C LIT 240 I
Human and Post-Human:
Writing about Science Fiction
SLN 12090
Early Fall Start 2022
TWTHF 9:30-12:00
SAV 158
W Credit
Prof. Cynthia Steele
(206) 503-4374
Office Hours: by appointment, typically right after class
My Zoom Personal Meeting Room (for additional office hours):
Join URL: https://washington.zoom.us/j/96824509443
Canvas Link:
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253
What does it mean to be human, and where is the dividing line between the human and inhuman (animal, machine, artificial intelligence, alien, clone, etc.)? How do fictional worlds help us to imagine the range of future possibilities, while critiquing our present societies? What sorts of dialogues have science fiction writers engaged in with each other over the decades? For each class we will read a science fiction short story that demonstrate how artists have imagined worlds that challenge our own; for instance, post-apocalyptic landscapes, other planets with non-human life forms, and cyberspace. Beginning with H.G. Wells, we will study several iconic figures of the U.S. Golden Age of the fifties and sixties and of the Cyberpunk movement of the eighties, and will then conclude with several contemporary authors. Also, we will analyze film adaptations of five of these canonical stories, The Thing, 2001, Total Recall, A.I., and Arrival. Throughout the quarter you will keep a daily journal of your responses to the stories and films, and you will write two analytical essays comparing one feature of two or three texts. By doing so, you will meet the requirement of a Writing course at UW. Because class will be structured around small-group discussions, you will become well acquainted with twenty-four other incoming students. Also, there will be a virtual guest lecture by one of the authors we are studying.
A first goal of this class, then, is to provide you with an overview of the greatest science fiction writers in English, from the mid nineteenth century to the present, as well as with techniques for the analysis of fiction.
A second goal of the class will be to introduce you to concepts of film adaptation, by comparing five famous science fiction short stories to the iconic films they inspired: The Thing, 2001, Total Recall, A.I., and Arrival. We will watch these films outside of class, renting them on Amazon Prime Video.
The third goal of this course is to introduce you to analytical essay writing. You will keep a reading and film viewing journal and will develop two five-page essays, each comparing a pivotal issue in two or three of the stories and films we have studied. This course will provide you with guidance in conceptualizing, developing and refining short analytical essays, of the sort that you will be called on to write in many of your undergraduate courses at UW. Also, by taking this course you will satisfy the UW Composition requirement.
A final and equally important goal is to introduce you to how to be a student at the University of Washington. You will leave this course with a variety of new skills and understandings, as well as with a number of new friends.
Texts:
Short Stories:
All thirteen short stories are posted in pdf or Word form to our Canvas site under ‘Files.’
S1. Wells, H.G. “The Star.” The Door in the Wall and Other Stories (1897).
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/456/pg456-images.html
S2. Weinbaum, Stanley Grauman. “A Martian Odyssey.” A Martian Odyssey and Others (1949), pp. 1-27. (originally written in 1934).
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/23731/23731-h/23731-h.htm
S3. Campbell, John W. “Who Goes There?” Who Goes There? (Shasta Publishers, 1948). Originally published in 1938.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wp.nyu.edu/darknessspeaks/wp-content/uploads/sites/3674/2016/09/who_goes_there.pdf
S4. Asimov, Isaac. “Reason.” Astounding Science Fiction (April 1941).
S5. Merril, Judith. “That Only a Mother.” Astounding Science Fiction (June 1948).
S6. Clark, Arthur C. “The Sentinel.” Avon 10 Story Fantasy (1951), pp. 40-47.
S7. Aldiss, Brian. “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long.” Harper’s Bazaar (December 1969).
S8. Dick, Philip K. “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.” The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (April 1966).
S9. Ballard, J.G. “The Cage of Sand.” New Worlds Science Fiction 40.119 (June 1962), pp 55-78.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wjGVsYglTY4ib6giNwh8YLR4EfWeKhXl/view
S10. Gibson, William. “Burning Chrome.” Omni Magazine 46 (July 1982). Pp 72-107.
http://www.williamflew.com/omni46b.html
S11. Delany, Samuel. “Ay, and Gomorrah” (1967), In Dangerous Visions (Doubleday 1967).
S12. _ _ _ . “We, in Some Strange Power’s Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line.” The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 34.5 (204) May 1968, pp. 4-46.
S13. Butler, Octavia E. “Bloodchild.” Bloodchild and Other Stories (Seven Stories Press, 1995).
S14. Chiang, Ted. “Story of Your Life.” Starlight 2 (1998).
Criticism:
In addition, please read the following criticism, according to the calendar below:
A1. Heffernan, Teresa. “A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Science, Fiction and Fairy Tales.” English Studies in Africa, vol. 61, no. 1 (2018), pp. 10-15.
A2. Palumbo, David. “Inspired. . . by Phillip K. Dick: Ambiguity, Deception, and Illusion in Total Recall.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 4, no. 1 (1991), pp. 69-80.
A3. Rossi, Umberto. “A Little Something about Dead Astronauts.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 36, no. 1 (March 2009), pp. 101-120.
A4. Richard, David Evan. “Film Phenomenology and the ‘Eloquent Gestures’ of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival.” Cinephile, vol. 12, no. 1 (Spring 2018), pp. 41-47.
Films:
Watch before Class:
James Cameron’s The Story of Science Fiction (2018)
Episode 1: Alien Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=070RNUqW6e4
Episode 2: Outer Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnXu0X1ZgKw
Episode 3: Monsters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2TfIeR5ucM
Episode 4: Dark Futures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHk9TizNGpU
Episode 5: Intelligent Machines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOCAW289Yc8
Film 1. The Thing. (1982) dir. John Carpenter. 1 hr. 49 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459813
Film 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). dir. Stanley Kubrick. 2 hrs 29 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459814
Film 3. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Dir. Steven Spielberg. 146 min.
