, Technology, and Society.
An interdisciplinary course designed for students with serious interest in the
subject matter. Although no previous knowledge is required, the readings may
challenge your intelligence and imagination in unfamiliar ways and will
certainly demand considerable time and thought. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Franklin, Future Perfect; Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The
SFRA Anthology; Gibson, Burning Chrome; Wells, The Time Machine;
Dick, The Penultimate Truth; Lem, Solaris; Pohl and Kornbluth, The
Space Merchants; Butler, Parable of the Sower.—H. Bruce Franklin,
English Dept., Rutgers Univ., Newark, NJ 07102.
New Jersey. Rutgers University, New Brunswick
English 350:365. Science Fiction. Covers both the
genesis of genre from earlier subgenres and historical changes in genre against
larger political/economic/ideological events like industrialization,
imperialism, immigration, nationalism, modernism, socialism, feminism,
consumerism, and postmodernism. Emphasizes magazine origin of sf; looks at
values implicit in sf conventions (technophobia/technophilia,
libertarianism/communalism, etc.) and relates them to cultural imagination at
large. Attempts to refute typical selection of thoroughly canonized literary
texts and, however poorly, Americanization of sf studies. TEXTS: Wells, The
Time Machine; Lem, Solaris; Robinson, Red Mars; Dick, Ubik;
Ballard, The Atrocity Exhibition; Moore & Gibbons, Watchmen;
short stories and excerpts by Poe, Verne, Gernsback, E.R. Burroughs, „ apek,
A. Merritt, Weinbaum, Leinster, Heinlein, Pohl, Sheckley, Le Guin, Russ, Disch,
Delany, Tiptree, Varley, Bryant, Sterling, Gibson, Butler, selected criticism.—Donald
Fallon, Rutgers Univ., Busch Campus, BPO 23881, PO Box 1119, Piscataway, NJ
08855, (908) 445-5135.
New Jersey. Stevens Institute, Hoboken
HU 316. Science Fiction. A study of the fiction of
science and the science of fiction through the reading of authors from Mary
Shelley to William Gibson. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, The Last Man;
Wells, War of the Worlds; Russ, The Female Man; Lessing, Briefing
for a Descent into Hell; Herbert, Dune; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Piercy, He, She, and It. FILMS:
Metropolis, Dune.—Susan Levin, Humanities, Stevens Institute, Hoboken,
NJ 07030.
New Jersey. William Paterson College, Wayne
ENG 216. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Objectives: to
study representative texts and films of classical and recent science fiction and
fantasy for adults and children, to determine literary techniques that play a
major role in the sf/fantasy genre, to understand ways sci fi/fantasy express
human needs and concerns about the nature of the individual, the society, and
the impact of technological development. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Shippey, ed. Fantasy Stories; Le Guin
and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Tolkien, The Hobbit. FILMS: The Day the Earth Stood Still; The
Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.—Marjorie Ginsberg, English Dept.,
William Paterson College, 300 Pompton Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470, "bginsber@ix.netcom.com".
New Mexico. Eastern New Mexico University, Portales
English 375/593. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Offered
every other spring. Course objectives include understanding of the history of
sf/fantasy and its major themes and exploration of how to determine literary
excellence in the genre. Graduate students are expected to prepare two long
research papers using ENMU's Golden Library Science Fiction Collection of early
pulp and contemporary fiction and criticism. Undergraduates and graduates
prepare weekly reaction papers addressing course readings. Undergraduates write
two 5-7 page critical essays on a theme of sf. Each year, ENMU hosts the
Williamson Lectureships. In 1994 the guests were Frederik Pohl, Roger Zelazny,
and Connie Willis, as well as Dr. Williamson. TEXTS: Homer, The
Odyssey; Le Guin, Left Hand of Darkness; Pohl, Gateway;
Warrick et al., The SFRA Anthology; Willis, Doomsday Book; Zelazny,
Nine Princes in Amber; the Winter 1993 issue of Amazing Stories.—Jack
Williamson and Patrice Caldwell, English Department, Eastern New Mexico
University, Portales, NM 88130.
New York. Binghamton University, Binghamton
English 200A. Science Fiction. Science fiction
accurately reflects longings, fears, projections, stereotypes, and other such
concerns. Sf philosophizes on what it is to be human (though sometimes clothed
in strange flesh). In short, sf, a vigorous subgenre, is literature, and can be
read and analyzed profitably. This course will investigate sf, broadly defined,
as it has appeared from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein till near the
present. The approach will be eclectic, with the intent of investigating, among
others, such topics as the history of sf, its styles and categories, its female
and male components. There are, of course, more. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Stoker, Dracula; Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds;
Gilman, Herland; Burroughs, A Princess of Mars; Orwell, 1984;
Huxley, Brave New World; Clarke, Childhood's End; Asimov, The
Caves of Steel; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Dick, Blade
Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), The Man in the High Castle;
Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Warrick et al, eds. Science Fiction: The
SFRA Anthology; Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Delany, Stars in my
Pocket like Grains of Sand; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed; Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five;
Hoban, Riddley Walker; Ballard, Best Short Stories; Piercy, Woman
on the Edge of Time; Tepper, Grass.—Allan L. Eller, Office of the
Provost, Binghamton Univ., PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, (607)
777-2141, fax (607) 777-4831.
HIST 230. History of the Future. Analysis of recent
research by social and natural scientists on the shape of things to come,
fortified by scenarios drawn from sf and sf films. TEXTS: Callenbach, Ecotopia;
Carlson and Goldman, Fast Forward; Huxley, Brave New World;
Kennedy, Preparing for the 21st Century; Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz; Wagar, A Short History of the Future. FILMS:
Metropolis, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, Medicine Man,
Blade Runner, The Day After, The Handmaid's Tale, A Clockwork Orange,
Fahrenheit 451.—W. Warren Wagar, Department of History, Binghamton
University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000.
HIST 231. War: Past and Future. An overview of the
history and causes of warfare, followed by an exploration of the kinds of wars
most likely to occur in the next century and the prospects for world peace. TEXTS:
Frank, Alas, Babylon; Haldeman, The Forever War; McNeill, A
World History; Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four; Remarque, All Quiet
on the Western Front; Toffler and Toffler, War and Anti-War; Vadney, The
World Since 1945. FILMS: Control, Henry V, The Last of the
Mohicans, Glory, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Dr. Strangelove, Platoon, Crimson
Tide, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Red Dawn.—Wagar.
HIST 330. Modern European Thought. The history of the
European mind since the Renaissance, with special attention to its visions of
the best and worst society. TEXTS: Bacon, New Atlantis;
Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company; Burdekin, The End of This Day's
Business; Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific; Huxley, Brave
New World; More, Utopia; Morris, News From Nowhere; Stromberg,
European Intellectual History Since 1789; Voltaire, Candide and Zadig;
Wells, A Modern Utopia; Zamyatin, We.—Wagar.
New York. City University of New York, New York
English ??. Alternative Worlds and the Technological Horizon:
Information/Noise, Order/Chaos. The opening weeks of the seminar will
consider such emergent phenomena as systems theory, virtual reality, chaos
theory, and hypertext through the reading of theoretical works by Deleuze and
Guattari (A Thousand Plateaus), Lyotard (The Postmodern Condition),
Baudrillard (Selected Works), Penley and Ross (Technoculture),
Hayles (Chaos Bound), Bukatman (Terminal Identity), Landon (Hypertext),
Haraway (Simians, Cyborgs, and Women), Dery (Flame Wars: The Discourse
of Cyberculture), and Ronell (The Telephone Book). We will then move
on to such fictional and science-fictional works as Wells' The Time Machine,
Burroughs' Soft Machine, DeLillo's White Noise or Mao II,
Pynchon's Vineland and "Entropy," Gibson's Neuromancer,
Stephenson's Snow Crash, McElroy's Men and Women, Sterling's Schismatrix,
Seidel's My Tokyo, Marshall's Roadshow, and Butler's Dawn.
It would also be useful for participants to have a nodding acquaintance with
such films as Blade Runner, the Alien trilogy, the two Terminator
movies, Videodrome, Robocop, Natural Born Killers, Until the
End of the World, and Paris, Texas.—Gerhard Joseph, Ph.D. Program
in English, The Graduate School, CUNY, 33 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036-8099.
212-642-2206.
New York. Dowling College, Oakdale
Senior Seminar 111C. Brave New Worlds. This course is
intended to stimulate thinking about ways to restructure and improve the social
order. We will investigate the history of utopian thought/literature through the
reading of selected utopian works, through the analysis of doomsday forecasts of
frightening future worlds, and through the study of actual historical attempts
to create alternative societies. Readings will be from Plato's Republic,
More's Utopia, Bellamy's Looking Backward, Morris' News from
Nowhere, and a twentieth century-utopia such as Huxley's Brave New World.
Using the above material, this course will ask students to apply to the
contemporary world the lessons learned from mankind's attempts to create a state
free from social, political, and economic injustice.—Andrew Karp, Humanities
Department, Dowling College, Oakdale, NY 11769.
New York. Hofstra University, Hempstead
HLG 19 (New College)/Eng 191 (Main Campus). Science
Fiction. This course surveys the history of science fiction with special
emphasis on the post-1938 period. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, I; Le Guin, Left Hand of Darkness; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Heinlein, Puppet Masters; Asimov, I, Robot; Wells, Time
Machine and War of the Worlds; „ apek,
R.U.R.; Rabkin & Scholes, eds. Science Fiction: An Historical
Approach.—Barbara Bengals, English Department, Hofstra University,
Hempstead, NY 11550.
New York. Long Island University, Long Island
English 47. Science Fiction. An exploration of science
fiction as a genre of the popular novel. Works are treated in the context of
stylistic development (and/or degeneration) of the genre. TEXTS:
"Works change every semester, but include classics: Wells, Asimov, Clarke,
Herbert, Le Guin, Delany, Aldiss, Ellison, Gibson, etc. Some semesters it is
structured by theme, others historically. Short stories are used to fill out a
range of authors, but the focus is on the classic novels."—Joan Digby,
311 Humanities Hall, C.W. Post Campus, Long Island Univ., Brookville, LI, NY
11548.
New York. Manhattan College, Bronx
English 287. Fantasy and Science Fiction. An
introduction to speculative literature: fantasy, gothic, and science fiction;
their relation to each other; the relation of the fantastic to fiction. TEXTS:
Authors covered: MacDonald, Stockton, Dunsany, Morris, Eddison, Tolkien, Vance,
Sturgeon, Beagle, Lovecraft, Bradbury, Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert, Keyes,
Ellison, Delany, Le Guin, Russ, Wolfe, Varley, Dick, Benford, Bryant, Gibson,
Cadigan, Card, Murphy, Kelly, Bear.—Deogre F. Freije, English Dept., Manhattan
College, Bronx, NY 10471.
New York. Marist College, Poughkeepsie
Eng 205. Modern Speculative Fiction. Readings in a
wide range of 20th century science fiction and fantasy writers. The course
investigates the rise and development of modern speculative fiction, with
concern for the social, cultural, and historical forces that influence
conventions, subjects, themes. It has been some years since the course was
taught; I am resurrecting it but have not decided which texts I will use.—Richard
Grinnell, Dept. of English, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.
New York. Marymount College, Tarrytown
COMP 216. Science Fiction and the Horror Tale. To
examine critically works of science fiction and the horror tale that explore
worlds of our inner doubts, wishes, and fears, that speak to our whole culture
or to whole aspects of the human condition. TEXTS: Rabkin, ed. Science
Fiction: An Historical Anthology, Jones and Campbell, eds. The Best New
Horror.—Emilie Taha, Dept. of English, Marymount College, 100 Marymount
Ave., Tarrytown, NY 10591.
New York. Monroe Community College, Rochester
English 223. Science Fiction. Reading, discussion, and
written analysis of speculative fiction—novels and stories about humans
experiencing the changes resulting from science and technology. Representative
authors from Shelley to Wells, through Clarke and Heinlein, to Le Guin and
Delany. TEXTS: Pohl, Gateway; Scarborough, The Healer's War;
Shelley, Frankenstein; Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country;
Warrick et al., eds., Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology; Wells, The
Time Machine, The War of the Worlds. FILM: Frankenstein.—Carolyn
Wendell, English Dept., Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY 14623, (716)
292-3388.
New York. Nassau Community College, Garden City
Eng 233. Studies in Science Fiction. An examination of
the genre from its beginnings to the present. Thematic considerations may
included man as cosmic puppet, man as minor god, man as nature's destroyer.
Selections from representative authors such as Wells, Verne, Orwell, Huxley,
Vonnegut, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein, Asimov, and Le Guin. Preceding is
catalogue description; I tend to use contemporary novels and short stories as
well as works from the '40s and '50s, regularly the first three of the following
list, sometimes one or more of the others. TEXTS: Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol 1; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants;
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Herbert, Dune; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Shelley, Frankenstein; Vonnegut, Sirens of Titan.—Helen
F. Collins, English Dept., Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY 11530-6793.
New York. Nazareth College of Rochester, Rochester
English 234W01 Special Topics: Science Fiction. This
course looks at a specific literary genre, science fiction, to explore the
relationships between literature and technology. We will explore two major sets
of concerns: 1. issues relating to the relationship between literature and
technology, 2. the place of sf within the larger discipline of literary studies.
This first concern will lead us to ask questions about the role technology plays
in the texts we read, listen to, and see. The second will lead us to ask
questions about how these roles affect literary concerns such as
characterization, plot, setting, and so on. TEXTS: Asimov, Caves of
Steel; Cadigan, Mindplayers; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?; Huxley, Brave New World; Gilman, Herland; Russ, And
Chaos Died; Shelley, Frankenstein; Tepper, The Gate to Women's
Country; Tiptree, "The Girl Who Was Plugged In"; Wells, War of
the Worlds (recording). FILM: Blade Runner.—Nancy C. DeJoy,
4245 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14618-3790.
New York. Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester
GED 300m. Humanities: A Wholistic Approach. This
course is a required part of our degree completion program in Organizational
Management, a time-shortened program for full-time working adults that
culminates in a B.S. degree. When I teach this course, I place an emphasis on
contemporary literature from many different genres. When I teach this course in
96 spring, I'll be also including an Asimov short story. It will be one of the
robot stories, but I haven't decided which one yet. TEXTS: Cadigan,
"Rock On" (from Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology).—Elizabeth
Newhall, 2301 Westside Dr., Rochester, NY 14624.
New York. University of Rochester, Rochester
English 334. Alien Sex: Gender and Difference in Old and
New Fantasy. An upper level course which borrows its title from Ellen
Datlow's famous anthology of short stories (Alien Sex: Nineteen Tales by the
Masters of Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy) and it explores human
preoccupation with making sexuality "other"—from the ancients on up.
Whether they be divine or demonic, angelic, bestial, mechanical, or
extra_terrestrial, the panoply of fantastic lovers throughout the ages reveals
long_standing obsessions about desire and identification. When sex seems to
offer the same old same_old, how do our myths and fictions make it new?
Constance Penley has argued that sf encounters with aliens and androids reflect
a growing twentieth_century concern that sexual difference is collapsing under
the weight of sexual equality; mating with vampires, aliens and androids
reintroduces that difference. The course is concerned as well with the obvious
issues of race, class, normalcy and monstrosity, and it looks at fictions about
homosexuality as well. TEXTS include selections from Genesis, Midrash
commentaries about Lilith (Adam's first wife), Ovid's Metamorphoses,
Augustine's City of God, selections from the Welsh Mabinogion,
from the Norse Elder Edda (and the transformations of Loki), materials
about the Loathly Lady, the Hammer of Witches, Stoker's Dracula,
Russ's The Female Man, Rice's Interview with the Vampire,
Strieber's Communion, Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness,
Carter's The Passion of New Eve, and a number of critical texts: Claudia
Springer (Electronic Eros), Judith Butler, and others. We also view about
six films. This course will be taught for the second time in the Spring of 1997.—Sarah
L. Higley, English Dept. River Campus, Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627,
"slhi@troi.cc.rochester.edu".
English 334. From Homer to Asimov and Beyond: The Myth of
the Android. A related upper_level undergraduate course that I've taught
three times over the past six years. This course is equally concerned with
allegories of race, class, gender, normalcy, and monstrosity in its exploration
not only of what it means to be human, but what it also means to exclude from
the category of human: in this respect it is almost the polar opposite of
"Alien Sex" in its examination of the machine that is vehemently
excluded from the ranks of humanity, at the same time that humanity over the
ages is grappling with its troubled physical and emotional relationship to its
technology. A very useful book for this course is Bruce Mazlish's The Fourth
Discontinuity, which seeks to show how in the development of science we have
had to shed our myths that we are NOT separate or "discontinuous" from
the universe (Copernicus), the animals (Darwin), the subconscious (Freud), and
our machinery (everyone else). We go back as far as the Iliad in looking
at moving statues come to life, exploring the myths surrounding Albert the Great
and Roger Bacon, the legend of Talus, Spenser's False Florimel, Rabbi Loew and
the Golem of Prague, Descartes's "automaton," Vaucanson's mechanical
duck, Shelley's Frankenstein, Hoffman's "The Sandman," Villiers'
L'Eve future, Asimov's I, Robot, Roddenberry's Data of the Next
Generation (based on his "Questor" of The Questor Tapes), Lee's
The Silver Metal Lover (also used in "Alien Sex"), Dick's Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Gibson's Neuromancer, and a number
of films.—Higley.
English 557. Robots and Representation. A graduate
course taught Fall 1995. TEXTS: Baudrillard's Simulations,
Penley's "Time Travel and the Critical Dystopia," Haraway's "A
Manifesto for Cyborgs," Telotte's Replications, Ken Gross's The
Myth of the Moving Statue, and so forth. It's one I hope to teach again.—Higley.
English 116. Speculative Writing. Being a fiction
writer as well as a professor, I've also taught the writing of science fiction
and fantasy in a lower level undergraduate course. I offered this one this
semester (for the second time) and hope to be able to offer it again.—Higley.
New York. Siena College, Londonville
EN39. Arthurian Literature. An investigation of
Arthurian literature, reading examples from all eras: Mabinogion,
Chrétien de Troyes, Malory, Tennyson, etc. to 20th century sf and fantasy
versions. We compare each era's politics and attitudes within the material. TEXTS:
Cherryh, Port Eternity, Bradley, The Mists of Avalon, Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz.—Pamela Clements, English Dept., Siena College, 515
Loudon Rd., Londonville, NY 12211-1462.
New York. Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs
LSIII/01. Aesthetics of Science Fiction. This course
explores the ramifications of Darko Suvin's dictum: "Once the elastic
criteria of literary structuring have been met, a cognitive—in most cases,
strictly scientific—element becomes a measure of aesthetic quality, of the
specific pleasure to be sought in sf." Readings chosen are designed to
reflect an aesthetic based on the political, psychological, and anthropological
use and effect of knowledge. The films chosen invite discussion on a mass-market
product's ability to convey, via sub texts and sub agendas, serious
socio-political criticism. TEXTS: Clarke, Childhood's End, Dick, Blade
Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Gibson, Neuromancer,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Lem, Solaris, Wells, The
Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, Zamyatin, We. FILMS: The
Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Forbidden Planet.—Alan
S. Wheelock, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
New York. St. John's University, Metropolitan College, NY
Magical Realism; What Is It? The term "magical
realism" is most often associated with contemporary Latin American
literature. Actually, it can be argued that it originated in connection with
art. As a genre, however, it has flourished in the literature of Latin America.
This course will, first of all, attempt to define magical realism. Then, after a
brief treatment of the origins of the term, the remainder of the course will be
devoted to the study of several literary works. The authors involved will be
Borges, Cortazar Garcia Marquez, Aquilera Malta, Isabel Allende, Cabrera Infante,
Fuentes, Nervo, Paz, Vargas Llosa, and perhaps one or two others.—Michael F.
Capobianco, Metropolitan College, St. John's University, Staten Island, NY
10301.
