CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS COURSE SYLLABUS

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1 I. IDENTIFYING INFORMATION Course: ENG 323WI Course Title: Fantasy and Science Fiction CRN: Term: Fall 2015 Location: Online Undergraduates Course Dates: 9/21/ /11/2015 Course Days and Time: N/A CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS COURSE SYLLABUS Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG 101 or ENG 103. Instructor: Nicole McCleese, Ph.D. Phone Numbers: Fax Numbers: Address: mccle1nl@cmich.edu Office Hours: Wednesdays 8-9pm (EST), or by phone appointment Academic Biography: Nicole McCleese is a lecturer in the Department of English Language & Literature at Central Michigan University where she teaches undergraduate courses in literature and composition. She earned her Ph.D. in English at Michigan State University. She specializes in sexuality and gender studies in Twentieth Century and Contemporary American Literature. Her recent research on masochism and temporality focuses on feminist and queer speculative fiction.

2 II. TEXTBOOKS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ENG 323WI Course Reserve available through CMU Blackboard required Required Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction Required Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Required The Forest of Hands and Teeth Required Supplemental Materials: Students will be expected to watch several films, to which they will have to obtain access on their own. All films are listed on the course outline/assignments section of the syllabus. I recommend a subscription to Netflix or some other reliable rental/online streaming service. III. COURSE DESCRIPTION History, meaning, and influence of fantasy and science fiction. Emphasis on 19 th -21 st century literature and film. (Group 1-A) IV. COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 1. Acquire an awareness of significant events, authors, and literary works in the history of fantasy and science fiction. 2. Understand and analyze three major forms of science fiction (i.e., the novel, the short story, and film) in terms of plot, setting, characters, style, and themes. 3. Recognize the wide variety of themes present in fantasy and science fiction, as well as some critical approaches to analyzing those themes (e.g., extrapolation, metaphor, estrangement/novum, icons and megatexts, feminism, postcolonialism). 4. Identify the ways in which authors combine genres and create subgenres. 5. Understand that although fantasy and science fiction originated in a male-dominated European tradition, these genres have changed over time to reflect gender and cultural diversity. 6. Develop and refine critical thinking, oral and written expression, and techniques of textual analysis. 7. Effectively communicate observations, syntheses, and analyses in the form of essays and discussion boards, as well as participate in and lead class discussions. 8. Engage in collaborative learning and teamwork through group assignments and class work. 9. Acquire an appreciation for fantasy and science fiction as cultural phenomena and build a framework for further study in the literatures of science fiction and fantasy.

3 V. METHODOLOGY Students will read the assigned texts and supporting materials, participate in online chats and discussion forums, and watch films. In this course they will write one analytical final paper (for which they will participate in a peer review workshop) and take exams composed of definition questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Students will also be expected to post their responses weekly to the discussion board as well as comment on their classmate s postings. Students should expect to spend 8-12 hours per week on this course. VI. Course Outline and Assignments All discussion board posts are due at the end of the week and will cover the material assigned for that week, before midnight, EST Sundays, so if something is due for week one, it is due at the end of that week, on Sunday at midnight. All chat sessions will be held Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. Specific directions regarding assignments are available under the Course Materials, Assignments, Discussion Board, and Exams tabs. Week One (9/21-9/27) GOTHIC TRADITIONS 1. Read: Introduction; Mary W. Shelley Frankenstein (Chapter 3-5; 11-12) ; Edgar Allan Poe The Fall of the House of Usher 2. Watch: Frankenstein (documentary by Emily V. Driscoll) available through CMU library online streaming; Extra credit: Watch Frankenstein (1931) directed by James Whale and compare what you learned from the documentary to Whale s interpretation of the story. 4. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, September 23rd, at 7:00 pm, Week Two (9/28-10/04) STRANGE POSSESSIONS 1. Read: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson 2. Watch: Bram Stoker s Dracula (1992) directed by Francis Ford Coppola 4. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, September 30th, at 7:00pm, Week Three (10/05-10/11) TROUBLING PERCEPTIONS

