English 173 - Summer Sessions II, 2021

Science Fiction

Class Information

Instructor: Ziser, Michael
CRN: 74128
Time: TWR 10:00-11:40
GE Areas: Writing Experience

Description

Are you a longtime SF aficionado with a desire to learn more about the roots of your favorite genre? Or maybe a lover of literary fiction willing to challenge your preconceptions about SF and test your reading powers on genre fiction? Or perhaps just an innocent bystander with some time on your hands and curiosity about this corner of the literary universe? Whatever your previous experience with science fiction, this summer course is designed to expose you to a wide range of SF authors and to deepen your understanding of this influential literary form. Making our way through a pair of short-fiction anthologies?supplemented with additional stories and critical essays?we will investigate the history and development of science fiction as literary tradition from its murky and multiple beginnings through its ?golden age? and many interesting branchings down to the present. The emphasis will be on the history of the genre, the literary and cultural issues SF has raised over time, and sheer enjoyment of as many authors as time allows. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to confidently navigate the huge SF megatext we are all swimming in.

This course will be delivered entirely online. Recorded lectures will be posted for asynchronous viewing?usually one on the historical backgrounds of the material at the beginning of the week and one on thematic, stylistic, and other concerns at the end. The scheduled class time (TuWTh 10-11:40) will be used for required synchronous Zoom discussion with smaller groups of about 15-20 students, and you should be prepared to participate in these live virtual sessions for about 35 minutes TuWTh. Groups will be assigned by the professor during the first week, and students may request to change groups to accommodate work schedules of other conflicts.

Grading

weekly discussion: 10% (5x2%; lowest 1 dropped)
weekly short writing: 20% (5x4%; lowest 1 dropped)
reading quizzes: 10% (5x2%; lowest 1 dropped)
fan fiction (5pp): 20%
personalized SF syllabus: 15%
choose-your-own-novel analysis (5pp): 25%

Texts

Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction, Evans et al, eds.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1: 1920-1964, Silverberg, ed.