New York. SUNY at Albany, Albany
ENG 242. Introduction to Science Fiction. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Time Machine, War of the Worlds;
Herbert, Dune; Gibson, Neuromancer; Robinson, Red Mars;
Benford, Timescape; Willis, The Doomsday Book; Lem, Solaris;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Butler, Dawn; Tepper, Grass;
Brin, Startide Rising.—Jill Hanifan, English Dept., University at
Albany, SUNY, HU 334, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222.
ENG 242L 1032 Science Fiction (summer session). TEXTS:
Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction; Asimov, I,
Robot; Card, Ender's Game; Butler, Dawn; Scott, Trouble and
Her Friends.—Hanifan.
New York. SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton.
Comparative Literature 280A. Popular Culture. The primary
goal of this course is to provide students with the tools and abilities to
analyze contemporary American popular culture, particularly the teen and
pre_teen aspects of that culture. We focus on film, professional sports, science
fiction, fantasy, and cult literature. Because of the subject matter, very few
of the reading assignments will be traditional, but there will be a component to
the class that will act as a basic introduction to contemporary literary theory.
TEXTS: Freud, Civilization and its Discontents; Foucault, History
of Sexuality Vol 1; Adorno, The Stars Came Down To Earth; R.L. Stine,
Say Cheese and Die; Clover, Men, Women and Chain Saws; Baughman, Women
on Ice; Heinlein, Friday. FILMS: Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers the Movie; Forrest Gump; Blade Runner; Star Wars.—S.J. Zani,
Department of Comparative Literature, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY
13960_6000.
New York. SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo
English 201. Advanced Reading and Writing. The second
semester in the required composition sequence, English 201 develops two sets of
skills: those needed for interpretation of literary texts, and those for
presenting written arguments. The sf texts in this section (instructor's choice)
helped achieve both goals; sf stories often highlight a single "element of
fiction" (setting, theme, plot conflicts), while posing and supporting
arguments and conclusions. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of
Fame, Volume 1; Clarke, Childhood's End; Selected on_reserve readings
of stories from Gunn, ed., The Road to Science Fiction #3; Silverberg,
ed., Worlds of Wonder; Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction
1986. FILM: Blade Runner (voice_over version).—Shelley Reid, now
at English Department, Austin College, Sherman, TX 75090, "SREID@austinc.edu".
New York, SUNY Farmingdale, Farmingdale
EGL 240. Themes in Science Fiction. An exploration of how
writers of science fiction have used science and technology to examine moral
questions, social issues, and the boundaries of technology. Reading of selected
authors will focus on the ways creative writers have explored various aspects of
the genre, including scientific experimentation, alternate time/space continuua,
weaponry, psychic phenomena, cyberspace, bionics, alien life, and the future.—Dr.
P.P. Malhotra, Chair, Dept. of English, SUNY Farmingdale, Rte. 110, Farmingdale,
NY 11735.
New York. SUNY, the College at Paltz, New Paltz.
English 41305. Science Fiction. Study of the genre
from Verne and Wells to the present. Selected works from each period of sf. The
pioneers, Verne and Wells; the space operas of the 1920s and 1930s; the
technological interests of the 1940s and 1950s; the sociological interests of
the 1950s and 1960s; the stylistic interests of the New Wave; and later
developments such as cyberpunk. Such authors are treated as Verne, Wells,
Stapledon, Burroughs, Hamilton, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, Blish, Bester, Dick,
Leiber, Delany, Le Guin, Ellison, Aldiss, Ballard, Varley, Tiptree, Tepper,
Wolfe, Gibson. The purpose of the course is to acquire a familiarity with the
history, conventions, and modes of science fiction.—Robert Waugh, English
Dept., CH-105, The College at New Paltz SUNY, 75 South Mannheim Dr., New Paltz,
NY 12561.
New York. SUNY at Plattsburg, Plattsburg
Anthrop 362. This course examines historic and
contemporary utopian communities as anti-capitalist or anti-systemic movements.
We will review 18th, 19th, and 20th century attempts to construct egalitarian
societies, from the Shakers to the Nation of Islam, and attempt to identify
those features of the societies that contributed to either their success or
their failure. We will then try to apply what we learn to the design of a social
movement to alleviate poverty. TEXTS: Erasmus, In Search of the Common
Good; Skinner, Walden Two; Fogarty, The Righteous Remnant: The
House of David; Priestly, Shalam: Utopia on the Rio Grande.—Richard
Robbins, Anthropology Dept, SUNY at Plattsburg, Plattsburg, NY 12901, "robbinrh@splava.cc.plattsburg.edu".
New York. Suffolk Community College, Selden
EG 58. Science Fiction. Objectives of the course: 1.
to understand the history of science fiction literature, its techniques and
conventions, and the main trends and themes explored by science fiction writers,
2. to read science fiction, 3. to analyze and explicate science fiction texts,
4. to recognize, distinguish, and evaluate the essential characteristics of
science fiction through intelligent discussion of plot, theme, characterization,
point of view, style, setting, scientific content, and verisimilitude, 5. to
write essays of literary analysis which demonstrate the following qualities:
controlling purpose, clear focus, adequate development, logical organization,
and use of textual details to support purpose. TEXTS: Crichton, Jurassic
Park, Gibson, Neuromancer, Haldeman, The Forever War, Le Guin,
The Left Hand of Darkness, Lem, Solaris, Warrick et al., eds. Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—Donald Gilzinger, 4 Yale Court, Setauket, NY
11733, (516) 451-4147, "demerit@aol.com".
New York. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie
Pol Sci 276. Utopian Political Thought. Utopias are
frequently regarded as perfect societies and/or as impractical dreams. But they
can also be serious political philosophy: they raise questions, suggest answers,
and propose alternative possibilities or dilemmas about ideals (their value for
political life, how to analyze them, how to put them into practice), specific
institutions (such as the law, the state, and the economy), and the life of the
individual in society (what is freedom and where is it valuable, how do
individuals best develop). At the same time, they should be fun to read. In this
course, we begin by reading typical utopias from 1516 to the present. Then we
will try to write our own utopia, or rather a small portion of a utopia, and use
the exercise to reflect on the promises and problems of utopianizing. After
break, we will analyze the anti-utopia or dystopia: the image of a terrible
world. We shall ask of them what we ask of utopias, and in addition ask how
dystopias suggest readers should respond (and act). Then we will use our
knowledge of utopias (and dystopias) to examine one central aspect of
contemporary American life, the suburb (along with its representative
institutions, the mall and the theme park). TEXTS: Thomas More, Utopia;
Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward; William Morris, News from Nowhere;
and Marge Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time. Yevgeny Zamyatin, We;
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World; and Margaret Atwood, Handmaid's Tale.
Robert Fishman, Bourgeois Utopias and The Disney Project, Inside the
Mouse.—Peter G. Stillman, Political Science Department, Vassar College,
Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601-6198. (914) 437-5566; "stillman@vassar.edu".
North Carolina. Appalachian State University, Boone
English 2515. Post-Modern American Narrative. Cultures
circulate stories important to their maintenance and change; humans circulate
stories out of a basic need. Long prose narratives have been the preeminent form
of story-telling in America, particularly in the post-modern period. The more
recent the narrative, the more difficult it is to be certain of its enduring
value—since value turns on convention and tradition as defined through the
matrix of class, gender, and race. While tradition and convention set the agenda
for interpreting texts, readers also have the freedom (responsibility?) to
interpret a text's important concerns. Interpretation of a text's meanings and
values often stems from an interrogation of the interrelationships between tale,
teller, and artist—and by extension of a culture's influence on all three. TEXTS:
Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, Morrison, Beloved, Erdrich, Tracks,
Shaara, Killer Angels, McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses, Rice, Vampire
Lestat, Card, Speaker for the Dead, Gibson, Neuromancer, Virtual
Light, Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume.—Emory Maiden, English Dept.,
Appalachian State Univ., Boone, NC 28608.
North Carolina. Duke University, Durham
Eng 179 / Lit 153. Utopian Writings. The readings
represent an odd mix—some more dystopian than utopian. The aim is to juxtapose
themes: nature and technology, theory and popular culture, experience and
analysis, science fiction and autobiography, in the hope of generating a variety
of perspectives from which to grasp the utopian. I've chosen readings where the
utopian aspect is more ephemeral than concrete. Among the areas for study are
(1) the particular relationship between nature and utopia, (2) the place for
collectivity in utopia, (3) the function of imagination in utopia, (4) the
critical dimension of utopia (i.e. utopia as negative dialectic), (5) the
possibility for utopia in daily life, (6) the revolutionary or transformational
impulse of utopia. TEXTS: Le Guin's The Word for World Is Forest
and City of Illusions; Merchant's The Death of Nature and
Baudrillard's America; Sahlins' Stone Age Economics and Russ's The
Female Man; Thoreau's Walden and Ballard's The Drowned World;
Shakespeare's The Tempest and Robinson's Pacific Edge; Papnik's Design
for a Real World and Marcuse's Eros and Civilization; Muir's My
First Summer in the Sierra together with essays by Alexander Wilson and
Fredric Jameson; Adorno's Minima Monalia and Benjamin's "The Work of
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"; Gould's Wonderful Life
and Benjamin's Moscow Diaries; Le Guin's The Dispossessed,
Barucello's How to Imagine, and Calvino's Cosmicomics.—Susan
Willis, English Department, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706.
North Carolina. East Carolina University, Greenville
ENGL 3480. Science Fiction. A study of the development
of the genre, including speculative fiction, from the turn of the century. Often
taught with screenings of films based on the novels covered. TEXTS:
Wells, The Time Machine, Keyes, Flowers for Algernon, Niven, Ringworld,
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Crichton, Jurassic Park, Dick, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Gibson, Neuromancer, Herbert, Dune,
and selected short stories.—Donald Lawler and Donald Palumbo, English Dept.,
East Carolina Univ., Greenville, NC 27858.
ENGL 3470. Modern Fantasy. A study of the history and
development of fantasy and fantasy criticism in the twentieth century. Course
goals: to make the student aware of (1) the nature of fantasy as a distinct type
of literature, (2) the various types of fantasy literature, and (3) the critical
methodology for approaching fantasy literature. TEXTS: Le Guin, A
Wizard of Earthsea, Tolkien, The Hobbit, Bradley, The Mists of
Avalon, Helprin, Winter's Tale, Hambly, Dragonsbane, Beagle, The
Last Unicorn, Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Burroughs,
Tarzan, Datlow and Windling, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and
others.—C.W. Sullivan III, English Dept., East Carolina Univ., Greenville, NC
27858-4353.
North Carolina. North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC
MALS 601K (076). Postmodern Science Fiction. Over the
last thirty years, at the same time science fiction has become popular with vast
audiences through films and TV, the literature has divided into a spectrum of
sub-genres, at one end of which new forms of literate sf have emerged. In the
1960s, through the New Wave, science fiction incorporated a new political
sensibility and the methods of modernism; in the 1970s, the work of Le Guin,
Russ, Tiptree and others used sf as a tool of a revivified feminism; and the
1980s have seen the collision of sf with literary movements from metafiction to
magical realism, the growth of Cyberpunk sf, and a generation of writers who
self-consciously revisit the traditional materials of sf with a postmodern
perspective. During the same period, writers not commonly associated with
science fiction, like Vonnegut, Pynchon, and DeLillo, have moved in parallel
directions, reacting to changes in technology, information theory, and social
disruptions of the late 20th century, using the devices and icons of science
fiction. This cultural and literary cross fertilization is the subject of this
course. TEXTS: James, Science Fiction in the 20th Century,
Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Dick, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Wolfe, The
Fifth Head of Cerberus, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Sterling,
Crystal Express, Gibson, Neuromancer, Shepard, "R &
R," De Lillo, White Noise, Robinson, Pacific Edge, Jones, White
Queen, Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction.
FILMS: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, The Brother from Another
Planet, Videodrome, Brazil.—John Kessel, English Dept., 274 Tompkins,
North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC 27695-8105.
Eng 376, 001. Science Fiction. The purpose of this
course is to increase your understanding and enjoyment of science fiction by
tracing its history from its beginnings in the Romantic movement and the
Industrial Revolution to its current status as mass-market genre fiction. We'll
examine how its development has been influenced by economic factors and by
advances in technology, and discuss today's prominent writers and popular forms.
TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein, Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, Wells, The Time Machine, Burroughs, A Princess of Mars,
Asimov, I, Robot, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Brin, The Postman, Willis, Lincoln's Dreams.—Walter E. Meyers,
Dept. of English, 256 Tompkins, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC
27695-8105.
North Carolina. Pembroke State University, Pembroke
CA ??. Introduction to Science Fiction. A brief
introduction to science fiction as contemporary myth. TEXTS: Heinlein, Stranger
in a Strange Land, Clarke, Childhood's End, Asimov, Foundation,
Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—Thomas Leach,
Dept. of Communicative Arts, Pembroke State Univ., Pembroke, NC 28372.
North Carolina. Roanoke Bible College, Elizabeth City
WC 332. Contemporary Literature. TEXTS: Adams, Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy, Le Guin, The Dispossessed, Burgess, A
Clockwork Orange, Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five.—Connie Wineland,
English Dept., Roanoke Bible College, 714 First St., Elizabeth City, NC 27909.
North Dakota. Dickinson State University, Dickinson
English 350. Studies in American Literature: Science
Fiction. This course introduces students to the history and literature of
science fiction by concentrating on American writers. The student reads sf
novels and short stories by American writers. TEXTS: Stewart, Earth
Abides, Sturgeon, More Than Human, Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space
Merchants, Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Heinlein, Stranger in
a Strange Land, Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Gibson, Neuromancer, Slonczewski, A Door
into Ocean, Robinson, Red Mars. —Stephen Robbins, 215 Stickney
Hall, Dickinson State Univ., Dickinson, ND 58601.
North Dakota. Jamestown College, Jamestown
English 291. Science Fiction. An overview of
twentieth-century English and American science fiction which concentrates in the
first part of the course on major authors and longer texts. The second part of
the course deals with shorter works and the major themes of science fiction in
the last third of the twentieth century. TEXTS: Wells, The War of the
Worlds, The Time Machine, Asimov, The Foundation Trilogy, Clarke, Childhood's
End, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Heinlein, Starship Troopers,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The
Norton Book of Science Fiction.—Bill Laskowski, Dept. of English,
Jamestown College, 6046 College Lane, Jamestown, ND 58405.
Eng 370. Images of Woman in Literature. An exploration
of the images of woman in literature and film. TEXTS: Huxley, Brave
New World, Gilman, Herland, Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.—Dorothy
L. Holley, 6016 College La., Jamestown, ND 58405.
North Dakota State University, Fargo
English 333. Fantasy and Science Fiction. Study of the
social and psychological implications of fantasy literature and works of fiction
concerned with the impact of science and technology on the human imagination. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein, Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Wells, The
Time Machine, Zamyatin, We, Huxley, Brave New World, „ apek,
R.U.R. and The Insect Play, Tolkien, The Hobbit, Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz, Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Herbert, Dune.—Robert
O'Connor, English Dept., North Dakota State Univ., Fargo, ND 58105-5075.
Nova Scotia. Acadia University, Wolfville
English 3713. Science Fiction. A study of the genre of
science fiction, from its antecedents to the present, with readings from
selected short stories and novels. Apart from some background lectures, the
class will be conducted in discussion groups to which all students are expected
to contribute. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine; Huxley, Brave
New World; Dickson, Dorsai!; Le Guin, The Dispossessed;
Cherryh, Port Eternity; Willis, Doomsday Book, Wells, "The
Star"; Simak, "Desertion"; Clarke, "History Lesson";
Sheckley, "Specialist"; Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must
Scream"; Russ, "When It Changed"; Hughes, "The Price of
Land."—Raymond H. Thompson, Department of English, Acadia University,
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, CANADA B0P 1X0.
English 3723. Fantasy. A study of the genre of
fantasy, from its antecedents to the present, with readings from selected short
stories and novels. The predominant focus will be upon the category known as
high fantasy. Apart from some background lectures and videos, the class will be
conducted as a discussion group to which all students are expected to
contribute. TEXTS: The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories, ed. Shippey;
Tolkien, Lord of the Rings; White, The Sword in the Stone; Beagle,
The Last Unicorn; Le Guin, Tehanu; Katz, The Third Magic.—Thompson.
Nova Scotia. Dalhousie University, Halifax.
English 2233. Science Fiction. "The future is a
country to which we are all willy_nilly being deported," says John Brunner.
Science fiction is our passport to that country—what to read now the
deportation orders have been served. The class will consider at least some of
the major themes of science fiction (robots, computers, aliens, social change,
future crime, future war, and human destiny). Some illustrative videos will be
shown. TEXTS: Asimov, The Caves of Steel; Bear, Blood Music;
Brin, Startide Rising; Brunner, The Shockwave Rider; Cherryh, Rimrunners;
Clarke, Childhood's End; Delany, Nova; Dickson, None But Man;
Elgin, Native Tongue; Gibson, Neuromancer; Heinlein, Starship
Troopers; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Niven and Pournelle, The
Mote in God's Eye; Ore, Becoming Alien; Preuss, Human Error;
Robinson, Mindkiller; Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country.—Patricia
Monk, Department of English, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2S3.
Phone
902-494_3384; Fax: 902-494_2176, "patricia.monk@dal.ca".
Nova Scotia. Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax
English 2262. Fantasy & Science Fiction. Focuses, at
present, specifically on science fiction, which is examined in relation to a
number of issues and questions: (1) The emergence of sf as a distinct genre in
relation to the fears and anxieties aroused by social and technological change.
Does sf offer a critique, or a celebration of the notion of progress? (2) The
implications of new technologies—genetic engineering, biotechnology,
artificial intelligence—for our understanding of what constitutes the human.
How is our concept of "humanity" in fact constructed? (3) Issues of
gender and its representation, in a genre which has historically been dominated
by male authors. In what ways does sf either challenge, or reinscribe
conventional gender stereotypes? (4) The ideological implications of narrative.
What sorts of stories do writers choose to tell about the worlds they imagine?
What ideological assumptions do those stories imply? TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds; Huxley, Brave New
World; Lem, Solaris; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?;
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Gibson, Neuromancer; Crichton,
Jurassic Park; Piercy, He, She and It.—Chris Ferns, Dept. of
English, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3M 2J6.
902-457-6223. "Chris.Ferns@MSVU.Ca"
Ohio. Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea
Eng 263. Science Fiction. TEXTS: Warrick et
al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology, Clarke, Childhood's End,
Sturgeon, More Than Human, Le Guin, The Dispossessed, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Robinson, Pacific Edge, Brin, Earth.— Michael Dolzani, English
Dept., Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH 44017.
Ohio. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
LITR 291. Utopias and Utopianism. Situated in a different
place (utopia) and/or a different time (uchronia), ideal, experimental, and
radically alternative societies also exist in incipient, fragmented, or virtual
states right beneath our noses. Utopianism is, moreover, the thought-mode
through which we imagine, examine, and grasp the future by retrieving the the
potentialities of the present as put into play by the visionary arts. TEXTS:
More, Utopia; Zamyatin, We; Wells, The Time Machine; Piercy,
Woman on the Edge of Time; Calvino, Invisible Cities; Butler, Parable
of the Sower; a selection of descriptive texts by Sade, Fourier, Newton,
Marx and Engels, Victor Turner, and Saint-Simon; a selection of critical texts
by Judith Williamson, Darko Suvin, Fredric Jameson, Vladislav Todorov, and Mark
Poster.—John R. Barberet, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Case
Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106-7118.
Ohio. Central State University, Wilberforce
English 243. Special Topics in Literature. A mini-term
slot for experimental courses may be offered but not on a regular basis. It
satisfies the humanities requirement. TEXTS: Butler, Adulthood Rites;
Gibson, Virtual Light; Delany, Dhalgren. I have taught Butler's Dawn
as part of the freshman English composition sequence.—McGregor Coleman, Wesley
227, Central State Univ., Wilberforce, OH 45384.
Ohio. College of Wooster, Wooster
English 240. Science Fiction. See above, page 419.—Darren
Harris-Fain, Dept. of Arts & Humanities, Shawnee State Univ., Portsmouth, OH
45662.