4 1. Read: H.G. Wells The Country of the Blind ; E.T.A. Hoffman The Sandman ; Definition of the Fantastic in The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre by Tzvetan Todorov 2. Complete: discussion board posts 3. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, October 7th, at 7:00pm, Week Four (10/12-10/18) ZOMBIES 1. Read: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan; Zombies from Zora Neale Hurston s Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica 2. Watch: Night of the Living Dead (1968) directed by George A. Romero 4. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, October 14th, at 7:00pm, Week Five (10/19-10/25) ALIEN ENCOUNTERS 1. Read: Vaster Than Empires and More Slow by Ursula K. Le Guin and Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler; Alien Encounters in Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction by David Seed 2. Watch TWO of the following: District 9 (2009) directed by Neill Blomkamp; Aliens (1986) directed by James Cameron; Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) directed by Don Siegel 4. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, October 21st, at 7:00pm, Week Six (10/26-11/01) MIDTERM ESSAY EXAM DUE 11/01/15 Week Seven (11/02-11/08) ROBOTS, CYBORGS, AND A.I., OH MY! (PART I) 1. Read: Science Fiction and Technology in Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction by David Seed and Second Variety by Philip K. Dick; 2. Watch ONE from the following list: The Stepford Wives (1975) directed by Brian Forbes; Bladerunner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott; I, Robot (2004) by Alex Proyas FINAL PAPER ABSTRACTS DUE Week Eight (11/09-11/15) ROBOTS, CYBORGS, AND A.I., OH MY! (PART II) 1. Read: Runaround by Isaac Asimov; There will come soft rains by Ray Bradbury;

5 2. Watch ONE from each of the following lists: 2001: Space Odyssey (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick; Her (2013) directed by Spike Jonze; Transcendence (2014) directed by Wally Pfister 4. Participate: Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, November 11th, at 7:00pm, Week Nine (11/16-11/22) BRAVE NEW WORLDS 1. Read: Tan-Tan and Dry Bone by Nalo Hopkinson; The Lottery by Shirley Jackson; Minority Report by Philip K. Dick; Utopias and Dystopias in Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction by David Seed 2. Watch: Gattaca (1997) directed by Andrew Niccol DRAFT OF FINAL PAPER DUE 11/22 Week Ten (11/23-11/29) TIME TRAVEL + PEER REVIEW SESSION 1. Read: Fictions of Time in Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction by David Seed 2. Watch: Any episode of Doctor Who PEER REVIEW DUE 11/25 Week Eleven (11/30-12/6) SIMULACRA 1. Read: Usher II by Ray Bradbury; The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr. (A.K.A. Alice Sheldon); 2. Watch: The Matrix directed by the Wachowski Brothers 4. Participate: in Wimba chat session this week, Wednesday night, December 2nd, at 7:00 pm, Week Twelve (12/7-12/11) FINAL EXAM & FINAL PAPER DUE 12/11/15 Make-Up Policy: Assignments, exams, and papers must be completed in a timely manner, according to the schedule provided. Late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up exams. Please contact the instructor right away if you are having problems fulfilling course requirements. VII. Criteria for evaluation

6 Category Percent Discussion Boards 20% Final Paper + Peer Review Session 20% Final Exam 20% Midterm Exam 15% Film Journals 15% Wimba Chat (5) 10% Exam and class grades are according to the following scale. A A B B B C C C D D D E 55 or less VIII. University Policies Academic Integrity: Because academic integrity is a cornerstone of Central Michigan University s commitment to the principles of free inquiry, students are responsible for learning and upholding professional standards of research, writing, assessment, and ethics in their areas of study. In the academic community the high value placed on truth implies a corresponding intolerance of scholastic dishonesty. Written or other work which students submit must be the product of their own efforts and must be consistent with appropriate standards of professional ethics. Academic dishonesty, which includes cheating, plagiarism and other forms of dishonest or unethical behavior, is prohibited. For more detailed information, please consult: Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Central Michigan University is committed to providing equal opportunities for success to students with disabilities. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements are urged to register with the office of Student Disability Services, and then notify the instructor as soon as

7 possible. For more information about facilities and services for students with disabilities, contact Student Disability Services, 120 Park, Recording of classroom discussion/lectures is not permissible: In order to protect the intellectual property interests of the instructor, the privacy interests of student members of the class, and to encourage an open and fair exposition of all student views in the classroom without fear that student views expressed will be recorded and possibly posted in another forum, recording of classroom lectures and conversations is not permissible without the express, prior written consent of the instructor. Unauthorized recording of classroom activity shall be considered a violation of the CMU Student Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures as disruptive of a student s right to learn under Disruption of Learning