This course is available for online enrollment as ENGL 506 through the Continuing Education department of the University of Kansas. To take this course for academic credit, click here.
Preface
This course explores science fiction in terms of the influences that created it and then affected its subsequent development. It examines what science fiction is, how it differs from other kinds of fiction (fantasies and utopias and "mainstream" stories), how it got to be what it is, and how it achieves its effects.
Science fiction has always been a popular literary form, closely related to the public mind and the state of public awareness. This course is concerned with those stories that influenced the genre and helped develop science fiction, the stories that everyone who is interested in science fiction ought to know. This is a course about a genre, and genres are defined by their types, not by their isolated masterpieces. Great stories, by definition, are unique; and if they launch genres, or cap them, the qualities we value in them are those which transcend their circumstances.
By examining short stories written throughout the centuries-long life of the science fiction genre, we will ultimately come to view the genre in its historical, social, and literary contexts.
Please note that, although only a handful of stories are assigned as required reading for each lesson, students are expected to read all of the stories in the four volumes of The Road to Science Fiction and to draw on these materials for historical context when completing assignments. Students are also encouraged to read widely within the other required texts for the course, including stories that are not specifically assigned as reading for any lesson.
Course Procedures
Begin by reading each lesson to learn its specific assignments, then complete the required readings. Next, complete the writing assignment for the lesson. Finally, join the discussion about the topic on our course discussion forum.
Short Writing Assignments
At the conclusion of each lesson, you'll complete and submit a brief (approximately 500-word-long) writing assignment in response to a provided question. These assignments need not be formal, but they should demonstrate comprehension of the required readings and a well-developed understanding of how each lesson's material relates to the development of the science fiction genre. You turn in your projects by uploading them to the class website.
Course Plan or Research Paper
The central writing assignment for this course will be either a lesson plan centered on a major work of science fiction or, alternatively, a research paper that identifies and explores a topic related to the course theme. Completion of either of these projects will require approximately equal amounts of work; your choice of which project to pursue will depend upon your personal interests.
(A) Course Plan - The course plan should provide a detailed description of a proposed course on science fiction at the academic level of your choice, and it should include an in-depth description of one course lesson (including readings, lesson objectives, instructional material, and sample questions, as appropriate). The course should demonstrate sound pedagogy and present the required readings within the context of the larger SF field.
Course plans will be graded on thoroughness, utility to teachers, and the quality of organization and writing (including grammar and spelling).
(B) Research Paper - The research paper should identify and explore a topic related to the course theme. Papers should be 10 to 15 pages (2000 - 3500 words) typed and double-spaced in a 12 point font. A list of references must be included, but reference or endnote pages do not count toward the 10 page minimum (or 15 page / 3500 word maximum).
Papers will be graded on the quality of the research and the writing (including grammar and spelling), and the strength of the topic and argument.
Final Exam
The final exam will consist of a combination of short-answer and essay questions, and must be taken in a proctored environment. You may not apply to take the final exam until you have completed all other course assignments. You may not use your course texts or any other aids during the exam. You will be allowed three hours to complete the final exam.
Grading Formula
Short writing assignments - 50%
Course plan or research paper - 25%
Final exam - 25%
Required Texts The Road to Science Fiction #1: From Gilgamesh to Wells, 1977 (New American Library), 2002 (Scarecrow Press). Edited by James Gunn.
The Road to Science Fiction #2: From Wells to Heinlein, 1979 (New American Library), 2002 (Scarecrow Press). Edited by James Gunn.
The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here, 1979 (New American Library), 1996 (White Wolf), 2002 (Scarecrow Press). Edited by James Gunn.
The Road to Science Fiction #4: From Here to Forever, 1982 (New American Library), 1997 (White Wolf), 2002 (Scarecrow Press). Edited by James Gunn.
Visions of Wonder: The Science Fiction Research Association Reading Anthology, 1996 (Tor Books). Edited by David Hartwell.
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Twenty-third Annual Collection, 2006 (St. Martin's Griffin). Edited by Gardner Dozois.
Optional Texts The Road to Science Fiction #5: The British Way, 1998 (White Wolf). Edited by James Gunn.
The Road to Science Fiction #6: Around the World, 1998 (White Wolf). Edited by James Gunn.
Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction, 1975 (Prentice-Hall), by James Gunn.