Ohio. Heidelberg College, Tiffin
CTA ???. Science Fiction and Fantasy in the Visual Arts. This course
explores how artists from various periods in history have combined science with
myth, and reality with fantasy, to create strange new realms and images.
Students will examine various theories concerning the influence of magic and
religion on fantastic art, the role of technology as a source of imagery, the
relationship between dream and imagination, the question of symbolism, and the
value of applying fantastic solutions to real problems. TEXTS: (not yet
selected; course is to be offered in the fall of 1996 and is currently in the
process of being developed).—Linda Chudzinski
Ohio. Hocking College, Nelsonville
COMM 123/4. Science Fiction. An introduction to the genre of science
fiction and an opportunity to express what you learn in writing and research.
The first necessity is understanding exactly what sf is and is not. You will
read and discuss stories by major sf writers and view two films in class. Major
emphasis will be placed on the ideas presented and the issues raised. TEXTS:
Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology. FILMS: Frankenstein,
Blade Runner.—Applewhite Minyard, General Studies, Hocking College,
Nelsonville, OH 45764.
Ohio. Kent State University, Kent
English 61091. Seminar: Modern Science Fiction. This is intended to be
a true seminar in which we will work together to pose and to answer a question
that is central to us all. The question that I would like to deal with all
semester is the simple question: "Why should people in English studies
write about science fiction, and how should they do so?" We will begin by
reading and discussing an early work of popular fiction by a mainstream writer
who usually did not write science fiction. Then we will continue by reading some
of my work and work that I have edited about modern sf as it has evolved. Then
you will report on topics of your choice as ways of approaching the question. TEXTS:
Trollope, The Fixed Period, Hassler, Hal Clement, Isaac Asimov,
Patterns of the Fantastic, Patterns of the Fantastic II.—Donald
M. Hassler, Dept. of English, Kent State University, PO Box 5190, Kent, OH
44242. (216) 672-2676, "dhassler@kentvm.kent.edu".
Ohio. Kenyon College, Gambier
Biol 3. Biology in Science Fiction. This course explores principles of
biology through their extrapolation in science-fiction literature. Relationships
between biology and society will be considered, as well as the literary context
of science-fiction stories. We will explore the function of ecosystems through
"world-building" novels and films such as Dune, A Door into Ocean,
and Red Mars. The potential of molecular biology, and its implications
for our future, will be considered in Jurassic Park, Mirabile, and Daughter
of Elysium. The relationship between genetics and evolution will be
considered in science-fiction stories dealing with symbiotic relationships
between biological organisms. Students will work together to design a multimedia
interactive science- fiction story which illustrates principles of biology, No
prerequisites.—Joan Slonczewski, Department of Biology, Kenyon College,
Gambier, OH 43022.
Ohio. Lakeland Community College, Mentor
English 245. Science Fiction. A study of science fiction, emphasizing its
literary development, its changing treatment of basic themes, and its relation
to social and technological trends. TEXTS: Science Fiction Hall of
Fame, Vol. 1; SFRA Anthology.—Joe Sanders, English Department,
Lakeland Community College, Mentor, OH 44060.
English 246. The Science Fiction Novel. A study of the science-fiction
novel, examining its changing treatment of and also its literary evolution. TEXTS
used, seven or eight each term: Wells, The War of the Worlds or The
Time Machine; Huxley, Brave New World; Heinlein, Double Star
or The Door into Summer; Sturgeon, More Than Human; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Pohl, Gateway;
Sterling, Islands in the Net; Herbert, Dune; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Denton, Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede; Bester, The Stars
My Destination; Bishop, Brittle Innings; McDonald, Terminal Cafe;—Sanders.
English 296. Fantasy. A survey of different branches of fantasy,
stressing major writers, important themes, and the relation of fantasy to social
trends. TEXTS: Hartwell, ed. Color of Evil and Worlds of Fear;
Shippey, ed., Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories.—Sanders.
English 297. The Fantasy Novel. An exploration of selected novels to
show how fantasy has developed into a varied and vital way to explore the human
condition. TEXTS used, five to eight each term: Shelley, Frankenstein;
King, The Shining or Salem's Lot; Amis, The Green Man;
Crowley, Little, Big; Tolkien, The Hobbit; Weis & Hickman, Dragons
of Autumn Twilight; Kinsella, Shoeless Joe; Williams, Descent into
Hell; Stoker, Dracula; Rice, Interview with the Vampire; Brite,
Lost Souls; Shepard, The Golden; Gaiman, The Sandman: The
Doll's House; Beagle, The Last Unicorn; Powers, The Anubus Gate;
Pratchett, Witches Abroad.—Sanders.
English A291. Science Fiction Films and Novels of the 1950s. This
course will examine selected science fiction films and novels of the 1950s in
order to analyze the political, social, and cultural forces that both shaped and
are reflected in these films and novels. The course will also examine science
fiction films in the context of the Hollywood studio system that produced them.
In addition the course will attempt to define science fiction as a film and
literary genre. Team taught with Dr. Skerry. TEXTS: Bester, The
Demolished Man; Clement, Mission of Gravity; Heinlein, The Puppet
Masters; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz. FILMS: The
Thing, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Them, The Incredible Shrinking Man,
Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, War of the Worlds, Day the Earth Stood Still, It
Conquered the World, Forbidden Planet, The Fly.—Sanders.
English 235. Contemporary Fiction. Some of texts used in this course are
sf or fantasy: Bishop, Brittle Innings; Fowler, Sarah Canary; Okri,
Famished Road; Cadi, Inagehi; Morrison, Beloved; Rushdie, Haroun
and the Sea of Stories.—Sanders.
Ohio. Miami University, Oxford
English 210. Studies in Popular Literature. "Study of individual
works or types of literature outside traditional academic areas of interest that
have demonstrated popular appeal, with emphasis on what such literature reveals
about the culture that consumes it. Does not count toward the English major"
(Department catalogue). Often taught as science fiction; when I teach it I
encourage group work in TV, radio, film sound, graphic arts, etc. and use such TEXTS
as Dick Allen, ed., Science Fiction: The Future; Heinlein, Starship
Troopers; Haldeman, The Forever War; Le Guin, The Lathe of Heaven
and The Left Hand of Darkness; Russ, The Female Man; Pohl and
Kornbluth, The Space Merchants and Gladiator at Law; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four; Huxley, Brave New World; Clarke, 2001;
Burgess, A Clockwork Orange.—Richard D. Erlich, "RDErlich@MiamiU.acs.muohio.edu",
Department of English, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056.
English 350 / Film Studies 350. Topics in Film. In depth and
concentrated studies in film; the topic is sometimes science-fiction films. When
I teach it I supplement the films with such TEXTS as Clarke, 2001;
Burgess, A Clockwork Orange; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?; Finney, Invasion of the Body Snatchers; a maybe a
novelization like Foster's Aliens.—Erlich.
Ohio. Ohio State University, Columbus
English 272. Introduction to Science Fiction. An introduction to science
fiction, especially the 20th-century varieties, with equal emphasis on the
literature, its origins, and its social ramifications.—Catalogue description
provided by Charles E. Gribble, c/o Slavica, P.O. Box 14309, Columbus OH
43214-0309.
Ohio. Raymond Walters College, University of Cincinnati
English 321. Topics in Literature III: Introduction to Science Fiction.
This course explores the relationship between human beings and their
technologies through the genre of science fiction. The purpose of the course is
to introduce students unfamiliar with the genre to some of the influential
authors in Science Fiction. For students who are already familiar with the genre
or these authors, this course will provide a forum for the critical discussion
of these works. In addition, we will compare the futuristic visions of society
of certain authors with the present-day situation. We will look at our own
relationships with technology via the different perspectives offered by these
authors. TEXTS: Orwell, 1984, Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451,
Asimov, I, Robot, Card, Enders Game, Gibson, Burning Chrome.—Ruth
Benander, English Dept., Raymond Walters College, University of Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, OH 45236.
English 112. Freshman English II. Since I teach mostly composition, I
managed to work sf into the course. I use The Space Merchants and have my
students write a researched paper on how accurate a forecast of the future it
was/is/could be. This seems to work and most students find the ideas interesting
and the book easy to read. I tried using Neuromancer for a similar
assignment, but it didn't work nearly as well. The jargon, length, and style
made it difficult for non-sf readers to understand.— Andrew Miller, English
Dept., Raymond Walters College, Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Ohio. University of Akron, Akron
English 489/589. Science Fiction. Themes and major authors from Wells
through the present, with a concentration on such sub-genres as the time-travel
story and the alien-invasion story. Sf is treated as popular literature and its
relationship to fantasy is examined. TEXTS: Wells, "The Strange
Orchid," "The Sea Raiders," "The Crystal Egg,"
"The Star," "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," The Island
of Dr. Moreau, The War of the Worlds, Asimov, Robot Visions,
Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz,
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Gibson and Sterling, The Difference
Engine. FILMS: Alien, Them!—James Egan, Dept. of English,
Olin 353, Univ. of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1906.
Ohio. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati
ENG 15-000-201-002 Topics in Literature: Science Fiction. This courses
uses contemporary American science fiction, both short stories and novels, to
explore the way writers posit alternative realities. Throughout the course, we
will work on an increasingly profound definition of "science fiction."
Consider the following questions as you read: Why do writers choose to write in
this mode? Is the future the place where writers can best project plans to
change the present? When we release writers from the restrictions of
"realism," what other requirements do we place on them? How do science
fiction writers incorporate the world of technology into their fiction? How does
this affect the body of science fiction writing in a time of such rapidly
evolving technological change? TEXTS: Sargent, ed. Nebula Awards 29,
Gibson, Neuromancer, Butler, Parable of the Sower.—Sheila
Raeschild, 497 Howell Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220, (513) 751-7789 (home), (513)
556-1092 (office).
Ohio. University of Dayton, Dayton
Eng 325. Science Fiction. I tend to do chronologically-arranged
surveys of mostly American sf from Wells and Burroughs to the present. TEXTS:
Herbert, Dune, Gibson, Neuromancer, Wells, The Time Machine,
War of the Worlds, Silverberg, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1,
Dick, Eye in the Sky. Varies from semester to semester.—Joseph Patrouch,
Dept. of English, Univ. of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1520.
Oklahoma. University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
English 3993. Science Fiction. This course examines the ways in which
Science Fiction literature has evolved throughout the past century and a half as
a commentary on contemporary social trends, as well as a remarkably accurate
predictor of social problems to come. By reading selected short stories and
novels, we can get a feel for a society's preoccupations, anxieties, and hopes
for the future. TEXTS: Hartwell, Age of Wonders; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Orwell, 1984; Asimov, I, Robot; Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451;
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Harrison, The Stainless Steel Rat
Wants You!; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale. Books on reserve, from which
we will read selections: Weinbaum, The Best of Stanley G. Weinbaum;
Apostolou and Greenberg, eds., The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories;
Lee, Red as Blood; Gibson, Burning Chrome. We will also read a
selection of critical essays by Susan Sontag, Isaac Asimov, Lloyd Biggle, Marion
Zimmer Bradley, Charles Platt, Robert Silverberg, and others.—Susan Spencer,
English Department, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive,
Edmond, OK 73034-0184.
Philosophy 4911. Visions of Dystopia. The Oxford English Dictionary defines
"dystopia" as "an imaginary place or condition in which
everything is as bad as possible," the opposite of "utopia."
Huxley's Brave New World, Orwell's 1984, and Atwood's The
Handmaid's Tale are famous (some would say notorious) exemplars of dystopic
fiction. Another feature which the three share is their consideration of
socio-political trends current at the time of the writing, and their use of
these as premises in arguments whose conclusions comprise dystopic scenarios.
That is, given policies or practices can be seen as precursors of more
oppressive or otherwise objectionable ones, as the initiators of sequences of
events that will eventually result in the dystopic scenario. We will consider
the three worlds described by Huxley, Orwell, and Atwood not only in terms of
the events that occur within them, but in terms of the similarities they bear to
our world and as prognostications argued from premises based on facts about the
actual world. TEXTS: Huxley, Brave New World and Brave New
World Revisited; Orwell, 1984; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.—Eva
Dadlez, Dept. of Humanities and Philosophy, University of Central Oklahoma,
Edmond, OK 73034.
Philosophy 4921. The Philosophy of Horror. This course focuses on one
of the few extensive theories of horror fiction in existence: that of Noel
Carroll. While we can feel free to object to various aspects of Carroll's work,
it is, in fact, the only thorough philosophical analysis of the subject. Using
Carroll's text as an organizing device, we will explore various definitions of
"art horror" and attempt to establish necessary and sufficient
conditions for a work's falling under that concept. In particular, we will
consider whether all instances of art horror involve implicit categorical
contradictions. TEXTS: Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror or Paradoxes
of the Heart; Stoker, Dracula (excerpts); Shelley, Frankenstein (excerpts);
Beagle, "Lila the Werewolf"; Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray; Stevenson,
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Rice, Interview with the Vampire (excerpts);
Lovecraft, "The Dunwich Horror." We will also read a selection of
philosophical analyses other than that of Carroll, including: Kendall Walton,
"Fearing Fictions"; Susan Feagin, "Imagining Emotions and
Appreciating Fiction"; Aristotle, Poetics; David Hume, "Of
Tragedy"; R. Morreall, "Enjoying Negative Emotions"; Leon Golden,
"The Purgation Theory of Catharsis."—Dadlez.
Ontario. Algoma University College, Sault Ste. Marie
English 2126. Science Fiction. Science fiction posits realities other
than the one with which we are familiar. It transforms reality speculatively,
exploring alternate possibilities and thus commenting on human limitations and
aspirations. Such fiction explores more freely, and fully, the world in which we
live than does realistic fiction, because it creates alternatives we can compare
with our world. Science fiction offers visions of worlds we might wish for, or
fear; in doing so, it offers unique and invaluable insights into the nature of
the world we have. In this course, we will explore sf's development as a genre
addressing the implications of human creation, transformation, and apocalypse. TEXTS:
Ballard, The Drowned World, Benford, Timescape, Dick, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Gibson, Neuromancer, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Wells, War
of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Zamyatin, We, Atwood, The
Handmaid's Tale, Brunner, The Sheep Look Up, More, Utopia,
Rabkin ed., Fantastic Worlds, Shippey ed., The Oxford Book of Science
Fiction.—Dominick Grace, Algoma University College, 1520 Queen St. E.,
Sault Ste. Marie, ONT, CANADA P6A 2G4, (705) 949-2301, ext. 382.
Ontario. Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto
ENG 503-Science Fiction Every civilization has its favourite
mythology. Ours is the story of things to come as told to us by writers from
Wells to Gibson. Some of their visions have been prophetic, others not, and many
are still to be determined. The works in the course touch on a number of present
issues and concerns: feminism, the relationship between humans and computers,
and space colonization. We will discover that science fiction writers create
their own idiom with wit, flair and imagination. TEXTS: Wells, The
Time Machine; Aldiss,ed. The Science Fiction Omnibus, Niven, Ringworld,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Gibson, Neuromancer, and Lem, Solaris.—William
Owen, English Department, Ryerson Polytechnic University, 350 Victoria Street,
Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada.
ENG 507. Science and the Literary Imagination. This course
investigates the impact of innovation in scientific theory on the themes and
forms of literature. It focuses on pivotal moments in the history of science,
associated in the main with radical redescriptions of the human environment
provided by such prominent figures as Copernicus, Newton, Darwin and Einstein.
In conjunction with a discussion of the shifts in understandings, a text,
usually contemporaneous, will be studied to examine how the writer envisages the
implications of the ideas for human identity and society. In this way, students
should acquire some comprehension both of the changing scientific paradigms for
understanding our world, and of parallel changes in authors' conceptions of what
it means to be human and in the forms of writing conveying that meaning. TEXTS: Ferris, Coming of Age in the Milky Way; Brecht, Galileo;
Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Butler, Erewhon; Lightman, Einstein's Dreams; Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia.—Owen.
Ontario. Trent University, Peterborough
Cultural Studies/English 229. Science Fiction. Introduction to the
history, theory, and representative works and authors of science fiction. From
Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells to contemporary feminism (Tepper) and postmodern
cyberpunk (Gibson), the course will examine such types of science fiction as
human destiny stories (Lessing), stories of alien encounter (Clarke), and
non-contemporary earth life (Moorcock), new technology stories (Asimov), and
some of the best British and American New Wave and avant garde writings (Acker,
Carter, Le Guin). In method, the approach aims both at a grasp of the selected
works and their implications and at a conceptual view of the genre. TEXTS:
Acker, Empire of the Senseless, Asimov, I, Robot, Carter, Heroes
and Villains, Clarke, Childhood's End, Dick, Ubik, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Lem, Solaris, Lessing, Memoirs
of a Survivor, Moorcock, Behold the Man, Shelley, Frankenstein,
Tepper, Gate to Women's Country, Varley, The Ophiuchi Hotline,
Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Wells, The Time Machine.—John Fekete,
Cultural Studies Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ONT, CANADA K9J 6C4,
(705) 748-1771, "jfekete@trentu.ca".
Cultural Studies/English 229. Science Fiction. This course is intended
to introduce students to the study of science fiction (sf) both as a genre of
literature and as the history of a particular kind of cultural production.
Students will look at several themes important to the development of sf and will
endeavour to place those themes within the context of the literary, scientific,
technological, and social developments which have taken place since the
appearance of the genre in the nineteenth century. The study of sf allows a
unique perspective on the interactions between science and technology and the
society in which we live and provides glimpses of new and sometimes critical
ways of thinking about the world. Sf themes fall into a number of broad
categories, including time travel, post-apocalypse, alternate worlds/history,
computers and artificial intelligences, space adventure, alien encounter, and so
on. All of these variations on sf tell us something about ourselves and the
world in which we live in ways that are often quite different from
"mainstream" literature. The aim of this course is to introduce
students to some of the possibilities inherent in sf and to provide them with a
sense of the range of interests and techniques available to writers from Mary
Shelley and H.G. Wells to William Gibson and Octavia Butler. This course is
team-taught with Wendy Pearson. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein,
Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, Dick, The Man
in the High Castle, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Heinlein, Starship Troopers, Blish, A Case of Conscience, Burgess,
A Clockwork Orange, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Carter, Heroes
and Villains, Lessing, Memoirs of a Survivor, McIntyre, Dreamsnake,
Butler, Parable of the Sower, Vonarburg, Reluctant Voyagers,
Womack, Random Acts of Senseless Violence, Weinbaum, "A Martian
Odyssey," Moore, "No Woman Born," Asimov, "Nightfall,"
Clarke, "The Nine Billion Names of God" and "The Sentinel,"
Heinlein, "All You Zombies," Smith, "Alpha Ralpha
Boulevard," Zoline, "The Heat Death of the Universe," Ellison,
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," Delany, "Aye, and
Gomorrah," Tiptree, "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" and
"The Women Men Don't See," Varley, "The Phantom of Kansas,"
Cadigan, "Pretty Boy Crossover," Dorsey, "(Learning About)
Machine Sex," Butler, "Bloodchild."— Veronica Hollinger,
Cultural Studies Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ONT, CANADA K9J 2Y5,
(705) 748-1771, "vhollinger@trentu.ca".
Cultural Studies/English 329. Utopian Fiction. This course will study
the speculative social imagination in utopian, dystopian, and anti-utopian
literature from Plato to contemporary science fiction. Such topics as sexual
politics, technology, communication, education, and narrative form will be
examined. TEXTS: Plato, The Republic, More, Utopia, Bacon, The
New Atlantis, Swift, Gulliver's Travels, Frye, "Varieties of
Literary Utopias," Bellamy, Looking Backward, Dostoyevsky, "The
Grand Inquisitor," Huxley, Brave New World, Gibson, "The
Gernsback Continuum," Mumford, "Utopia, the City, and the
Machine," Orwell, 1984, Forster, "The Machine Stops,"
Vonnegut, "Harrison Bergeron," Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away
from Omelas" and The Dispossessed, Moylan, Demand the Impossible,
Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time, Tiptree, "Your Faces, O My
Sisters!...," Russ, "When It Changed" and "Recent Feminist
Utopias," Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.—Hollinger.