$2.99
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idBXGr5VRec
Film 4. Total Recall (2012). Dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1 hr. 53 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459816
Film 5. Arrival (2016). Dir. Denis Villaeuve. 1 hr. 56 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459817
Distribution of Grades:
Journal One 20%
Journal Two 20%
Essay One 20%
Essay Two 20%
Class Participation 20%
Journals:
You will write personal responses to each of the readings and films this term and will turn in your journal in two segments. Please write each segment (Journal One and Journal Two) as a single, double-spaced Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font. Write your name and ‘Journal One’ at the top of the first page and number the pages. Write between one and two pages of analysis on each of the items listed on the assignment sheet; number them and include them in the order given. In your discussion of the short stories and films, please avoid plot summary and analyze one or two specific issues. I will not consider formal issues like grammar and punctuation in grading the journal; your main objectives here should be clarity and originality.
Essays:
You will write two five-page comparative essays on two or three of the short stories and/or films that we have studied, double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman fond. For specifics please see the assignments that I will upload to Canvas. Please number your pages and write your name at the top of the document. For these two essays I will grade you on how well focused your essay topic is, how well you organize, develop, and express your ideas, and how well you follow formal conventions, including the basic structure and development of an analytical essay, conventions of grammar, spelling and punctuation, and the MLA Formatting and Style Guide.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for understanding and observing the UW guidelines regarding academic honesty. All your written work will be submitted through Canvas, which utilizes VeriCite to detect and provide a detailed report on any instances of plagiarism. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.
Students with Disabilities:
To request accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 ((V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss such accommodations.
CALENDAR
WEEK 1
Tuesday, August 23
Introduction
Wednesday, August 24
The Nineteenth-Century Founders of Science Fiction
Short Story 1. H.G. Wells, “The Star” (1897), 5 pp
Cameron Episode 2: Outer Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnXu0X1ZgKw
Thursday, August 25
The Golden Age of Science Fiction
S2. Stanley Grauman Weinbaum, “A Martian Odyssey” (1934), 17 pp
Cameron Episode 1: Alien Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=070RNUqW6e4
Friday, August 26
S3. Isaac Asimov, “Reason” (1941), 11 pp
S4. Judith Merril, “That Only a Mother” (1948), 7 pp
Cameron Episode 3: Monsters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2TfIeR5ucM
Tuesday, August 30
Science Fiction Film Adaptation
Case One: The Thing
S5. John W. Campbell, “Who Goes There?” (1938), 40 pp
Film 1. The Thing. (1982) dir. John Carpenter. 1 hr. 49 min.
$3.99
Wednesday, August 31
Adaptation Case Two: 2001
S6. Arthur C. Clark, “The Sentinel” (1951), 6 pp
Film 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). dir. Stanley Kubrick. 2 hrs 29 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459814
Thursday, September 1
Adaptation Case Three: A.I.
S7. Brian Aldiss, “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” (1969), 7 pp
Cameron Episode 5: Intelligent Machines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOCAW289Yc8
Friday, September 2
Film 3. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Dir. Steven Spielberg. 146 min. Amazon or Vudu:
$2.99
$2.99
A1. Heffernan, Teresa. “A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Science, Fiction and Fairy Tales.” English Studies in Africa, vol. 61, no. 1 (2018), pp. 10-15.
Critique Introduction of Essay One
7 pm: Journal One Due to Canvas
Week 3
Tuesday, September 6
Adaptation Case Four: Total Recall
S8. Philip K. Dick, “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” (1966), 19 pp
Film 4. Total Recall (2012). Dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1 hr. 53 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459816
Cameron Episode 4: Dark Futures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHk9TizNGpU
A2. Palumbo, David. “Inspired. . . by Phillip K. Dick: Ambiguity, Deception, and Illusion in Total Recall.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 4, no. 1 (1991), pp. 69-80.
Wednesday, September 7
Speculative Fiction and Cyberpunk
S9. J.G. Ballard, “The Cage of Sand” (1962), 17 pp
A3. Rossi, Umberto. “A Little Something about Dead Astronauts.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 36, no. 1 (March 2009), pp. 101-120.
7 pm: Essay One Due to Canvas
Thursday, September 8
S10. William Gibson, “Burning Chrome” (1982), 25 pp
Friday, September 9
Feminist, African American and Queer Authors
S11. Samuel R. Delany. “Ay, and Gomorrah” (1967).
S12. Samuel R. Delany. "We, in Some Strange Employ, Move on a Rigorous Line" (1968).
Virtual visit to class by Samuel R. Delany
Week 4
Tuesday, September 13
Into the Twenty-first Century
S13. Octavia E. Butler, “Bloodchild” (1995), 20 pp
Wednesday, September 14
Critique Introduction to Essay Two
Adaptation Case Five: Arrival
S14a. Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life” (1998), 39 pp (first half)
Thursday, September 15
S14b. Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life” (1998), 39 pp (second half)
7 pm: Essay Two Due to Canvas
Friday, September 16
Film 5. Arrival (2016). Dir. Denis Villaeuve. 1 hr. 56 min.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1578253/assignments/7459817
A4. Richard, David Evan. “Film Phenomenology and the ‘Eloquent Gestures’ of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival.” Cinephile, vol. 12, no. 1 (Spring 2018), pp. 41-47.
Conclusions
7 pm: Journal Two Due to Canvas