PSY 113S: Psychology and Science Fiction

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1 PSY 113S Spring 2013 page 1 PSY 113S: Psychology and Science Fiction Instructor: Bill Altermatt, Ph.D. Psychology Time: 9am-noon Place: Science Center 137 Office: SCC 155, x7318 Office Hrs: MW 1-4, TR 1-2:30 altermattw@hanover.edu Course homepage: This course uses classic and contemporary science fiction films and literature to explore aspects of mental and social life. Some of the questions we will explore include what it means to be human, what happens when we exclude people from that category, and is human-ness even the most important criterion in deciding how others should be treated? Overview Course Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, each student should be able to: Describe Nick Haslam s psychological theory of two kinds of human nature and apply it to science fiction films and literature; Recognize, recall, and compare the psychological themes addressed in several classic and contemporary works of science fiction; Communicate an informed opinion about the characteristics necessary for a being to be entitled to the rights of privacy, property, and freedom from slavery and torture.

2 PSY 113S Spring 2013 page 2 Readings Asimov, Isaac. (1976). "The Bicentennial Man." The story first appeared in 1976 in Stellar #2 (the second in an anthology series called Stellar). Stellar #2 was edited by Judy-Lynn del Ray and published by Ballantine. Dennett, Daniel. (1978). Where Am I?. Brainstorms: Philosophical Essays on Mind and Psychology. Bradford Books Publishers, Inc. Dick, Philip K. (May, 1953). Second variety. Space Science Fiction. Egan, Greg. (January 1992). "The Hundred Light-Year Diary." Axiomatic. (1995). New York: HarperPrism. First published in Interzone, #55. Gunz, A. (2011). The double-edged passion. In-Mind, 5. Available online at Miedaner, Terrell. (1977). The Soul of the Mark III Beast. In D. Hofstadter and D. Dennett (Eds.). (1981). The Mind s I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul. New York: Bantam Books. Shelley, Mary. (1818). Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus. Chapters 10 (Paragraph beginning with It was nearly noon... ) through 17. Background: The narrator, Dr. Frankenstein, has brought an assembled but disfigured human body to life. He was disgusted and shocked by it and fled the laboratory. When he returned, it was gone. He tried to forget the experience but then received a letter that his younger brother had been murdered. When he returned home to Switzerland to attend the funeral, he saw the creature one night and became convinced it was responsible for the murder. He then sets off into the mountains to confront the monster. Grading Quizzes. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class (don't be late!). Every day that there is an assigned reading, there will be a quiz on that reading. I will drop your lowest quiz score. Essay. You will write three essays. Each essay should be 2-3 pages and should present a thesis, support the thesis with at least 3 points, draw on material from class (especially characters in the readings and films), and have a conclusion. Due at the beginning of class. Please save these in a Word or RTF file and attach them to an to me. Attendance and participation. Attendance and participation will be graded on a scale from 20% to 100% every day. You get a 20% for every unexcused absence and 60% for being late. To receive an excused absence (which counts as a 70%), you must have a medical or family emergency or be involved in a college-sponsored event and you must me within 24 hours of missing class. If you're present but not participating, you get 90%. Participation gets you 100%. Final exam. On the last day of class, you will take a multiple-choice exam that will cover content from the entire semester, including films, readings, and lecture/discussion topics.

3 PSY 113S Spring 2013 page 3 Weighting Each essay will receive a percentage grade from 0 to 100%. To compute your final average, these percentage grades will be weighted by the following amounts: Quizzes 20% Reaction paper 1 15% Reaction paper 2 15% Reaction paper 3 15% Final Exam 15% Attendance, participation 20% TOTAL 100% Grading Criteria Only assignments that show a combination of insight, creativity, well-supported arguments, and effective writing will receive a grade of A. Mechanical errors, especially when they contribute to a loss of clarity, will result in a reduction of grade. A C grade indicates that an assignment meets the basic requirements. A grade of D indicates serious flaws in an assignment, and an F indicates critical problems or a failure to complete the assignment as it was described. Letter Grades Your final grade will be determined solely by the weighted average of the graded assignments listed above. There is no extra credit. Letter grade interpretations are given by the following: Grade % Grade % A C A C B D B D B D C F Late Penalties All assignments are due in the first five minutes of class on the date specified on the course schedule. Assignments turned in late on the date they are assigned (before midnight) will be penalized 5%. An additional 10% will be deducted for each additional midnight that passes without receipt of your assignment (15% on the day after an assignment is due, 25% for two days late, etc.). This penalty includes weekend days.

4 PSY 113S Spring 2013 page 4 Academic Dishonesty Cheating on quizzes. During quizzes, be sure to keep your eyes on your own paper. If I see you look at someone else's quiz paper, I will give you a score of 0 on that quiz. If it happens again, you will get another 0, lose 20% of your final grade (e.g., a 95% will become a 75%), and I will file a report with the Student Academic Assistance Committee. Plagiarism. Do not pass off the work of others' as your own. All of your writing must be yours alone or cited. Direct quotes must be placed inside quotation marks. Citations must include the author, the name of the publication (book, article, or film title), and date of publication. Uncited use of others' writing will result in penalties ranging from a 15% deduction on the assignment for what I judge to be an oversight up to a 20% reduction of your final grade and a report filed with the Student Academic Assistance Committee for blatant plagiarism. Date Day Readings, Films, Deadlines Schedule 4/29 M Who am I? Haslam's theory of Uniquely Human versus Human nature qualities Watch: The Enemy Within (from Star Trek: The Original Series) 4/30 T Genetic determinism Watch: Gattaca 5/1 W The Experience Machine Read for today: Daniel Dennett's Where Am I? Watch: The Cage (from Star Trek: The Original Series) 5/2 R The Machine Animal Read for today: Frankenstein, chapters Watch: The Matrix (first half) 5/3 F The Machine Animal Read for today: Frankenstein, chapters Watch: The Matrix (second half) 5/6 M Would We Be Better Off Without Emotion? Read for today: Gunz's The Double-Edged Passion Watch: Equilibrium 5/7 T The Human Animal Watch: Planet of the Apes (1968) 5/8 W No Class Essay 1 Due 8am: How does human nature reflect a tension between animalistic and mechanistic qualities? In your answer, touch on three of the films as well as Haslam's theory. 5/9 R Rights for Robots? Read for today: Asimov's The Bicentennial Man Watch: Measure of a Man (from Star Trek: The Next Generation) 5/10 F The Bitter Mote of a Soul Watch: I, Robot 5/13 M David and His Teddy Bear Read for today: Dick s Second Variety Watch: A.I. (first half)

5 PSY 113S Spring 2013 page 5 Date Day Readings, Films, Deadlines 5/14 T A Robot That Can Love Read for today: Miedaner's Soul of the Mark III Beast Watch: A.I. (second half) 5/15 W No Class Essay 2 Due 8am: Which (if any) of the characters in the last 3 films (Data, Sonny, David) qualify for the rights of privacy, property, and freedom from slavery and torture? Why? 5/16 R Who Am I? The Role of Memory and Free Will Watch: Minority Report (first half) 5/17 F Free Will and Identity Read for today: Egan's The Hundred Light-Year Diary Watch: Minority Report (second half) 5/20 M The Experience Machine Shifts Into Reverse Watch: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 5/21 T What It Means, and Takes, To Be Human Watch: Moon 5/22 W Memory and Identity Watch: Total Recall 5/23 R No Class Essay 3 Due 8am: Choose at least 2 of the last 4 films and discuss how they consider the question What makes us who we are? 5/24 F Final exam