Ontario. University of Guelph, Guelph
English 370-286. Science Fiction. This course will make a survey of the
relatively new genre of sf writing. It will study writers of the 1960-1994 era
in order to describe the current directions of the form. It will deal briefly
with the historical roots of the form, the various topics covered by the genre,
and the nature of its innovations. TEXTS: Lem, Solaris, Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness, Watson, The Embedding, Piercy, Woman on the
Edge of Time, Dick, A Scanner Darkly, Gibson, Neuromancer,
Tepper, The Gate to Woman's Country, Nagata, The Bohr Maker. —Peter
Brigg, English Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., NlG 2Wl, Canada.
Ontario. University of Toronto, Toronto.
NEW 207Y. The Science Fiction Novel. A New College course, not attached
to a named program. Through an analysis of the thematic configurations of
concepts like utopia and dystopia, this course will examine the ways in which
science fiction reflects and rejects contemporary reality; how science fiction
participates in the conditioning and manipulative processes of contemporary
capitalism (ideology); and how science fiction expresses the (repressed) desire
for some other world of disalienation and freedom (utopian longing). TEXTS:
Aldiss, Hothouse; Ballard, Drowned World, Crystal World;
Bester, The Stars My Destination; Blish, A Case of Conscience;
Brown, Martians Go Home; Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Delany, The Einstein Intersection; Dick, Ubik, Three Stigmata
of Palmer Eldritch, Man in High Castle, Dr. Bloodmoney; Heinlein, Stranger
in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Herbert, Dune;
Huxley, Brave New World; Lafferty, Past Master; Le Guin, Left
Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed; Lem, Solaris; Miller, Canticle
for Leibowitz; Pohl and Kornbluth, Space Merchants; Russ, The
Female Man; Sheckley, Mind Swap; Silverberg, Tower of Glass,
Science Fiction Hall of Fame-1; Simak, City; Stapledon, Star Maker;
Sturgeon, More than Human; van Vogt, World of Null-A; Vonnegut, Sirens
of Titan; Watson, Embedding; Wells, War of the Worlds;
Wyndham, Chrysalids; Zelazny, Lord of Light.—Peter Fitting,
Department of French, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A1.
HUM 199Y Seminar. Brave New Worlds and Things to Come: Utopias, Dystopias and
Ecotopias from Plato to Atwood. From earliest times, men and women have had
the tendency to fantasize and daydream about better, happier worlds. Some looked
back to a "Garden of Eden," or a "Golden Age," others
forward to a "Brave New World." A surprisingly large number of writers
have described, often in great detail, the ingredients necessary to make such an
ideal world—thereby establishing a major and enduring tradition of utopian
thought in Western Civilization. Much can be learned from the study of this
tradition. Utopias react to contemporary conditions; they are, among other
things, concerned with religion, politics, morals, science, culture and
economics. While most early utopias express faith in progress (some relying
heavily on science), in the twentieth century a strong anti-utopian or dystopian,
pessimistic tradition has sprung up. And where earlier utopias struggled to
maintain a balance between freedom and order, later utopias show a more sinister
tendency towards control and manipulation. Concerns with the environment have
recently led to "ecotopias," while a fusion of utopias with science
fiction can also be noticed. TEXTS: After looking at a few famous
examples of early utopias in varying detail (Plato's Republic, Thomas
More's Utopia, Francis Bacon's New Atlantis), we will move on to
the modern utopian/dystopian novel: Bellamy's Looking Backward; Morris' News
from Nowhere; Zamyatin's We; Orwell's 1984; Skinner's Walden
Two; Huxley's Brave New World; Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed;
Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia.—A.P.
Dierick, Department of German, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONT M5S 1A1,
Canada.
Oregon. University of Oregon, Eugene
English 199. Science Fiction: A New Mythology? Science fiction has
been called a modern mythology. Both sf and mythology use stories to express the
ways humans perceive and understand the world and the ways humans explain the
unknowable (origins, death, the experience of the Other, etc.). Both can make
the familiar seem alien and the unknown seem known by giving us a different
perspective. Myth has looked at humans from the top of Mount Olympus, the walls
of Troy, and the eyes of the Trickster. Sf views our world from the indifference
of space and the future. The comparison of myth and sf is especially pertinent
in stories about human to super-human encounters, humans in relationship to
things we create, human to alien meetings (including the otherness of gender,
race, and culture), the quest of a hero/heroine, and the beginning or end of a
culture/world. The narration serves a purpose in both science fiction and myth.
Not only is the story important, but the way it is told matters. In this class,
we look at how science fiction uses older stories and why. We will look at the
changes a science fiction story postulates and how the differences are conveyed.
We will ask questions about the ways science fiction might meet our
"myth" needs of today. Sf is a literature that demands a questioning
of assumptions. We will see how the literary, mythic, scientific, and cultural
assumptions interact in a number of sf stories. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein,
Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," Varley, "Press
Enter," Pohl & Kornbluth, Space Merchants, McIntyre, Dreamsnake,
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country,
Tuttle, "Husbands," and a packet including: Silverberg, "After
the Myths Went Home," Watson, "The World Science Fiction Convention of
2080," and Le Guin, "She Un-Names Them"—Margaret McBride,
"mcbride@uoregon.edu", Dept. of English, University of Oregon, Eugene,
OR 97403, (503) 346-3910.
English 399. The Alien. The narrator in Ursula Le Guin's "Nine
Lives" says: "It is hard to meet a stranger. Even the greatest
extrovert meeting even the meekest stranger knows a certain dread.... Will he
make a fool of me, wreck my image of my self, invade me, destroy me, change me?
Will he be different from me? Yes, that he will. That's the terrible thing: the
strangeness of the stranger." Along with the dread for the stranger comes a
fascination: How are others different? What can I learn about myself from
looking at others? The quest to examine otherness and one's own alienation when
faced with otherness is a search for values and self-understanding in the works
of authors of many fields (existentialism, religion, linguistics, Marxism,
psychology, anthropology, fiction, feminism, etc.). Science fiction is a
particularly valuable genre for the study of Self and the Other. Frankenstein,
generally accepted as the first sf novel, shows us the alien both as a monster
and as a reflection of our selves. Science fiction has continued to dramatize
alien cultures as a way to question assumptions about our own culture. Sf has
one eye on the universe and one eye on the human self. This class will examine
the question of Self and the Other by looking at five categories of aliens (the
Linguistic Other, the Gender/Biological/ Cultural Other, the
Mechanical/Technical Other, the Human as Alien, and the Totally Alien). Sf can
extrapolate from our known world into unknown worlds to give us a unique
perspective to examine what it means to be human. TEXTS: Delany, Babel-17;
Elgin, Native Tongue; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Butler, Dawn;
Gibson, Neuromancer; Varley, "Persistence of Vision"; Le Guin,
"Mazes"; Bishop, "Death and Designation Among the Asadi."—McBride.
See also ¶403.
Oregon. Western Oregon State College, Monmouth
Hum 399. Science Fiction: The Responsibility of Humanity. A nonce
course. The focus of this course is on technology and man's use/misuse, of it,
etc. TEXTS: Rabkin, ed. Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology,
Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Wells, The Island of Dr.
Moreau, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Miller, A Canticle
for Leibowitz, Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama, Wilhelm, Where Late
the Sweet Birds Sang.—Carol Harding, Humanities Div., Western Oregon State
College, Monmouth, OR 97361.
Pennsylvania. Alvernia College, Kutztown
English 121. Special Topics: Science Fiction. Internal analysis using
generic criticism and formalism. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine, The
War of the Worlds, Bova, ed. The Best of the Nebulas, a short story
anthology, one or two novels.— Richard Law, 712 Highland Ave., Kutztown, PA
19530.
Pennsylvania. Bucknell University, Lewisburg
Environmental Studies 205. Green Utopias. The course is designed to
bring attention to existing alternatives to a gray future caused by
overpopulation, air, soil, and water pollution, clear-cut forests, defective
atomic-power stations, etc. Students will be introduced to literary utopias, as
well as to the cultural writings of various ecological movements since 1750
expressing a general criticism of industrialization and urbanization. The
concentration is on those works which problematize the increasing destruction of
nature and confront this process with alternative concepts. Examples from art
and music will also be included. TEXTS: Rousseau, Julie ou la nouvelle
Héloise (excerpts); Thoreau, Walden or Life in the Woods (excerpts);
Morris, News from Nowhere; Gilman, Herland; Leopold, A Sand
County Almanac; Callenbach, Ecotopia and Ecotopia Emerging;
Pausewang, The Last Children; Mendes, Fight for the Forest; Kelly,
Fighting for Hope; Wolf, Accident: A Day's News. FILMS: Acid
Rain, The Cost of Combustion (PBS); Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
(PBS); PBS Nuclear Debate: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl; Chronicle of
Difficult Weeks, Earth First! The Struggle to Save Australia's Rainforest.—Peter
Morris-Keitel, Dept. of Modern Languages, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
17837.
Pennsylvania. Cabrini College, Radnor
English 214. Science Fiction. This is a course for people who think
they don't like literature, and it includes some sf history and some short story
writing. It is usually thematically organized: some themes include alien
encounters, hard sf, biology & sf, technology (general), computers &
cyberspace, utopias & dystopias, feminism & sf, comic sf. Its hidden
agenda is to develop the intellectual qualities of a liberally-educated person.
Sometimes we get bogged down on reading ability! TEXTS: Warrick et al,
eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.—Maurice Bezdek,
English/Communication, Cabrini College, 610 King of Prussia Rd., Radnor, PA
19087-3699.
Pennsylvania. Duquesne University, Pittsburgh
English 370-01. Science Fiction, and Science Fiction on Film. The
purposes of a course in film versions of science-fiction stories are many: the
study of the effects of science and technology on man and his varied cultures is
of primary concern, but the study of sf as a modern continuation of the
traditions of romance and allegory is an equally important concern. Thus a
course in sf must investigate both the matter and the forms of the genre, both
as works of literature and, in this case, as works of the motion picture form.
Hence, this course will consider both some of the better-quality sf films of the
20th century and some of the classic stories and novels of the genre in order to
give the student some understanding of the themes of the genre as presented in
print and visually. This course is intended to introduce the student to a kind
of imaginative literature and to a kind of visual presentation uniquely suited
to treat the problems of the scientific-technological culture in which he lives
and, consequently, to give the student new and valuable discussions of the
concepts important to present and future cultures. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz, Clarke, Childhood's End, Wells, The Time Machine,
Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey. FILMS: Frankenstein, Metropolis,
Forbidden Planet, Terminator, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Creeping
Unknown, Soylent Green, The Magnetic Monster, X, the Unknown, The Thing from
Another World, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Things to Come, The Time Machine,
2001: A Space Odyssey.—Jerome L Niedermeier, English Dept., Duquesne
Univ., Pittsburgh, PA 15282.
Pensylvania. Holy Family College, Philadelphia
English 251. Readings in Science Fiction Literature. An introduction
to the major authors of science fiction through reading selected short stories
and novels. Themes running through these works will be examined and discussed,
as will the various forms that sf has taken through the years in an attempt to
arrive at a consistent definition of science fiction. TEXTS: Wells, The
War of the Worlds, Herbert, Dune, Silverberg, ed. The Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1. FILM and radio play: The War of the
Worlds.—Robert Clothier, 6137 Mulberry St., Philadelphia, PA 19135.
Pennsylvania. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana
LS 499. Science and Science Fiction. This senior synthesis section
explores how society's image of science is reflected in current sf, focusing on
five topics: spaceflight, aliens, computers, biotechnology, and earth's changing
environment. Students read and review books, scientific articles, and short
stories; critique sf movies and Star Trek episodes. TEXTS: Godwin,
"The Cold Equations," Clarke, "Into the Comet," Knight,
"To Serve Man," Fast, "The Large Ant," Thompson,
"VRM-947," Brin, "NatuLife" and "The Giving
Plague," Sheffield, "Dies Irae," Gribbon, "The Carbon
Papers," Gunn, "Fault." FILMS: 2010, Lawnmower Man,
Blade Runner.—Karen Rose Cercone, Geoscience Dept., Indiana Univ. of
Pennsylvania, Indiana PA 15705-1087.
Pennsylvania. Juniata College, Huntingdon
English 163. Science Fiction. The course breaks into three parts:
Scope (definitions of sf, comparison of sf to fantasy and mainstream fiction),
History (20th-century movements, from Wells through the Golden Age of
Campbellian sf and the 1950s with Bester and Sturgeon, into the New Wave, then
to Cyberpunk), and Issues (various recurring issues in sf: aliens, time travel,
technology, gender). TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Disch, Camp Concentration; Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants;
McHugh, China Mountain Zhang; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Bester, The Stars My
Destination; miscellaneous short stories.—Peter Goldstein, Dept. of
English, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA 16652.
Pennsylvania. Kutztown University, Kutztown
ENG 121-0110. Science Fiction. TEXTS: Le Guin, The Left Hand
of Darkness; Dick, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?),
The Man in the High Castle; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Warrick
et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology; Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five.—John
L. Cobbs, Dept. of English, Kutztown Univ., PO Box 730, Kutztown, PA 19530.
Pennsylvania. La Roche College, Pittsburgh
EN/NS 326. Science and Science Fiction. A study of the scientific
concepts found in sf literature, drama, and film. Assessment will be made of how
accurate these concepts are and their interrelationship to scientific discovery
will be addressed. Objectives: A. to acquaint students with the provocative
concepts suggested by the literature of science fiction, B. to demonstrate the
evolution of these concepts from universally held myths and legends as well as
from ancient satires and utopias, C. to show the relationship of these concepts
and this evolution to the development of science and technology and to the
modern disciplines of knowledge, D. to examine the issues created by science and
technology that we all face today and that have been dramatized by science
fiction, E. to enlarge students' imaginations through exposure to the
disciplined imaginations of the most important writers in the field, F. to study
the texts of sf stories and novels and determine their position along the scale
of accepted literary values, G. to sensitize students to the nature of their own
society and its possible mutations as totally new problems emerge, H. to
consider how best to prepare for the future in terms of the various scenarios
generated by sf, I. to guide students and offer them encouragement in critical
thinking and writing. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol. 1; Huxley, Brave New World; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds; Butler,
Erewhon; Shelley, Frankenstein.—Philip Klass, La Roche College,
9000 Babcock Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15237.
Pennsylvania. Lafayette College, Easton
English 215. Science Fiction: The Frankenstein Myth. In Frankenstein,
Mary Shelley exploits our deepest fear of science: the scientist will create a
monster, and his monster will destroy us. This course will explore the
scientific fantasy that man can play God by creating life in the laboratory, and
that the products of science take on a "life of their own," a life we
can neither predict nor control. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Piercy, He, She and It;
DeLillo, White Noise; Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau; Huxley, Brave
New World; short stories by Poe and Hawthorne.—Laura Dassow Walls, Dept.
of English, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, "wallsl@lafayette.edu".
Pennsylvania. Lehigh University, Bethlehem
English 122. Speculative Fiction. Sf doesn't portray reality as we
know it. Instead, it uses high-tech and sword-and-sorcery scenarios to portray
what could be, if.... Sf lets us explore the objective universe and what it can
or might do to human (and other) beings. Fantasy affords us experience of worlds
peopled by mages, dragons, and other phenomena that hauntingly resemble our
dreams. Or, if you'd rather leave that kind of analytic stuff behind, sf is the
rather unliterary fiction we read because the mundane alternatives are just a
bit too academic. TEXTS: Crichton, Jurassic Park; Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz; Lindholm, Cloven Hooves; Le Guin, A Wizard
of Earthsea, Tombs of Atuan, Farthest Shore, Tehanu; Niven, Integral
Trees; Slonczewski, Door into Ocean; Silverberg, ed. The Science
Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Card, ed. Future on Fire; Dickson, Dragon
and the George.—Rosemarie Arbur, 35 Sayre Drive, Drown Hall, English
Dept., Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA 18055-3076.
Pennsylvania. Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven
Lang 210. The Dark Side of Fiction. This courses begins with the study of
Gothic fiction and then explores the evolution of the genre up to the present
day. TEXTS: The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales; Stoker, Dracula;
tales from Hawthorne and Poe; Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft's Book of Horror;
King, Salem's Lot.—Allienne Becker "abecker@sunlink.net",
P.O. Box 152, Lock Haven, PA 17745.
Lang 215. Speculative Fiction. A survey of speculative fiction from
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to the present. OTHER TEXTS: Rabkin,
ed., Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology; Wells, The Time Machine,
Kafka, The Metamorphosis; Golding, The Lord of the Flies; Clarke, 2001:
A Space Odyssey.—Becker.
Lang 220. Fantastic Fiction. This course explores the various kinds of
fantastic fiction including myth, legend, the folk tale, the ghost story, horror
fiction, science fiction, and postmodern fantasy. TEXTS: Rabkin, ed. Fantastic
Worlds; Shippey, ed., The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories.—Becker.
Pennsylvania. Lycoming College, Williamsport
English 257. Utopian Literature; Utopian Film. English 257 involves
close reading of selected works of Utopian fiction, and critical viewing of a
wide range of eutopian and dystopian films. Utopia is a slippery term; its
definition varies from writer to writer—and from reader to reader. We will
examine the human yearning for radically improved, imaginary elsewheres—a
motif which extends from ancient tales of the Golden Age to 20th-century
nightmare visions of the future—and examine elements of commonality and
difference. The student's reading of the assigned utopian texts, and viewing of
selected films, will be the subjects of discussion, brief lectures, quizzes, a
final exam, a journal, and a 3-5 page essay. TEXTS: Plato, Republic;
Huxley, Brave New World; Zamyatin, We; Piercy, Woman on the
Edge of Time. FILMS: Things to Come, Sleeper, 1984,
Brazil, THX 1138, Lost Horizon, The Time Machine, The
Handmaid's Tale, Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange.—Barry
Lewes, English Dept, Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA 17701. "lewes@lycoming.edu".
English 257: Utopian Literature; Utopian Film. Same as above but with
somewhat different list of texts. TEXTS: Plato, The Republic;
Huxley, Brave New World; Zamyatin, We; Piercy, Woman on the
Edge of Time; More, Utopia; Bellamy, Looking Backward; Bryant,
The Kin of Ata Are Waiting For You. FILMS: Things to Come,
Sleeper, 1984, The Time Machine, Time After Time, Blade Runner, Clockwork
Orange, THX 1138, Brazil.—Darby Lewes, English Department, Lycoming
College, Williamsport, PA 17701-5192, "lewes@lycoming.edu".
English 330: Feminist Utopian Novels. This course involves close
reading of selected works of feminist Utopian fiction. The student's reading of
the assigned utopian texts will be the subjects of discussion, brief lectures,
quizzes, and three 3-5 page essays. Students will also research, read, and
report on an additional text, either "literary" or theoretical. TEXTS:
Jones and Merchant, Unveiling a Parallel; Scott, Millenium Hall;
Gilman, Herland; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Gearhart, The
Wanderground; Brantenberg, Egalia's Daughters; Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness.—Darby Lewes,
Pennsylvania. Messiah College, Grantham
RET 209. Theology and Oxford Christian Writers. Exploration of
theological themes in the writings and the more general issues of literature—plot,
development, characters, setting. Sf&F TEXTS: Lewis, Out of the
Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, Tolkien, The Lord of
the Rings, Lindsay, A Voyage to Arcturus, Chesterton, The Man Who
Was Thursday.—Robert B. Ives, Messiah College, Grantham, PA 17027.
Pennsylvania. Millersville University, Millersville
English 292. Science Fiction. English 292 is an introduction to the
nature and development of science fiction from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the
present. It consists in careful examination of representative works, with
special emphasis on their generic features, and employs conventional methods of
literary analysis and evaluation.
TEXTS: Verne, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Wells, The
Time Machine, Heinlein, New Collected Works, Asimov, Robot Dreams,
Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, Pohl, Man
Plus, Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Clarke, Rendezvous with
Rama, Gibson, Burning Chrome.—Timothy C. Miller, Dept. of English,
Millersville Univ., PO Box 1002, Millersville, PA. 17551-0302.
Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University, McKeesport
English 191. Science Fiction. Provides an introductory overview of
science fiction with specialized emphasis that changes from offering to
offering. For spring 1996, the class emphasizes varying depictions of gender. TEXTS:
Warrick, ed., The SFRA Anthology, Sargent, ed., Women of Wonder: the
Contemporary Years, Butler, Wild Seed, Springer, Larque on the
Wing, Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country, Bear, Moving Mars.—Joe
Marchesani, Penn State at McKeesport, Univ. Drive, McKeesport, PA 15132, (412)
675-9466, "jjm9@psuvm.psu.edu".
Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
English 30. Honors Freshman Rhetoric and Composition. ln my
section of this general education course, we trace the element of "social
dreaming" in a wide variety of forums for public discourse, including
utopian and dystopian novels, plays, and movies; newspaper editorials and
columns; poetical speeches, and even solicitation letters from charitable
organizations. From studying clashing value systems, conflicting belief systems,
different notions of human nature, and various ideals of right conduct, students
are given a deeper understanding of the eutopian dreams and dystopian nightmares
that lie behind "real world" wrangling over the evolving social
contract. TEXTS used: Callenbach's Ecotopia, Huxley's Brave New
World, Nagata's The Bohr Maker, Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good,
Shaw's Major Barbara, Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time. Other
texts for future sections: Wells's Men Like Gods, Baum's The Emerald
City of Oz, Corbett's A Better Place to Live, Morrow's This Is the
Way the World Ends, Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race, Vonnegut's Player
Piano.—Julie Sparks, Department of English, 146 South Burrowes J, Penn
State, University Park, PA 16802-6200.
Engl 191. Science Fiction. Science fiction as the literature of
scientific, technological innovation, and social change—its development,
themes, and problems. TEXTS: Ballard, Crash, The Atrocity
Exhibition, Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, A Scanner Darkly,
Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, Butler, Dawn, Lem, The
Cyberiad, Gibson, Burning Chrome, Neuromancer, Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness.—Paul Youngquist, English Dept., 117 Burrowes, Penn State
Univ., University Park, PA 16802.
Engl 191.401. Science Fiction. Course description the same as above. TEXTS:
Asimov, The Gods Themselves, Benford, Timescape, Butler, Dawn,
Dick, The Man in the High Castle, Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress, Hoban, Riddley Walker, Lem, The Futurological Congress,
McCaffrey, Crystal Singer, Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Russ,
We Who Are About to Die..,, Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall
of Fame, Vol. 1, Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 4, Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades.—Kathryn
Hume, English Dept., 117 Burrowes, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA 16802.
American Studies 420W. Cyberspace Aesthetics and the American Novel.
In this class we will attempt to map out the relations between the American
literary discourse of cyberpunk fiction and the technoscientific discourses of
virtual reality, cyberspace, and molecular biology. We will analyze the ways in
which metaphors from fiction, such as the notion of "cyberspace," get
borrowed, transformed, and actualized in scientific and technical research. At
the same time, we will investigate the ways in which the new technologies of
information and genetic engineering impact the very form of the American novel,
as new modes of narration become possible and necessary in cyberpunk worlds
where many of the grounding distinctions of humanist culture— such as
sex/gender, nature/culture, self/other, real/simulated, public/private, America/
world—become problematic. Finally, we will investigate the ways in which
science fiction functions to reinvent and reorient American culture in an era of
massive technological and political transformation that critics such as Fredric
Jameson have dubbed "post-modern." The gendered nature of
"post-modernity" and cyberpunk fiction will be the focus of much of
our inquiry. FILMS: Blade Runner, Videodrome. TEXTS: Bear, Blood
Music, Dick, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep?, Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, Gibson, Count Zero, Neuro-mancer,
Mona Lisa Overdrive, Cadigan, Synners, Sterling, Islands in the
Net, Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland, Stephenson, Snow Crash.—Richard
Doyle, Dept. of American Studies, S-136 Burrowes, Penn State Univ., University
Park, PA 16802.
French 565. Revolution and Utopia in the 19th_century Novel. This seminar
will focus on representations of revolution and civil unrest—and their
counterparts in utopian thought—in the novel from 1818 to 1885. We will look
at 1789, of course, but also at the Terror, the slave uprising in Santo Domingo
in 1793, the aftermath of the Revolution of 1848, and the workers' revolts
during the Second Empire (1852_70). From monarchism to republicanism to
socialism, we will trace the evolution of political ideals through a variety of
romantic and realist works. TEXTS: Hugo, Bug_Jargal (The
Slave_King) and Quatrevingt_treize (Ninety_three); Dickens, A Tale of
Two Cities; Sand, Nanon and La Petite Fadette (Fanchon the
Cricket); Balzac, Les Chouans; Zola, Germinal.—Kathryn M.
Grossman, Department of French, 316 Burrowes Building, Penn State University,
University Park PA 16802_6203.
Pennsylvania. Seton Hill College, Greensburg
EL 250. Science Fiction. This course is a survey of 20th-century
science fiction. Most of the works we will read and study are American novels
(so far, the bulk of sf today is published in that format), but we will also
read a number of short stories and continental works, as well as view three sf
films. The ordering of the texts will be chronological so that we can see how sf
changes as society and history change. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine,
Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles; Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants; Lem, Solaris;
Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Dick, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep?); Bear, Blood Music; Sagan, Contact; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Kessel, Good News from Outer Space. FILMS: Things to Come, 2001:
A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Aliens, Brazil.—Albert
Wendland, Dept. of English, Seton Hill College, Greensburg, PA 15601.
EL 231. Topics in Creative Writing—Science Fiction and Fantasy. In
this course we will study, discuss, and write science-fiction and fantasy short
stories. The specific goals for the class are: to distinguish the two genres of
sf and fantasy, to understand the sub-types of each genre, such as
"hard" sf, imaginary-world fantasy, magic realism, and urban fantasy,
to define the techniques and narrative styles of contemporary sf and fantasy
stories, to discuss the narrative aspects of all short stories to see how they
differ—if they do—from those in sf and fantasy, to write three short
stories: one of science fiction, one of fantasy, and one of your choice from
either genre (or possibly horror). TEXTS: Dozois, ed. The Year's Best
Science Fiction; Datlow and Windling, eds. The Year's Best Fantasy and
Horror.—Wendland.
Pennsylvania. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore
English 78. Science Fiction. An exploration of origins, genres,
themes, and contexts in a dozen or so works of science-based speculative fiction
from several ages. We will be concerned not only with the workings of the
literary imagination in these novels (and a few plays), but also with the
shifting ideas about what science is, of the relation of science to human
affairs (religious, political, economic, and even psycho-sexual), and of the
perceptible shape of the universe itself. TEXTS: Swift, Gulliver's
Travels; Verne, From the Earth to the Moon; Wells, First Men in
the Moon; Stapledon, Last and First Men; Shelley, Frankenstein;
„ apek,
R.U.R.; Asimov, I, Robot; Rucker, Live Robots; Piercy, He,
She, and It; Herbert, Dune; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness;
Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar, Shockwave Rider; Gibson, Neuromancer,
Cyberfictions.—Thomas H. Blackburn, Dept. of English, Swarthmore
College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081-1397.
Pennsylvania. Temple University, Philadelphia
English 163. Science Fiction. This course will discuss new movements
in science fiction and fantasy in the context of a literary community. We will
study literary works produced in the 1980s and 1990s, and discuss the changes in
the social matrix of the fan/artist culture that have generated some of these
changes. We will also discuss issues in the contemporary culture at large
addressed in the fiction. TEXTS: Gibson, Neuromancer; Scott, Trouble
and her Friends; Gould, Jumper; Card, Ender's Game; Crowley, Little,
Big; Bull, War for the Oaks; Marian Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of
Avalon; Cherryh, Foreigner; Butler, The Parable of the Sower;
Gaiman, Sandman: Season of Mists.—Camille Bacon-Smith, English
Department, Anderson Hall, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19139.
English 163. Folklore and Science Fiction. Science fiction as a
literary genre and as a community with a distinctive and long_standing culture
of appreciation. Using videotape, slides, audio tape, informational articles and
fiction we will grow to understand the discourse of the community carried out in
face to face interaction and in published works. TEXTS: McCrumb, Bimbos
of the Death Sun; Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Haldeman, The
Forever War; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Pohl, The Space
Merchants; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Gaiman; Sandman; Barnes, The Gorgon Child; Butler, Wild Seed.—Bacon-Smith.
Folk 255. Folklore and Science Fiction. This course will examine
science fiction as a literary genre that makes use of folklore in the text, and
as a community with a distinctive folklore of its own. By the use of videotape,
slides, audio tape, informational articles and fiction, we will uncover the
discourse of the commmunity carried out in face to face interaction and in
published works of fiction. TEXTS: McCrumb, Bimbos of the Death Sun;
Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Haldeman, The Forever War; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Pohl, The Space Merchants; Scarborough, The
Healer's War; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Sterling, Islands
in the Net. FILM: Metropolis.—Bacon-Smith.
Physics 251. Science and Science Fiction. Science fiction as a genre;
its purpose and styles. The existence of intelligent life in the universe.
Communication with other civilizations; problems and probabilities.
Interplanetary and interstellar travel. Time travel. Analysis of devices and
themes common in science fiction, such as faster-than-light travel. The parallel
development of science and science fiction and recent changes and new
directions. [Catalogue description]
Physics 21. Science, Science Fiction and Film. This introductory physics
course for non-science majors covers mechanics, astronomy, electricity and
magnetism and nuclear physics. It screens twelve films which illustrate the
physical principles discussed in the lecture portions of the course. TEXT:
Dubeck, Moshier, and Boss, Fantastic Voyages: Learning Science Through
Science Fiction Films. FILMS: Forbidden Planet, Terminator,
Terminator 2, 2010, Total Recall, Stargate, Blade Runner, Colossus, Them!,
Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai, Star Trek IV, Jurassic Park.—Leroy W.
Dubeck, Physics Department, Temple University, Philadelphia PA 19122.
Women's Studies W128. Theme/Genres in Women's Literature. A
variable-content course. The topic has sometimes been "Women's Worlds in
Science Fiction and Utopian Literature." (These reports obtained with the
assistance of Thomas N. Whitehead, Special Collections, Temple University
Library, Philadelphia, PA 19122)
Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia
H&SS110. Science and Literature. This course will study the
emergence of modern science fiction. By examining the ways influential writers,
scientists, and intellectuals have envisioned the human future, we will attempt
to assess the evolving perceptions of science and technology and their
implications for the human condition. Major themes include science-based
utopias; bioengineering; "superman"; robots; alien life; and other
worlds. We will also discuss the differences between European and American
traditions in treating these themes, the emergence of sf as a genre, and sf as
popular culture. Each three-hour session will consist of two parts: a lecture
with questions, which will provide historical and scientific context; and a
seminar discussion, which will focus on analyzing and comparing two novels.
There will be roughly 500 pages of required reading per week. Carla Keirns will
assist with the course. (1) INTRODUCTION. (2) OVERVIEW: SCIENCE, LITERATURE, AND
CULTURE. James, Science Fiction in the 20th Century. Crichton, Jurassic
Park (1992). (3) THE `MAD SCIENTIST.' Shelley, Frankenstein (1818).
Wells, Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). (4) EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGES. Verne, From
the Earth To the Moon (1863). Wells, First Men in the Moon (1901).
(5) SCIENCE AND UTOPIA. Wells, The Time Machine (1895). Huxley, Brave
New World (1932). (6) DYSTOPIAS. Zamiatin, We (1924). Orwell, 1984
(1948). (7) COSMOLOGY. Stapledon, Last and First Men (1930). Lewis, Out
of the Silent Planet (1938). (8) AMERICAN sf HEROES AND VALUES. Burroughs, Princess
Of Mars (1912). Nowlan, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1930). (9)
THE "GOLDEN AGE": ROBOTS & TECHNOLOGY. Asimov, Caves of Steel
(1954), Heinlein, The Door into Summer (1956). (10) ROBERT HEINLEIN. Red
Planet (1949), The Star Beast (1954), Have Space Suit, Will Travel
(1958). (11) SCIENCE AND HISTORY. Asimov, Foundation (1942/1951). Miller,
A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959). (12) POSTWAR ALIENATION. Clarke, Childhood's
End (1953). Vonnegut, Sirens of Titan. MODERN sf: THE 1960s. Herbert,
Dune (1965).—Mark B. Adams, Department of History and Sociology of
Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104. "madams@sas.upenn.edu",
Freshman English 6.302. Other Worlds: Revisionary Science Fiction.
Science fiction has the power to revision and critique the world by presenting
alternate societies, encounters with aliens, different pasts and futures, and
speculative uses of technology (robots, interstellar travel, and biological
engineering). In this course, we will focus specifically on sf works which
explore the underpinnings of real world notions of gender, race, and war. TEXTS:
Bisson, "Partial People," Bradbury "June 2003—Way in the Middle
of the Air," Butler, "Bloodchild" and Kindred, Card,
"Ender's Game" and Ender's Game, Duchamp's "Motherhood,
Etc.," Freireich's "The Fade," Friesner's "White! Said
Fred," Lee's "Zelle's Thursday," Le Guin's The Left Hand of
Darkness, Morlan's "The Best Years of Our Lives," Murphy's
"His Vegetable Wife," Russ's "A Few Things I Know about Whileaway"
and "When It Changed," Tiptree's "Houston, Houston, Do You
Read?" and "The Women Men Don't See," Varley's
"Options," and critical essays by James Baldwin, Judith Butler, Ursula
Le Guin, Ashis Nandy, Michael Omi and Howard Winant, and Adrienne Rich.—Cati
Coe, Department of Folklore & Folklife, University of Pennsylvania,
3440 Market Street, #370, Philadelphia PA 19104.
Pennsylvania. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
English Lit 1661. Science Fiction. We will read and discuss, for the most
part, short stories and a few novels illustrative of prevailing trends and
on-going controversies in the development of science fiction from Wells to the
near-present with particular emphasis on North American and experimental sf
written after 1960. Cross-listed with Women's Studies Program. TEXTS:
Asimov, ed., The New Hugo Winners; Wills, ed., The New Hugo Winners
III; Dozois, ed., Modern Classics of Science Fiction and The
Year's Best Science Fiction; and (on reserve in Library) Asimov, ed., The
Super Hugos; Bova, ed. The Best of the Nebulas; Le Guin and Attebery,
eds., The Norton Book of Science Fiction; Hartwell and Cramer, eds., The
Ascent of Wonder; Sargent, ed., Women of Wonder: The Classic Years;
Shippey, ed., The Oxford Book of Science Fiction.—Cynthia Sutherland-O'Nan,
English Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
English Lit 1699. Science Fiction Film. Cross-listed with 8699. This
course will examine the fictions of science in science-fiction cinema. We will
do extensive reading on the genre and screen a range of European and American
films from the 1930s to the present. The course will entail an exploration of
the history of the genre, its conventions and codes, its immutable and mutable
characteristics, its relationship to changing cultural, social, political
contexts, and its varying responses to technology. Most particularly we will be
concerned to explore the ways in which sf cinema encodes different attitudes
toward science and the figure of the scientist, especially the persistence of
the "Frankenstein paradigm" and its various permutations.—Marcia
Landy, English Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
English Lit 1587. Utopian Literature. We read widely in utopian
literature, concentrating on the later decades of the nineteenth century and the
twentieth century. Utopian literature has always been a controversial form of
writing, some readers valuing it highly, others deploring its qualities. We will
consider such questions as: What is the intention of the writers of utopian
literature? Do they mean to suggest practical reforms or merely intend to
provide criticism of social abuses they encounter? TEXTS: Plato, Republic;
More, Utopia; Swift, Gulliver's Travels IV; Bellamy, Looking
Backward; Wells, A Modern Utopia; Gilman, Herland; Forster,
"The Machine Stops"; Zamyatin, We; Orwell, 1984; Huxley,
Brave New World; Vonnegut, Player Piano; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Morris, News from Nowhere; Dostoevsky, Notes from
Underground; Skinner, Walden Two; Butler, Erewhon; Lenin, The
State and Revolution. —W.A. Flanders, English Department, University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
PHYS 0089. Physics and Science Fiction. Explores the physics used in
science fiction, with in-class demonstrations. No previous experience in physics
is assumed. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. to gain a basic understanding of physics
principles from Newton's laws up to modern Relativity and Quantum Mechanics,
including the meaning of scientific terms used (and misused) in science fiction;
2. to gain a basic understanding of the scientific method and how scientists
work; in particular, why scientists embrace some theories that seem far out and
crazy, but reject others; 3. to understand some of the ethical dilemmas and
ultimate issues raised by physics, that recur in science fiction. COURSE
CONTENT: a broad survey of Newton's laws, the laws of thermodynamics and
electrodynamics, Special and General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and Particle
Physics. TEXTS: Forward, Indistinguishable from Magic; March, Physics
for Poets (supplementary); Verne, From the Earth to the Moon and Back
Again; Hoyle, The Black Cloud; Anderson, Tao Zero; Abbott, Flatland;
plus a short story anthology produced for this course. FILMS: 2001: A Space
Odyssey, plus clips from Star Wars.—D. Snoke, Dept. of Physics and
Astronomy, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
English Literature 1479. Tolkien and Lewis. This course could have been
called "Outer Space and Middle Earth" because its purpose is to
explore and evaluate the fantasy worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The
first eight weeks of the term will be devoted to a close reading of the three
novels of Lewis's so-called "space trilogy" and the four finished
works that make up Tolkien's saga of Middle Earth. The final half of the term
will be given over to a rapid reading of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and
Tolkien's shorter fantasies as well as parts of The Silmarillion.—Mary
Elizabeth David, English Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA
15260.
-Coordinator for the Pittsburgh reports: Philip E. Smith, Dept. of
English, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. "psmith+@pitt.edu".
Pennsylvania. West Chester University, West Chester
LIT 162. Literature of the Apocalypse. LIT 162 is an interdisciplinary
course that investigates the premise, held by many American fundamental
Christians, that we are living at the end of time when the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ will initiate Armageddon. Aspects of John's Revelation are examined
in works of fiction and non-fiction: the Jewish holocaust, AIDS plague,
environmental destruction, etc. TEXTS: Erickson, Arc d'X, Ballard,
The Drowned World, Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids.—Charles R.
Bauerlein, Dept. of English, 534 Main Hall, West Chester Univ., West Chester, PA
19383.
Pennsylvania. York College, York
P381. Computers and Modern Thought. In this course we seek to analyze
the impact of computers on our culture, our self-identity, and our community. We
will begin with an analysis of cultural representations of computers in film and
literature. Following that, we will turn to an analysis of the impact of the
computer on our sense of identity and on what it means to be human. In the third
section of the course, we will consider the impact of computers, especially
computer-mediated communication, on how we relate to one another and on our
communities. TEXTS: Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Turkle,
The Second Self; Rheingold, The Virtual Community; Dick (short
stories); Gibson, Burning Chrome, Neuromancer; Asimov, I, Robot. FILMS:
Collossus: The Forbin Project, Demon Seed, War Games, Tron, Total Recall,
Blade Runner, Lawnmower Man.—Dennis M. Weiss, English and Humanities
Dept.,
York College, York, PA 17405.
Québec. Concordia University, Montréal
English 395. Science Fiction. An exploration of the varieties and
nature of science fiction from H.G. Wells to Ursula Le Guin. Readings will
include examples of English and American sf and translations of foreign works.
Among the authors to be studied (subject to availability of titles) will be
Zamiatin, „ apek,
Vonnegut, Dick, and Lem. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, The
Time Machine, The War of the Worlds; Zamiatin, We; Stapledon, Sirius;
Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan; Dick, Ubik; Lem, The
Futurological Congress; Calvino, T-Zero; Le Guin, The Dispossessed;
Gibson, Neuromancer.—Robert M. Philmus, Dept. of English, Concordia
Univ., 7141 Sherbrooke St. W, Montréal, PQ, Canada H4B 1R6, 514-848-2332, fax
514-848-3492.
English 298J/2. Landmarks in Science Fiction. In this historical
survey of the development of sf in its many forms, we shall begin by exploring
various theoretical accounts of the genre and then turn to the detailed analysis
of works selected. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine, The War of
the Worlds, Huxley, Brave New World; Bradbury, The Martian
Chronicles; Blish, A Case of Conscience; Vonnegut, The Sirens of
Titan; Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness; Gibson, Neuromancer; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale;
Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—David
Ketterer, 4231 Wilson Ave., Montréal, PQ, CANADA H4A 2V1, (514) 848-2340.
English 395/3. Science Fiction. Same as above but a 6-credit rather
than a 3-credit course. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Poe; Verne, Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; Wells, The Time Machine, The War of the
Worlds; Stapledon, Star Maker; Huxley, Brave New World;
Clarke, The City and the Stars; Blish, A Case of Conscience;
Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan; Budrys, Rogue Moon; Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz; Lem, Solaris; Dick, The Man in the High
Castle; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Warrick et al., eds. Science Fiction: The
SFRA Anthology.—Ketterer.
Québec. McGill University, Montréal
ENG110-344B. Literature and Science: Science Fiction. A course
investigating interactions between narrative theory (spacetime, agents, etc.)
and genre theory (readers' expectations) on the example of science fiction. The
provisional syllabus may be changed according to availability of titles. TEXTS:
Morris, News from Nowhere; Wells, The Time Machine; Zamiatin, We;
Lem, Mortal Engines; Disch, 334; Delany, Dhalgren; Le Guin,
The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed; Cherryh, The Pride
of Chanur; Gibson, Neuromancer; Spinrad, Little Heroes;
Sargent ed., Women of Wonder.—Darko Suvin, Dept. of English, McGill
Univ., Montréal, PQ, CANADA H3A 2T6, fax (514) 398-8146, "indn@musicb.mcgill.ca".
ENG110-505B. The Twentieth Century: The Genres of Science Fiction and
Fantasy. A first approach to the twin literary genres of Science Fiction and
Fantasy. Historically, these genres have some roots in common but also
differing, indeed often diametrically opposed, devices and horizons. These will
be discussed, beginning with the 19th century (Morris, Wells) and then jumping
by way of Kafka to the middle of the 20th century (Calvino, Lem, Dick) and
ending with a recent Russian novel. TEXTS: Morris, The House of the
Wolfings, News from Nowhere; Wells, Selected Short Stories;
Kafka, The Metamorphosis, the Penal Colony, and Other Stories; Calvino, T-Zero;
Dick, The Penultimate Truth; Lem, Futurological Congress;
Strugatskys, The Time Wanderers.—Suvin.
Rhode Island. Johnson and Wales University, Providence
Literature 4010. Science Fiction. Analysis of science fiction as a
literary genre from its origins to the present. Some 16 short stories, one
novel, and two films are studied. TEXTS: Shippey, ed., The Oxford Book
of Science Fiction Stories; Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.—James
Anderson, Asst. Dean, John Hazen White School of Arts and Sciences, Johnson and
Wales University, 8 Abbot Park Place, Providence, RI 02903.
Saskatchewan. University of Regina, Regina.
English 479/870. The Fantastic in Literature. We will begin by
examining the historical sources of the fantastic: myth, fable, parable,
folktale, and fairy tale. Then, using realistic literature as a touchstone, we
will examine from a generic perspective the nature and diversity of modern
fantastic fiction: fantasy, horror, ghost story, heroic fantasy, and science
fiction. We will then read some works of contemporary fantastic fiction in the
light of our historical and generic deliberations. Simultaneously, we will be
examining and evaluating the most important contemporary theories of the
fantastic. TEXTS: Rabkin, ed. Fantastic Worlds: Myths, Tales, Stories,
Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Stories, Stevenson, Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Wells, Selected Short Stories, Kafka, The
Metamorphosis, The Penal Colony, and Other Stories, Borges, Labyrinths,
Carter, The Passion of New Eve, Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company,
Priest, The Affirmation.—Nicholas Ruddick, English Dept. Univ. of
Regina, Regina, SK, CANADA S4S OA2, "ruddick@max.cc.uregina.ca".
Humanities 260. Utopian Literature, Thought and Experiment. Study of
utopian texts from ancient golden ages to modern science fiction. Questions to
be asked include whether a much improved human society is possible, what might
bring it about, and what are the obstacles. In addition to utopian theory, the
"ideal city," the "intentional community," and other
applications will be considered. TEXTS selected from: More, Utopia;
Morris, News from Nowhere; Gilman, Herland; Huxley, Island;
Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Goodman, Communitas;
plus handouts on Saskatchewan utopianism.—Alex MacDonald, Campion College,
University of Regina, Regina, Sk. Canada S4S OA2.
South Carolina. Charleston Southern University, Charleston
English Composition and Rhetoric I & II. Composition course,
sometimes taught on the theme of "science and humanity." TEXTS:
Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"; Ellison, "I Have
No Mouth and I Must Scream"; Gibson, Neuromancer; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Toffler, Future Shock; Gould, The Panda's Thumb. FILMS: The
Day the Earth Stood Still, Blade Runner, Robocop.—Jim Brown,
English Dept., 9200 Univ. Blvd., Charleston Southern Univ., Charleston, SC
29423.
English 392. Introduction to Gothic Literature. An introduction to the
genre of Gothic literature through the study of its most prominent authors in
order to understand the significant literary contributions these authors have
made to literature in general during the last two centuries. We may also try to
answer The Shadow's question: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of
men?" TEXTS: Walpole, The Castle of Otranto; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Stoker, Dracula; Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Hawthorne,
Edgar Allen Poe, Selected Writings, King, Night Shift, assorted
short stories.—Dawn Leonard, Dept. of English, PO Box 118087, Charleston
Southern Univ., Charleston, SC 29423-8087.
South Carolina. College of Charleston, Charleston
English 240. Science Fiction. English 240 will introduce you to the
main themes and issues of science fiction and will attempt to stimulate your
interest in the interrelationship between twentieth century science and
technology, on the one hand, and twentieth century fiction, on the other. No
previous knowledge of science fiction or background in English or American
literature is expected. At the end of the term, you can expect to be familiar
with two kinds of science fiction: 1. `hard' or technologically oriented sf is
based on mathematics and physics, sometimes on biology and chemistry; topics
include time problems, robots, alien life forms, and clones; 2. `soft' or
socially oriented sf is based on sociology, economic theory, and psychology;
topics include clones (again), new forms of family and governmental structures,
and questions of gender and sexuality. (Note that we will not be reading any
Fantasy or `Sword and Sorcery' titles in this course.) After a brief examination
of some early pioneers (particularly H.G. Wells), we will concentrate on major
trends in sf published in the United States between 1940 and 1990. Sf is an
immense field, and some focus is necessary in an introduction. This means that
we will not be looking at parallel developments in European sf, for instance; it
also means that we will skip over the early decades of the twentieth century. I
will be happy to suggest readings for you in either of these areas if you are
interested. There is also a flourishing sf field in Latin America, and if
necessary I will refer you to others on campus who are knowledgeable in that
area. TEXTS: Asimov, Caves of Steel; Dick, The Man in the High
Castle; Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Niven, Ringworld;
Pohl, Gateway;, Wells, he Time Machine; Warrick et al., eds. Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.—Caroline Hunt, English Dept., College of
Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424.
South Carolina. Lander University, Greenwood
ENGL 214. Literature and Utopia. A chronological survey of utopian and
dystopian writing from a variety of cultures ranging from the ancient Greeks
through the present day. We read both fictional and theoretical work. The format
of the course is lecture and discussion. In both the readings and the
discussions, we will focus on ideological questions: who gets to decide the
rules for society? who benefits from having the rules that are decided upon?
what happens to those who break the rules? TEXTS: Plato, The Republic;
More, Utopia; Morris, News from Nowhere; Marx and Engels, The
Communist Manifesto; Jefferson et al., The Declaration of Independence;
Zamyatin, We; Gilman, Herland; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale;
Orwell, 1984; Huxley, Brave New World; Theroux, O-Zone;
Schuyler, Black Empire; Bowtie, Beirut.— D.S. Lawson, Division
of Humanities, Lander University, Greenwood, SC 29649.
South Carolina. University of South Carolina at Spartanburg
English 398. Studies: Science Fiction. A slot course; I have taught it as
Science Fiction about ten times in the last 25 years. Goals: To survey by
reading, lecture, viewing, testing, writing, and oral presentation a
representative selection of science fiction primarily throughout the twentieth
century, to determine from example the nature of these contributions to this
genre of literature. Some of this literature requires a mature audience;
students be advised. TEXTS (1993): Le Guin and Attebery, eds., Norton
Anthology of Science Fiction; Asimov, Caves of Steel; Willis, Doomsday
Book; The SFRA Anthology.—Elizabeth S. Davidson, Department of
English, University of South Carolina at Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC 29303.
South Dakota. National College, Rapid City
EN 320. Science Fiction. Science Fiction is a humanities course
designed to examine this literary genre. The student is exposed to works of a
large range of sf writers. TEXTS: Allen, ed. Science Fiction: The
Future; Kelley, ed. Themes in Science Fiction.—Sandra Christianson,
321 Kansas City St., Rapid City, SD 51101.
South Dakota. South Dakota State University, Brookings
English 350. Science Fiction. I have taught this course since 1980;
now we offer it every fall semester. The course used to carry Humanities Core
Curriculum credit, but it no longer does. This has reduced its enrollment from
30 to 20. Very few English majors take it because, ironically, they complain
about the "heavy" reading. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed. The
Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, The
Time Machine; Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Pohl & Kornbluth, The
Space Merchants; Dick, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?); Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Gibson, Neuromancer;
McCrumb, Zombies of the Gene Pool; Bova, ed. The Best of the Nebulas.—John
W. Taylor, Dept. of English & Linguistics, South Dakota State Univ.,
Brookings, SD 57007.
Tennessee. Maryville College, Maryville
English 208. Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction. Fantasy and science
fiction share a number of common traits; at the same time, there are important
distinctions to be made when speaking of the two genres. By the end of the
course, students will be able to recognize the commonalities and distinctions
involved. They will be familiar with the narrative structure, common themes,
stylistic devices, including narrative point of view, employed by the authors
studied. The art of close analytical reading will also be reinforced. Finally,
students should leave the course able to distinguish the enduring from the
ephemeral in fantasy and science fiction. TEXTS: Lewis, The Lion, the
Witch, and the Wardrobe, Out of the Silent Planet; Tolkien, The
Hobbit; Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea; L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time;
Wells, The Time Machine; Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Asimov
and Silverberg, Nightfall.—Susan Schneibel, Div. of Humanities,
Maryville College, Maryville, TN 37804.
Tennessee. East Tennessee State University, Johnson City
English 2280. Female Heroes in Speculative Fiction. Using the works as
springboards, we will consider these questions: What is a hero? How does one
become a hero? What differences (if any) exist in the definitions of hero,
heroine, and protagonist? What are the "stages" of the hero's
"journey," and how are these included/ omitted/combined/transmuted in
the novels we read? How (if at all) do the experiences of a female hero differ
from those of a male hero? How do heroes define themselves? Throughout the
semester, we will consider the novels as literature: figurative language, tone,
setting, character development, imagery, etc. TEXTS: Pearson, The Hero
Within; Lackey, Vows and Honor; Roberson, Daughter of the Lion;
Bradley, The Shattered Chain; McCaffrey, The Rowan; McIntyre, Dreamsnake;
Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion; Woolf, Orlando.—Sonya H.
Cashelan, English Dept., East Tennessee State Univ., Box 70683, Johnson City, TN
37601, (423) 929-6674.
Tennessee. Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville
POPC 405/505. Sf and Fantasy. We also view 6-10 movies which vary with
availabilty. We read several short stories. Students do presentations and
projects, which vary—sometimes with movie scripts, short stories, TV scripts
(which we produce). I cover the history of sf and f. We take up various units as
I/they choose, unique to the class. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Card, Ender's Game; Huxley, Brave
New World; Herbert, Dune; Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea;
Tolkien, The Hobbit; etc.—Connie K. Hood, Box 5053, English Dept.,
Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN 38505.
Texas. Austin College, Sherman
Communication/Inquiry II. Freshman Seminar "Issues in Science
Fiction." This course focuses on sf as social critique, linking stories
that touch on each of four general issues (relationships with aliens/Others,
definitions of humanity, technology/progress, social trends) with
"real" problems and questions at the time the stories were written and
in contemporary contexts. TEXTS: Silverberg, ed., The Science Fiction
Hall of Fame, Vol. 1; Wilson, ed. Paragons: Twelve Science Fiction
Writers Ply Their Craft; FILMS (attendance optional): The Day the
Earth Stood Still; Alien; Forbidden Planet; Blade Runner
(director's cut); Total Recall; Star Wars.—Shelley Reid, "SREID@austinc.edu",
English Dept., Austin College, Sherman, TX 75090.
Texas. Baylor University, Waco
English 4374. Special Topics in Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction in
Literary History. The course will survey the major movements in 19th- and
20th-cemtury literature through a selection of short stories, novels, and films
from the categories of fantasy and science fiction. We will consider the works
read in relation to the significant concerns of each major period in literary
history (the Romantic quest, the Victorian concern with the relationship between
art and ethics). But in general, we will take our cue from the chief interest of
contemporary sf and concentrate in each period on the creation of utopian and
dystopian visions. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Hoffmann
(selected stories); Stoker, Dracula; Chesterton, The Man Who Was
Thursday; Wells, The Time Machine; Zamiatin, We; Borges
(selected stories); Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Clarke, Childhood's
End; Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness; Lem, Solaris; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale. FILMS:
Frankenstein, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Blade Runner.—James
Foster, PO Box 97406, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX 76798-7406.
Texas. Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene
ENGL 5399. Special Studies: Modern Fantasy. Surveys great works of
fantasy from approximately 1860-1960; emphasizes psychological, philosophical,
and religious themes. Features much discussion. TEXTS: MacDonald, Phantastes,
Lilith; Lindsay, A Voyage to Arcturus; Lewis, Out of the Silent
Planet, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz; Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea.— Larry E. Fink,
Hardin-Simmons University, Box 16035, Abilene, TX 79698.
Texas. McMurry University, Abilene
English 3399. Science Fiction. The course has two purposes: to
introduce students to the serious examination of science fiction as a legitimate
literary genre, and to survey various kinds of fiction within the genre. Along
the way, we'll examine significant sf films, some made from the fiction we're
discussing and some which stand as significant sf in their own right. Two
comments before we move on: First, sf is a multi-national literature, so we're
examining the work of American, British, and Canadian writers. Second, this is a
course in science fiction, so if you notice the absence of writers you're
fond of—such as Ursula K. Le Guin or Marion Zimmer Bradley, who are fantasy
writers, or Dean Koontz or Steven King, who are considered horror writers—don't
worry. Their work is considered as belonging to a different genre, so I'm not
making some sort of comment against them by not including them. TEXTS:
Aronica and McCarthy, eds. Full Spectrum; Asimov, The Caves of Steel;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Niven, Ringworld; Orwell, 1984;
Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades; Williams, Hardwired.—Chuck
Etheridge, Dept. of English, Box 608, McMurry Univ., Abilene, TX 79697.
Texas. St. Mary's University, San Antonio
EN 5360w. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. Course objectives:
Students will be introduced to sf literature, a genre one critic has called the
"future of fiction." They will be given the opportunity to refine
their skills of critical analysis and literary interpretation and evaluation.
They will be encouraged to assess their own value system and the values
operative in society by examining possible longterm consequences of such values.
They will explore alternative futures through the projections of internal and
external realities so crucial to the sf genre. They will be given the
opportunity to refine and expand their verbal and written commuication skills. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein, Wells, The Time Machine, Herbert, Dune,
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land, Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings,
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane,
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale.—Sister Christine Catron, English and
Communication Studies, St. Mary's University, One Camino Santa Maria, Box #14,
San Antonio, TX 78228.
Texas. Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos
Honors 3391A. Science Fiction and Society. This course will examine a
variety of works which focus on a single major theme and pattern of science
fiction: possible futures. Emphasis will be on the manner in which the selected
writers have envisioned future government, social organization, male/female
relationships, human evolution, and humankind's understanding of its own past.
We will consider both the literary and the philosophical value of the fiction. TEXTS:
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Brin, The Postman; Dick, The Man
in the High Castle; Huxley, Brave New World; Kellogg, Harmony;
Lessing, Memoirs of a Survivor; Starhawk, The Fifth Sacred Thing;
Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country.—Patricia Deduck, Dept. of English,
Southwest Texas State Univ., 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666-4616.
English 3340. Science Fiction and Fantasy. Analysis of short stories and
novels in an American and British literary context. TEXTS: Sargent, ed., Women
of Wonder; Blish, A Case of Conscience; Clarke, 2001: A Space
Odyssey; Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Heinlein, The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress; Herbert, Dune; Le Guin, The Dispossessed;
McCaffrey, Dragonflight; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Tolkien,
The Fellowship of the Ring.—Diane Parkin-Speer, English Dept.,
Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666.
English 5395. Science Fiction, the Bridge between Realism and Fantasy.
This graduate seminar focuses on 20th-century sf novels and short stories. The
genre will be viewed as a popular Anglo-American phenomenon which addresses
social issues and the effects of science and technology on modern society. TEXTS:
Aldiss, Helliconia Winter; Brackett, The Long Tomorrow; Brin, The
Postman; Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar; Clarke, Childhood's End;
Delany, Babel-17; Heinlein, Friday; Le Guin, The Left Hand of
Darkness; Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan; Wells, The Time Machine;
Wolfe, The Shadow of the Torturer; Warrick, et al, eds., The SFRA
Anthology.—Parkin-Speer.
Texas. Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches
English 330. Science Fiction. A survey of science-fiction stories and
novels published between 1960 and the present. Works are analyzed from the
perspectives of both form and content, and students are encouraged to examine
each work in terms of how and why it may entertain readers and provoke their
thought. The basic premise of the course is that sf legitimately may be viewed
simultaneously as popular fiction, as satire, and as philosophical speculation
and/or extrapolation. TEXTS: Le Guin and Attebery, eds., The Norton
Book of Science Fiction; Benford, Timescape; Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness; Gibson, Virtual Light; Stephenson, The Diamond
Age.—L.A. Cheever, English Dept., Stephen F. Austin State University,
Nacogdoches, TX 75962.
Texas. Tarleton State University, Stephenville
English 5403. Studies in Modern Fiction. A historical survey, going
from the turn of the century to the modern period. The approach is critical. TEXTS:
Wells, The Time Machine; Burroughs, A Princess of Mars; Stapledon,
Odd John; Huxley, Brave New World; Lewis, Out of the Silent
Planet; Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Miller, A Canticle for
Leibowitz; and several others.—Joe R. Christopher, English Department,
Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX 76402.
English 2203. Introduction to Literature. A thematic (and genre)
course, with emphasis on student writing. It is an honors course on science and
literature for sophomores. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine; Huxley,
Brave New World; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; „ apek,
R.U.R.; Shaw, Back to Methuselah; Frazier, ed., Burning with a
Vision: Poetry of Science and the Fantastic, etc.—Christopher.
Texas. Texas A & M University, College Station
English 334. Science Fiction, Present and Past. English 334 presents
an opportunity to study science fiction as a literary genre—with side
excursions into human psychology, sociology, politics, and culture. Lectures and
discussions consider a wide range of texts, beginning in the 19th century and
continuing down to the present. This semester we will focus on novels. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, War of the Worlds; Huxley, Brave
New World; Clarke, Childhood's End; Lem, Solaris; Le Guin, The
Lathe of Heaven, The Left Hand of Darkness; Dick, Blade Runner (Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?); Butler, Dawn; Gibson, Neuromancer.
—Jimmie Killingsworth, Dept. of English, Texas A & M Univ., College
Station, TX 77843.
Texas. Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi
English 454. Science Fiction. The aim of this course is to develop a
clear understanding of the nature and purposes of science fiction. We will be
concerned not only with the major themes of (mainly) American science fiction
but also with its qualities as fiction, and we will try to develop a sound
definition of the genre and a set of critical principles for evaluating its
literary worth. TEXTS: Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness;
Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Gibson, Neuromancer; Bear,
Blood Music; Herbert, Dune; Warrick et al, eds. Science
Fiction: The SFRA Anthology; Silverberg, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of
Fame, Vol. 1. FILMS: Destination Moon, 2001: A Space Odyssey,
Blade Runner, Dune.—David Mead, Arts and Humanities, Texas A & M Univ.
at Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78412.
Texas. Texas Christian University, Fort Worth
ENGL 2733. Science Fiction. Significant themes in science fiction
(e.g., alien contact, the impact of technology, tampering with nature, the
battle of the sexes), examined in the context of the history and development of
the larger genre. Themes and books change somewhat with each offering. TEXTS:
Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau; Huxley, Brave New World; Miller, A
Canticle for Leibowitz; Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar; Atwood, The
Handmaid's Tale; Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Heinlein, Starship Troopers; Niven and
Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye; Crichton, Jurassic Park; Card, Ender's
Game; McCrumb, Zombies of the Gene Pool.—Fred Erisman, Dept. of
English, Box 297270, Texas Christian Univ., Fort Worth, TX 76129.
English 2733. Science Fiction. Goals for the course: Most of the
students who end up in my sf classes seem to enroll for one of two reasons: 1.
they are particularly fond of sf as a genre, or 2. they need to meet the
university's core requirement for a course in literature, and they believe that
sf will be easier or more fun than reading what they generally call "real
literature." Since many of the students are familiar only with sf on TV or
film, most think sf is primarily plot-driven, and they have the savvy to realize
that attention to character or theme in popular sf is largely a way for
producers to hold down special effects budgets.... So my goal is to deprogram
two preconceptions: that sf isn't "real literature" and that sf
doesn't present the same hermeneutic difficulties or intellectual rewards as
Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, or Faulkner. The deprogramming happens in the reading I
assign and the kinds of questions I ask (both in class and for the various tests
and papers). For example, few students miss the point that sf is a very
didactic, idea-driven genre when, in the midst of a chase scene in The
Dispossessed, the characters suddenly sit down to discuss politics for
twenty pages.... The shape of the course and the reading generally moves across
a few historical examples—gothic precursors, antitechnological nostalgia,
scientific romances, futurism, hard sf, new wave, cyberpunk—then ends with
what I think of as particularly "literary" texts. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein; Zamyatin, We; Heinlein, The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle;
Gibson, Neuromancer; Lem, Solaris; Amis, ime's Arrow; Hoban,
Riddley Walker; Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?;
Calvino, Cosmicomics; Lightman, Einstein's Dream. —Neil
Easterbrook, Dept. of English, TCU, Box 32872, Fort Worth, TX, 76129.
Texas. Texas Tech University, Lubbock
English 3381-01. Literature of the Fantastic—Entropy versus Immortality.
Purpose: to explore the varieties of sf, to study major examples of each
subgenre, and to develop your critical skills by articulating informed judgments
verbally and in writing. TEXTS: Crichton, Jurassic Park; Shelley, Frankenstein;
Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea; Dick, Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream
of Electric Sheep?); Rice, The Tale of the Body Thief; Card, Speaker
for the Dead.—James Whitlark, Dept. of English, Box 43091, Texas Tech
Univ., Lubbock, TX 79409-3091.
Texas. Trinity College, San Antonio
English 317C. Science Fiction and Fantasy. A study of the literature
of science-fiction and/or fantasy genres with special emphasis on historical
development and contemporary expression. TEXTS: Le Guin and Attebery,
eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction; Heinlein, Stranger in a
Strange Land; Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Dick, Blade
Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?); Clarke, Childhood's End;
Gibson, Virtual Light.—C.W. Spinks, Dept. of English, Trinity College,
715 Stadium Dr., San Antonio, TX 78212, "cspinks@trinity.edu".
Texas. University of Houston at Clear Lake, Houston
LITR 4632. Literature of the Future. Textual modes for literature and
human society of the future in a variety of genres, including science fiction,
magic realism, prophecy, postmodern literature, and the history of science. TEXTS:
Borges, "The Garden of Forking Paths"; The Bible (Book of
Revelation); Wells, The Time Machine; Dick, The Man in the High
Castle; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale;
Sterling, ed. Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology, Islands in the
Net; Leyner, My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist; Butler, Parable of
the Sower.—Craig Howard White, Literature & Humanities, 2700 Bay Area
Blvd., Univ. of Houston at Clear Lake, Houston, TX 77058-1098,
"white2@cl4.cl.uh.edu".
LITR 5733. Seminar in American Culture: American Utopias, Dystopias, and
Parallel Worlds. In a historic and continuing effort "to form a more
perfect union" or at least imagine one, North American writers have
developed the genre known as "utopia" which envisions a world of
better possibilities. Or when a more dismal society emerges instead, they
criticize it by writing a "dystopia." Or they escape into a
"parallel world" of alienation and fantasy. In their depictions of
American society and its antisocial individuals, this seminar's classic and
recent texts combine such themes or genres. Discussions will identify
characteristic elements and configurations (as well as anomalies). Instruction
will emphasize the historical backgrounds of these visions. TEXTS:
Hawthorne, The Blithedale Romance; Bellamy, Looking Backward;
Gilman, Herland; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on
the Edge of Time; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Silko, Almanac of
the Dead; Stephenson, Snow Crash.—White.
Texas. University of North Texas, Denton
English 3910. Special Topics in Literature. Cross-listed as English 5800—
Genre Studies. Science Fiction was offered in the Spring of 1989 and will be
offered again in Fall 1996. Reading and analysis of recent novels, with emphasis
on literary qualities, especially rhetoric. TEXTS: Marion Zimmer Bradley,
The Heritage of Hastur; Octavia Butler, Adulthood Rites; Orson
Scott Card, Ender's Game; Suzy McKee Charnas, The Furies; Arthur
C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey; Bradley Denton, Buddy Holly is Alive
and Well on Ganymede; Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness;
Walter M. Miller, Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz; Kim Stanley Robinson, Red
Mars; Joan Slonczewski, A Door into Ocean; Connie Willis, The
Doomsday Book; Gene Wolfe, Soldier of the Mist.—Edra Bogle, 201
Peach Street, Denton, TX 76201.
Texas. University of Texas at Arlington
English 3300. American Utopian Expressions. The primary goal of the
course is to offer a chronological introduction to American utopian literature.
The works selected indicate the great diversity of American utopian fiction, a
diversity I have emphasized by consciously including works by authors of
different genders, races, classes, and regions. Nonetheless, to understand more
fully the contexts and meanings of the fictions, indeed to begin to grasp the
crucial importance of utopianism in America, we must move beyond literary
utopias to examine expressions of utopianism found in travel accounts,
autobiographies, manifestos and declarations, sacred texts, visions, intentional
communities, world fairs, and entertainment parks. Including these types of
utopian expressions helps to raise essential questions about American
utopianism. How does the "form" of a utopia effect the conception and
communication of its message? Why do certain forms of utopian expression become
popular during specific historical eras? To what degree do gender, race, class,
and geography shape utopian projections and responses to those projections? TEXTS:
Brown, Wieland; Hawthorne, Blithedale Romance; Bellamy, Looking
Backward; Twain, A Connecticut Yankee; Gilman, Herland;
Skinner, Walden Two; Callenbach, Ecotopia; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; plus many short
readings (e.g., Bible excerpts, Native American creation and vision narratives,
Columbus, Jefferson, Douglass, descriptions of and literature from world fairs
and Disney World).—Kenneth M. Roemer, Dept. of English, UT Arlington,
Arlington, TX 76019.
English 4336. Build Your Own Utopia. See Appendix A to Professor's
Roemer's article in this issue.
English 6329. Shapes of Utopia. The course examines relationships
between concepts of imaginary better worlds and forms of expression. I make no
pretense of offering an overview of utopian literature. Our study is limited (1)
by the focus of the course (i.e., I selected texts that represented various
forms of utopian expression rather than texts considered
"representative" of their era, though many of the ones I selected are
that too); and (2) by my interest in American utopianism. We study British,
Continental, Middle Eastern, and Classical texts, but approximately half of the
texts are American. On the other hand, we will go beyond what is traditionally
called utopian "literature" in our attempts to understand
relationships between form and content (e.g., Plains Indian visions, the
Declaration of Independence, Frederick Douglass's autobiography, Disney World,
comic strips), though we do not venture far into discussions of utopian
communities. Form of expression dictates the course organizations: sacred myth
and vision, philosophical dialogue, public discourse, poetry, satire, drama,
personal narrative, communal documents, world fair/theme park descriptions,
fiction (unambigious, ambivalent, ambiguous), and mixed genre. TEXTS:
Many short readings in the various genres (e.g., Gilgamesh, Black Elk's
vision, Plutarch, Black Petitions, Dante, Swift, Franklin, Douglass, Thoreau),
plus Shakespeare, The Tempest; Bellamy, Looking Backward; Gilman, Herland,
Skinner, Walden Two, Twain, Connecticut Yankee, More, Utopia,
Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Le Guin, Always Coming Home.—Roemer.
Utah. Weber State University, Ogden
Engish 275. Science Fiction, A Literature for Our Times—and Beyond.
This class is intended as a discussion of 21st century social and scientific
philosophy through science fiction. Through short stories, essays, and novels,
the course examines the basic themes and ideas of our time. TEXTS:
Shippey, ed., The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories; Warrick et al.,
eds. Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology.— Donna R. Cheney, "dcheney@ssnet.weber.edu",
Dept. of English, Weber State University, Ogden, UT 84408-1201.
Vermont, Community College of Vermont, Waterbury
English 232. Science Fiction Literature. The course examines the
characteristics, history, and significance of science-fiction literature;
surveys a literary genre's exploration of important twentieth century ideas and
developments, including the impact of science and technology on human
consciousness; and includes the political, cultural, and social circumstances to
which science fiction responds and/or anticipates. Essential Objectives:
Identify important science fiction authors and their works; describe the
distinctive literary characteristics of science fiction and fantasy; investigate
the evolution and development of science-fiction literature, examine the
political, cultural, and social circumstances that stimulate the creation of
science fiction literature; compare and contrast science fiction literature's
important themes and ideas; and examine the impact of utopian, dystopian,
science fiction, and speculative literature on politics, society, and culture. TEXTS: Bester, The Stars My Destination; Simak, Time and Again;
Heinlein, Double Star; Moore, Bring the Jubilee; Vance, The
Last Castle; Leiber, A Specter Is Haunting Texas; Silverberg, Thorns;
Delaney, Nova; Piercy, Dance the Eagle to Sleep; Bisson, Fire
on the Mountain.—John David Christenson, Community College of Vermont, St.
Johnsbury, 38 Main St., St. Johnsbury VT 05819, 802-748-6673, "christensj@am.ccv.vsc.edu".
Vermont. University of Vermont, Burlington
English 40. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. The course will
deal with classic and contemporary science fiction and a classic of fantasy. It
inquires into the blurry boundaries between the two genres and explores the
relation of both to contemporary life and the life of the imagination. TEXTS: Dozois, ed. Year's Best Science Fiction (1994); Asimov, The End of
Eternity; Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama; Herbert, Dune; Le Guin,
The Left Hand of Darkness; Niven and Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye;
Turner, Brain Child; Turtledove, The Guns of the South. The sole
work of fantasy is Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.—Michael N. Stanton,
Department of English, University of Vermont, Burlington VT 05405. (802)
656-3056.
Virginia. Bridgewater College, Bridgewater
English 215. Science Fiction and Contemporary Issues. Through reading,
viewing, hearing, and discussing science-fictional concepts as they relate to
our nature, we will provide defining characteristics for the human race, with
occasional forays into gender differences. Our discussion will range over
biological, physiological, psychological, sociological, and technological
parameters to provide us with a holistic body of evidence. TEXTS:
Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau; Burroughs,
The Land That Time Forgot; Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet;
Farmer, The Lovers; Sturgeon, More Than Human; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Heinlein, Friday; Gibson, Neuromancer. FILMS:
Frankenstein Unbound, The Time Machine, Star Wars, Logan's Run, Charly, Enemy
Mine, Blade Runner, Lawnmower Man.—Stan Galloway, Dept. of English,
Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA 22812.
Virginia. Emory and Henry College, Emory
Value Inquiry 312. Utopia. A survey of ancient and modern utopian
writings; ethical questionings of the nature of the "good life,"
"pleasure," "happiness," "fulfillment." Study of
the three diverse modern visions of Skinner, Heinlein, and Le Guin. Designing of
personal (and collaborative) utopian dwellings and communities, and reports on
modern experimental communities and alternate lifestyles of the 19th and 20th
centuries. TEXTS: Skinner, Walden Two; Heinlein, Stranger in a
Strange Land; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Johnson, ed. Utopian
Literature: A Selection; Pojman, Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong.—Robert
L. Reid, English Dept., PO Box 947, Emory and Henry College, Emory VA
24327-0947.
Virginia. George Mason University, Fairfax
NCLC 310. Learning Community on Utopia (6 credits). As a class, in small
groups, and individually we will study utopian and dystopian texts, theories,
and practices. We will use examples of utopian writing ranging from Plato to the
present to examine some of the ways eutopian dreams (and dystopian nightmares)
have changed over time. We will explore the relationships between utopian
speculations and historical events. We will also study the history of several
"utopian" experiments, and visit two local "utopian"
communities. We will try to become aware of how much utopian expression there
is, to discover something of its variety, to consider how these texts differ
from other forms of written discourse. We will ask how utopian novels differ
from utopian political pamphlets, or essays in philosophy or psychology. We will
ask about the different ways utopian texts are designed to jostle readers' ideas
about their society and themselves. What have the relationships been between
utopian texts and "various experiments" in utopian living? How do we
go about assessing utopian texts, figuring out their meaning, significance, and
value? Reflecting on utopian writing and experience invites us to draw on
everything we know: what we've learned about human life and society from courses
on philosophy, economics, history, psychology, anthropology and political
theory, for instance, and what we've learned from our experiences about work and
play, education and aging, love, envy and jealousy, desire and fear, grief and
joy, loss and satisfaction—and anything else that matters. In various ways
these texts are designed to force us to reflect more carefully on our own basic
values, our ideas about how the world has been and is and what it might become,
our images of who we are and what we might be. They also lead us to think about
how human societies work, what their stated and unstated goals are, how they
meet needs and desires (and how and why they don't), how and in whose interest
they can be changed. The writing assignments encourage you to draw on your
expertise and to clarify your values. In small-group and in whole-class
discussions you should be able to risk saying what you really mean, while you
also listen carefully to what others say, and offer honest, supportive
challenges. Guest professors: Kevin Avruch (Anthropology), Debra Bergoffen
(Philosophy), Joseph Wood (Geography), Dulce Cruz (English), Bill Lankford
(Physics), Roger Wilkins (Robinson Professor, History), and from other colleges,
Carol Kolmerten (English, Hood College), Jeanne Pfaelzer (English, U. of
Delaware), Hoda Zaki (African American Studies, Hood College). TEXTS:
Plato, The Republic; More, Utopia; Mill, On Liberty; Jones
& Merchant, Unveiling a Parallel; Zamyatin, We; Spiro, Kibbutz:
Venture in Utopia; Marcuse, An Essay on Liberation; Le Guin, The
Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Bowes, Kibbutz
Goshen.—Tom Moylan and John Radner, Department of English, George Mason
University, Fairfax, VA 22030.
English 791. Seminar: Religion, Utopian Narrative, and Political Theory.
In this course, we will address the relationship of religion, utopian narrative,
and political theory as it has developed from the Book of Exodus to the present.
Drawing on the literary/social theory of Raymond Williams and on the extensive
work on utopian discourse by Ernst Bloch (often described as a "marxist
theologian"), we will examine utopian narrative in Exodus and in the
writings of the medieval theologian Joachim of Fiore (often seen as a mystical
predecessor of Hegel and Marx). We will then turn to the twentieth century and
examine the interconnection of religion, utopia, and politics in two key works:
Ignazio Silone's novel and Rigoberta Menchú's testimonio. To put these
works in perspective, we will read one of the most important works of theology
in recent times—one which joins marxist and religious praxis in the context of
Latin America: Gutiérrez' Theology of Liberation. (The history by Penny
Lernoux will provide a very valuable background for this; read as much of it as
you can.) We will conclude with a discussion of the "synergy" of
religion, utopia, and politics in the postmodern era. TEXTS: The Bible
(RSV); Williams, Marxism and Literature; McGinn, ed. Apocalyptic
Spirituality; Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation; Silone, Bread
and Wine; Menchú, I, Rigoberta Menchú; Lernoux, Cry of the
People: The Struggle for Human Rights in Latin America—The Catholic
Church in Conflict with U.S. Policy; a collection of essays in a
course reader.—Moylan.
English 685. Science Fiction and Postmodernity. In "Cultural
Studies and the Centre," Stuart Hall describes the project of the Centre
for Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham as one that is informed by
"concepts of social formation, cultural power, domination and regulation,
resistance and struggle." He characterizes the goal of the project as an
examination of the relationship between literary (and other) texts (as
historically constituted cultural practices) and the economic, political, and
ideological dimensions of society. Using a similar approach, we will address the
relationships between science fiction (sf) of the 1970's and 1980's and the
global context of "postmodernity." Teresa de Lauretis argues that the
"sign work" of sf is "potentially creative of new forms of social
imagination, creative in the sense of mapping out areas where cultural change
could take place, of envisioning a different order of relationships between
people and between people and things, a different conceptualization of social
existence, inclusive of physical and material existence." How this
"sign work" plays out in a world which is rapidly moving beyond the
historical boundaries of modernity will be our primary question. We will address
four issues: first, the formal properties of the sf text; second, the
characteristics of the emerging postmodern political economy and culture; third,
the potential for political agency in this new social terrain; and fourth, the
"place" of contemporary sf in this larger historical context. TEXTS:
Sterling, ed., Mirrorshades; Pohl and Kornbluth, Space Merchants;
Russ, The Female Man; Gibson, Neuromancer; Russo, Subterranean
Gallery; Laclau and Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy; a
collection of essays in a course reader.—Moylan.
English 492. Introduction to Science Fiction. Drawing (primarily but
not exclusively) on feminist, marxist, and post-structuralist theories of
history, society, and culture—we will study the history and criticism of the
science-fiction genre from its beginnings in the early 19th century (Frankenstein,
1818) to very recent work in the 1990's (Synners, 1992). We will pursue
two major projects. We will study the formal properties of the sf literary text:
in this light, we will look at sf as a specific form of cultural production
(evolving with its own intertextual tradition, but unique to the modern and
postmodern eras), and we will consider the "reading protocols"
associated with this literary form. At the same time, we will study the
relationships between the sf texts and their historical contexts—including the
economic, political, and ideological aspects of the historical periods of
modernity and now postmodernity. Readings, lectures, discussion, and writing
will circulate around both the fictional works and theoretical/critical works—always
taking into account the specificities of the historical contexts of the sf
texts' production and our reception as readers/critics. In addition, students
wishing to get a better grasp of theoretical work are advised to read the
recommended assignments in a timely fashion, and to incorporate them in their
work. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Wells, War of the Worlds;
Pohl and Kornbluth, Space Merchants; Russ, The Female Man; Gibson,
Neuromancer; Cadigan, Synners; Brantlinger, Crusoe's
Footprints: Cultural Studies in Britain and America; a collection of essays
in a course reader.—Moylan.
English 415. Utopian Thinking, Utopian Writing. Working within a
feminist and marxist problematic, we will study the interrelationships of
culture and politics as they are manifested in utopian discourse. On one hand,
we will study the history of utopian writing as it has developed within Western
European and North American cultures. We will study the form of the utopian
novel and the changes it went through as the historical and literary context
changed. We will begin with the book that started it all—Thomas More's Utopia;
we will then turn to the period of the late 19th/early 20th century when utopian
writing flourished—looking at texts by Morris and Gilman; we will then examine
two important utopian novels of the 1970's—by Le Guin and Piercy. On the other
hand, we will study the nature of utopian thinking and examine the relationship
between utopian discourse and the social-political process. We will consider the
impact of each of the above books on their times, and then we will conclude with
the work of one who is not usually considered in a utopian context, Malcolm X,
approaching his life, his political work, and his speeches from a utopian
perspective. TEXTS: More, Utopia; Morris, News From Nowhere;
Gilman, Herland; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on
the Edge of Time; Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Malcolm X, Malcolm
X Speaks; Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks to Young People; Moylan, Demand
the Impossible; a collection of essays in a course reader.—Moylan.
English 360. Marge Piercy's Science Fiction. Stuart Hall describes
cultural studies as a project informed by "concepts of social formation,
cultural power, domination and regulation, resistance and struggle." As he
describes it, cultural studies involves an examination of the relationship
between literary (and other) texts (as historically constituted cultural
practices) and the economic, political, and ideological dimensions of society.
Edward Said argues against the dominant mode of criticism that validates
and reproduces the present order of things and for an oppositional criticism
that adopts a broader view of the world and its occupants and that challenges
present systems of meaning and power in the name of a "noncoercive
knowledge produced in the interests of human freedom." With these
perspectives in mind and drawing (primarily) on feminist, marxist, and
poststructuralist theories of history, society, and culture—and on critical
writing about the science-fiction genre (sf)—we will read the three sf novels
written by contemporary author, Marge Piercy. In focussing on these works (by an
author who has also written "realist" fiction, poetry, and drama), we
will trace the changes that have occurred over three decades in her social and
political imagination and in her formal strategies. Doing this will give us a
sense of her development as a writer, a sense of science fiction itself, and a
sense of the historical shifts that have occurred in these years. For those
unfamiliar with sf, be assured that we will discuss its formal properties and
its historical evolution. For those rusty on recent history, we will trace some
of the major social and political developments that Piercy negotiates in her
novels. For those unfamiliar with Piercy's work, we will review its range and
its reception in popular and academic circles. However, our primary focus will
be on the novels themselves. TEXTS: Piercy, Dance the Eagle to Sleep
(1970); Woman on the Edge of Time (1976); He, She, and It (1991);
Russ, To Write Like a Woman: Essays in Feminism and Science Fiction;
Delany, Silent Interviews: On Language, Race, Sex, Science Fiction, and Some
Comics.—Moylan.
English 459. Studies in Fiction, Dystopias. Drawing (primarily but not
exclusively) on Marxist, feminist, and post-structuralist theories of history,
society, and popular culture and on the literary criticism of utopian and
dystopian fiction, we will study a selection of the classic dystopian novels of
the twentieth century. The reading for each week will include both theoretical
and fictional work; lecture and discussion will move between theoretical
considerations and close readings of the dystopias. TEXTS: Morris, News
From Nowhere; Zamyatin, We; Huxley, Brave New World; Orwell, 1984;
Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451; Vonnegut, Player Piano; Atwood, Handmaid's
Tale; Moylan, Demand the Impossible: Science Fiction and the Utopian
Imagination; a collection of essays in a course reader.—Moylan
English 791. Seminar: The Persistence of Utopia. Despite the present
horrors of the social and despite certain caveats in some versions of post-1968
(and post-1989) "theories" about the viability of utopian discourse,
texts and social practices that critique and challenge what is in terms
of what is not yet seem to be alive and well. This "persistence of
the utopian" is what I want to explore in this seminar. To situate the
question, we'll begin with some of the influential theoretical essays on the
"literary utopia" (as well as some of the fictive works in the
"utopian canon"). We will do so in the context of the discursive,
theoretical, political "field" of what, since around 1975, has come to
be known as "utopian studies." (So you might want to read Thomas
More's Utopia, William Morris' News From Nowhere, Ursula Le Guin's
The Dispossessed, and Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time to
develop your knowledge of the fictive base of this work—and check out the
journal Utopian Studies to visit the "field.") We'll then move
on to a more theoretically inflected encounter with the "utopian
debate." We'll review earlier arguments for utopianism (Marx and Engels,
and especially Bloch). We'll then look at the work of Fredric Jameson and others
who have helped to explore the ways in which the "utopian impulse" or
"proclivity" has survived, mutated, in our time. Here, the work in
hermeneutics and Bakhtinian dialogics will be important to locate the key double
move of negativity and (a self-reflexive and provisional) positivity that
Michael Gardiner and others find to be the basic strategy of "critical
utopianism." After break, we'll start with a review of theories on the mode
of production and reproduction of the social (via Althusser, Gramsci, and Laclau
and Mouffe) as a way to locate the social potential for the utopian impulse.
We'll then look at arguments that question or raise concerns about the critical
viability of utopianism in the emerging global order. We'll then take time to
remind ourselves of the economic and political conditions of that global order
(Bloch would talk here about "latency" and "tendency"). From
this moment of the "negation of the negation," we will consider a
range of present possibilities for utopianism: first, in theoretical accounts of
the spatial potential for utopianism; then, in "case studies" (first,
new works of fiction by Robinson and Piercy; then, the political manifestoes of
the Zapatista Liberation Front in Chiapas). We will conclude with a discussion
of material drawn from your own projects. TEXTS: Levitas, The Concept
of Utopia; Tucker, ed. The Marx-Engels Reader; Geoghegan, Utopianism
and Marxism; Brenkman, Culture and Domination; Davis, Prisoners of
the American Dream; Ross and Trachte, Global Capitalism: The New
Leviathan; Robinson, Pacific Edge, Green Mars, Piercy, He,
She, and It; Cooper et al., Zapatistas; Minnesota Review 6
(spring 1976); Zapatista Documents; a collection of essays in a course
reader.—Moylan.
English 363:003. Utopian Literature. As a class, in small groups, and
individually we'll study a few of the many works of literature that explore the
nature of "utopia," starting with Thomas More's Utopia (1516)
and ending with several recent texts. Here, as in any 300-level literature
course, I would like us to learn to read more carefully, and to explain clearly
in writing and in class discussions what we feel and think, and what features of
the books we've read and what aspects of our own experience produce these
reactions. I also want us to improve our skills in constructing arguments, and
to grow more confident about our ability to understand and assess literature.
Since this is a course on "Utopian Literature," we should try to
become aware of how much such literature there is, to discover something of its
variety, to consider how this literature differs from other literature we've
read. What's the difference between a utopian novel and other novels, or between
a utopian novel and a political pamphlet or an essay about human psychology?
What have the relationships been between utopian texts and various
"experiments" in utopian living? How have utopian dreams (or
nightmares) changed over time? How are these books designed to affect their
readers? What specific strategies have different writers used to challenge and
engage, dislocate and attract us? What is relevant in assessing utopian texts,
in figuring out their meaning and significance? Reading utopian literature
invites us to draw on everything we know: what we've learned about human life
from courses on philosophy, economics, history, psychology, political theory,
for instance, and what we've learned from all our experiences about work and
play, education and aging, love, envy and jealousy, desire and fear, grief and
joy, loss and satisfaction—and anything else that matters. In various ways
these texts are designed to force us to reflect more carefully on our own basic
values, our ideas about how the world has been and is and what it might become,
our images of who we are and what we might be. I've designed writing assignments
to encourage you to draw on your expertise and to clarify your values. I hope in
small-groups and in whole-class discussions we can all risk saying what we
really mean, listen carefully to what others say, and offer honest, supportive
challenges. TEXTS: More, Utopia; Johnson, Rasselas;
Voltaire, Candide; Thoreau, Walden; Morris, News from Nowhere;
Zamyatin, We; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Piercy, Woman on the
Edge of Time; Russ, The Female Man.—Radner.
Virginia. Hollins College, Roanoke
FP_6. The Search for Values in Speculative Fiction. Science fiction and
fantasy allow authors to explore questions of values. We'll investigate imagined
realities that enable us to consider the moral dimensions of war, social
justice, sexuality, gender roles and what it means to be human. Requirements
include a long and stimulating reading list, brief analytical papers, student
discussion leading, group "utopia" projects, and the creation of one's
own sf or fantasy text—a short story, video, series of drawings, fictional
guidebook or history, or the like. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein;
Dick, Do Androids Dream...?; Lewis, That Hideous Strength; Le Guin,
The Left Hand of Darkness; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time;
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Wells, The War of the Worlds; Miller,
A Canticle for Leibowitz; Haldeman, The Forever War.—Jeanne
Larsen, English Dept., Hollins College, Roanoke, VA 24020.
Virginia. Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg
English 241. Fantasy Literature. This course includes both science
fiction and fantasy; also involves writing fiction. TEXTS: Le Guin, Lathe
of Heaven, The Left Hand of Darkness; Hoban, Riddley Walker; and
selected short stories.—D.E. Glover, Dept. of English, Linguistics, and
Speech, Mary Washington College, 1301 College Ave., Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
Virginia. Northern Virginia Community College, Sterling
English 256. Literature of Science Fiction. Examines the literary and
social aspects of science fiction, emphasizing development of ideas and
techniques through the history of the genre. Involves critical reading and
writing. TEXTS: Shelley, Frankenstein; Silverberg, ed., The
Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. I; Le Guin and Attebery, eds., The
Norton Book of Science Fiction; Herbert, Dune.—Agatha Taormina,
Professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun Campus,
Communication and Human Studies Division, 1000 Harry Flood Byrd Highway,
Sterling, VA 20164.
Virginia. University of Richmond, Richmond
Eng 215. Reading Science Fiction. Different methods of reading sf
(formal, sociocultural, myth, etc.). TEXTS: selected short stories.—Alan
S. Loxterman, English Dept., R.C. Box 115, Univ. of Richmond, Richmond, VA
23173.
Washington. Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma
English 101. Making the Future. Reading utopian literature, fiction and
non-fiction, will show the dangers of trying to "fix" the world. We
will examine historical and contemporary intentional communities. Students will
gain an appreciation of the complexities of the problems facing the present
(nuclear waste, environmental devastation, genetic engineering, racial and
sexual inequalities, to name a few), and develop strategies for positive
future-forming activity. TEXTS: Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale;
Bellamy, Looking Backward; Bellah, Habits of the Heart; Gilman, Herland;
Johnson, ed., Utopian Literature; Kumar, Utopianism; Jones and
Merchant, Unveiling a Parallel; Nordhoff, American Utopias; Piercy,
Woman on the Edge of Time; Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country.—Erin
McKenna, Philosophy Department, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447.
Washington. Washington State University, Pullman
English 333. Science Fiction as Literature. This course concentrates
on literary devices, themes—and plays down generic sf studies. Pace
Delany, these works are simply treated as good fiction which happens to
be sf. TEXTS: Wells, The War of the Worlds; Bradbury, The
Martian Chronicles; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Dick, Blade Runner
(Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?); Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale;
Lem, Solaris; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction.—Paul
Brians, Dept. of English, Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA 99164-5020.
West Virginia. Marshall University, Huntington
English 311. Science Fiction. Literary analysis and appreciation of
science fiction, its themes and types. TEXTS: Card, ed. Future on Fire;
Asimov, ed. The New Hugo Winners; Shelley, Frankenstein; McIntyre,
Dreamsnake; McHugh, China Mountain Zhang; Tepper, Gate to
Women's Country; Card, Wyrms.—James Riemer, 400 Hal Greer Blvd,
Huntington, WV 25755-2646.
West Virginia. West Virginia University, Morgantown
English 175/1. Science Fiction and Fantasy. An introductory course.
Students will be exposed to patterns, themes, and ideas encountered in selected
novels and short stories representative of different periods of science fiction
and fantasy writing. TEXTS: Clarke, The Hammer of God; Ende, The
Neverending Story; Gibson, Burning Chrome; Rabkin, ed. Science
Fiction: A Historical Anthology; Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings;
Wells, The Time Machine.—Michael V. Mackert, Dept. of English, West
Virginia Univ., PO Box 6296, Morgantown, WV 26506-6296.
Wisconsin. Lakeland College, Sheboygan
WI 117. Science Fiction for the Fun of It. Offered only during the
Winter term. I vary the works from older to newer, dependent upon wishes of
students. My intent is not so much a literature course, but a course in which
one can discuss science in a less formal setting than one would get in a typical
science or mathematics class. I use a reader which includes themes from many
varied sciences, social and political. The author of Healer, Kris Jensen,
is a Lakeland College alum who is very often a guest for a day. She helps
students understand how to balance the creative process and still stay in the
realm of plausible science. I allow the students to pick much of the content
while sneaking in themes which lead to moral dilemmas and heavier discussion. TEXTS:
Le Guin and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction, and
several novels including Healer by Kris Jensen.—Ronald Kirk Haas, Box
359, Sheboygan, WI 53081.
Wisconsin. Northland College, Ashland
English 234. Science Fiction. The course is taught during the spring
session on alternate years. Each course is different, with different themes:
environmental, international, women, post-holocaust, etc. TEXTS: Le Guin
and Attebery, eds. The Norton Book of Science Fiction; Piercy, He,
She, and It; Warrick et al., eds., Science Fiction: The SFRA Anthology;
Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country,
World Omnibus of Science Fiction.—Michele Geslin Small, Dept. of
English, Northland College, Ashland, WI 54806.
Wisconsin. St. Norbert College, De Pere
En 303. Science Fiction and Fantasy. We use a genre approach, defining
and critiquing the two major types of speculative fiction by comparison and
contrast. TYPICAL TEXTS: Huxley, Brave New World; Le Guin, The
Left Hand of Darkness; Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451; Slonczewski, Daughter
of Elysium; Tolkien, The Hobbit; Beagle, The Last Unicorn;
McKinley, The Blue Sword; Boyer and Zahorsky, eds., Visions and
Imaginings.—Robert H. Boyer and Kenneth J. Zahorsky, St. Norbert College,
De Pere, WI 54115.
Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
English 38-366. Science Fiction. An examination of major 20th-century
works in science fiction. TEXTS: Wells, The Time Machine, War
of the Worlds; Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles; Asimov, Robot
Visions; Clarke, Childhood's End; Dick, Blade Runner (Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep?); Gibson, Neuromancer; Le Guin, The Left
Hand of Darkness; Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale; Heinlein, The
Puppet Masters; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz.—Marvin E.
Mengeling, Dept. of English, Radford Hall, Univ. of Wisconsin at Oshkosh,
Oshkosh, WI 54901.
Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin, Parkside, Kenosha
English 237. Modern and Contemporary Literature. A survey of
literature from 1950 to the present. Sf TEXTS: Herbert, Dune,
Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale. —Walter Graffin, English Dept., Univ. of
Wisconsin at Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141.
Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin, Platteville
English 143. Speculative Fiction. Speculative Fiction is essentially
fiction about alternative futures. It embraces both science fiction and fantasy.
There is no attempt in this course to be either gender specific or race
specific. The purpose of the course is to discuss specific experiences in terms
of their uniqueness and their "universal" applications. TEXTS:
Allen, ed. Science Fiction: The Future; Hartwell, ed. The World
Treasury of Science Fiction; Orwell, 1984; Hawking, A Brief
History of Time: From Big Bangs to Black Holes.—George R. Mahoney,
Humanities/English Dept., 340 Gardner Hall, Univ. of Wisconsin at Platteville,
Platteville, WI 53818.
Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin at Stout, Menomonie
English 326-385. Science Fiction. A critical survey of popular and
classic science fiction. We'll discuss such topics as the future of humanity,
the possibility of life on other planets, changing sex roles, and the dangers
and benefits of technology. TEXTS: The Arbor House Treasury of Modern
Science Fiction; Hodgell, Godstalk; Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress; Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz; Le Guin, The Left Hand
of Darkness; Connolly, The Rising of the Moon.—Michael Levy, Dept.
of English, Univ. of Wisconsin at Stout, Menomonie, WI 54751, "levy@uwstout.edu".
English 450. Science Fiction and Gender. Since the late 1960s and the
rise of the women's movement many writers, both female and male, have seen
science fiction as a valuable tool for examining gender issues. Students will
read and discuss a number of science fiction novels which suggest answers to a
variety of gender-related questions, most importantly the following: to what
extent are the roles played by men and women in today's world genetically
determined and to what extent are they a matter of social conditioning? TEXTS:
Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time;
Slonczewski, Daughter of Elysium; Bujold, Ethan of Athos; Russ, The
Female Man; Griffith, Ammonite; Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress; Sargent, ed. Women of Wonder: The Classic Years.—Levy.
ENTRIES RECEIVED TOO LATE FOR PROPER PLACEMENT
Oregon. University of Oregon
English 399. Science Fiction Winners. Examination of recent science
fiction to ask questions about what separates science fiction from other genres,
what criteria can be used to judge science fiction as a genre and as literature,
what tactics can be used to help in the reading of science fiction, etc. TEXTS:
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the film Blade Runner;
Sterling, ed., Mirrorshades; Le Guin, The Dispossessed; Robinson, Red
Mars; Thompson, The Color of Distance; Sargent, ed., Women of
Wonder: The Comtemporary Years.—McBride; see ¶¶286-87.
Indiana. Indiana University Collins Living Learning Center, Bloomington
L210-9016. Creating Fictional Worlds. How do authors of fantasy and
science fiction combine elements of our world, or of worlds in other fictional
works, to create worlds that do not exist, that have no historically recorded
existence? These worlds are outside the realm of actual experience, but are
often created so as to seem actual and believable within the context of the
narrative. Rather than being satisfied with the pat explanation of "willing
suspension of disbelief," we will examine some of the elements that go into
the creation of fictional worlds. Topics of consideration will include
contextualization, genre, rewriting, the role of ideology, the use of folkloric
motifs, the use of language, the use of scientific theories, and
language-thought relationships. TEXTS: Bradley, Thendara House,
Renunciates of Darkover, Hawkmistress; Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama;
Fairy Tales, "The Frog King," "Tale of a Boy who Set out to Learn
Fear," "East ofthe Sun and West of the Moon"; Gibson, Neuromancer;
Herbert, Dune; Hesse, "Flute Dream," Le Guin, Language of
the Night, The Dispossessed; Piercy, He, She and It; Toelken,
"The `Pretty Languages' of Yellowman"; Tolkien, The Hobbit;
Wells, The Time Machine. FILM: Lawrence of Arabia.—Peter
Bixby, Department of Comparative Literature, Indiana University, Bloomington IN
47405.
Seminars. The major part of the teaching for the course will be two
two_hour seminars per week. These will commence under the guidance of a tutor or
with a student's presentation and will explore a given topic with reference to
specified works of fiction and any additional required material. The module
topics will be as follows:
1. Utopias and Dystopias
2. Robots, Mind and Intelligence
3. Science Fiction and the Cold war
4. Genre Definitions
5. Time Travel and Alternative Histories
6. Science Fiction and Gender
7. Alien Zones: Science Fiction and the Horror Genre
8. Special Author (Philip K. Dick)
Research Resources. The University of Liverpool possesses the main
Olaf Stapledon archive. It has now taken over the Science Fiction Foundation
Collection, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, including many rare
novels (mostly British, American, and Eastern European), and runs of critical
journals and science fiction magazines. This archive is a growing one, and is
supplemented by further deposits of science fiction and fantasy. Students taking
the M.A. course will be encouraged to make use of these materials, especially
when working on their dissertations.
Applications should be addressed to: Director of Graduate Studies,
English Department, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK. For other information
about the MA course or the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, contact the
above address or asawyer@liverpool.ac.uk or dseed@liverpool.ac.uk.
—Andy Sawyer, Science Fiction Foundation Collection, Sydney Jones
Library, University of Liverpool, PO Box 123, LIVERPOOL L69 3DA, UK. Phone
0151 794 2696. http://www.liv.ac.uk/~asawyer/sffchome.html
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