21st Century Science Fiction

Spring 2018 English 110.01 (3 credits): Reading Now

Class location and time: CUE 318, MWF 1:10-2:00

Instructor: Dr. Amber Strother

Email: amber.strother@wsu.edu
Office: Avery 210
Office Hours: MWF 10-11 and by appointment
There are other times that I am available to meet with you, so if my office hours do not work for you,
please email me to schedule an alternative.

Course Description:
What does it mean to be human? What consequences do the actions of humans have on the world around
them? What potential does technology hold for humans? for women? What does the future look like for
humanity? In what ways does science fiction call for action and revolution? This exploration of the genre
of science fiction will engage with these questions to better understand the ways in which science fiction
from the 21st century depicts humans, nonhumans, and technology.

Reading Now, is designed to provide students with an opportunity to discuss multiple contemporary texts,
including literature, film, television, comics, and graphic novels produced in the last 30 years. Because of
the increasing popularity of science fiction, this course will focus on work of science fiction produced in
the 21st century. We will consider the genre of science fiction, explore the use of narrative elements within
that genre, and analyze the works in ways that engage you both critically and creatively. By examining the
cultural and historical contexts of the works, we will consider the ways in which science fiction engages
with these and other social issues and discuss the effects of science fiction on popular culture and cultural
beliefs.

Required Course Materials:

• Stories of Your Life and Others Ted Chiang 9781101972120
• Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 9781400078776
• Borne Jeff Vandermeer 9780374115241
• How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe Charles Yu 978030773945
• Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood 9780385721677
• Black Mirror (available on Netflix)
• Other readings will be provided via Blackboard Learn

Learning Outcomes:

Student learning outcomes Course Topic Evaluation of Outcome

At the end of this course, students The following topic(s) will address This outcome will be evaluated
should be able to this outcome: primarily by:

• Introduction of science • Reading responses

Critically read and analyze • Review paper
fiction genre
contemporary science fiction;
• Class discussions

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 • Reading responses
Demonstrate understanding of • Introduction of narrative • Review paper
foundational concepts of narrative elements • Creative project
theory; • Class discussions

• Reading responses
Demonstrate awareness the social • Research project
• Course lectures
and historical contexts of the works
• Class discussions • Creative project
discussed;

Demonstrate understanding of
themes that resonate with
contemporary science fiction;
• Research project
• Creative project
• Course lectures
• In-class activities
• Class discussions

Locate and evaluate secondary
sources, including academic and
popular sources;
• Research project
• Discussion of research and • Creative project
creative projects • Review paper
• Discussion of review paper • Project proposals

• In-class activities and

Effectively communicate and
exchange ideas with fellow students
and instructor;
• Discussion of reading
response guidelines
• Discussion of presentation
strategies
• Class discussions
discussions
• Group presentation
• Reading responses
• Proposals for projects

• Research project
To produce different types of • Creative project
• Discussion of research and
discourse appropriate to a variety of • Review paper
creative projects
purposes and audiences.

Website and Email:

Students must have access to Blackboard Learn, the course website (english110spring2018.weebly.com),
and their WSU-provided email. All official course communication will take place through these
venues. I will not respond to emails unless they are sent from your WSU email account. In addition, you
will be required to set up a Dropbox account using your WSU email to submit and receive assignments.

You are expected to check your email regularly (several times per week). All announcements regarding the
course and assignments will be sent via email. I will not discuss grades via email. If you have a
question or concern about your grade, you must make an appointment to speak with me in person. I am
happy to answer questions about assignments via email, however I will not answer basic questions
regarding issues such as word count, required sources, or due dates that have already been addressed in
the syllabus or on the assignment sheets provided.

Assignments:
All written assignments must follow MLA style as outlined in the MLA Handbook,8th edition. The Purdue
Online Writing Lab is a great source for the guidelines and can be accessed via this link:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. All major assignments should be submitted
electronically through the course website on the date that they are due. In order to receive credit,
assignments must be submitted on time and formatted as a .doc or .docx document. I will not accept PDFs
or Pages documents.

Due dates for each assignment can be found on the course calendar, and detailed instructions for each
assignment including guidelines for formatting and rubrics used for grading are available on the course
website.

1. Reading Responses: (15%) – You will be asked to write a response to some of the texts we
cover in this course. This includes the short stories, novels, films, video games, and television
episodes. Responses are due on the last day that we cover the chosen text. You have the freedom
to choose which texts you respond to based on your preferences and interests (5 total).
2. Homework and In-class Activities: (15%) – We will be reading and discussing texts every
day. This portion of your grade will be based on any smaller writings, homework assignments,

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 and in-class activities assigned for this course. This may also include short quizzes based on the
lectures, discussions, and readings. These quizzes will be multiple-choice and will take place in
the first five minutes of class. Quizzes cannot be made up if you are absent or late, regardless of
the reason.
3. Research Project: (30%) – This project will require you to research one science fiction text by
looking at both scholarly and non-scholarly sources. You will propose a text, create an annotated
bibliography of the sources you locate, prepare a brief report that offers background and context,
and write a review of the text.
4. Creative Project: (30%) – This project will allow you to engage creatively with one of the texts
for this course by creating a multimodal interpretation of some aspect of the work. This might
take many forms based on your interests and abilities. A written introduction will accompany
your individual work, and you will present your project in groups at the end of the semester.
5. Citizenship and Course Participation: (10%) – Your score for this category will be based
upon not only your in-class participation and attendance but also on whether you contribute to a
productive learning environment for the class as a whole. This entails the following:
• Come to class with all relevant materials and be ready to discuss the day’s readings and
viewings.
• Eliminate all non-class-related distractions (i.e. smartphones, food, etc.) unless expressly
permitted otherwise.
• Treat your classmates and professor in a courteous, polite, and professional way.
• Arrive to class on time, ready to spend the full 50 minutes working.

Grading Scale:

Grade Percentage Grade Percentage

A 94-100 C 74-76
A- 90-93 C- 70-73
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69

B 84-86 D 64-66

B- 80-83 F 63 and below

C+ 77-79

Please keep in mind that I do not “take off” points from the work that you submit. Instead, you earn the
grade that you receive by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the assignment. Work that simply
meets the minimum requirements will receive a C. Competent, thoughtful, well-written work will earn a
B. In order to earn an A, your writing must be exceptional and your ideas complex and well-supported.

Late Work Policy:

Late papers are penalized at the rate of one letter grade per day late; a paper that would have received a
"B" on Monday will receive a "C" if handed in on Tuesday. If you do not turn in a paper, you will receive a
0 for that portion of your grade. You have one extension in this class. This extension means that your
paper will be due 48 hours after the original due date, without penalty. You must request and be approved
for the extension ahead of time (at least one day before the due date) via email, and you should save it for
a true emergency, since no other extensions will be granted for any other reason. I do not assign makeup
work for absences. Note: You cannot use this extension on the presentation or creative
project.

Attendance Policy:
Consistent attendance is crucial for success in this course. If you miss more than 6 days of class during
the semester, you will risk failing the class. Be aware that missing class may result in missing graded
activities and will affect your participation at the end of the semester. There is no difference between
an excused and an unexcused absence. If you miss for a school-sponsored activity, you will need to
speak with me in advance and have the proper paperwork.

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Because this class relies on discussion and in-class activities, active participation is expected from each
student during each class. Students must be active in the classroom as well as follow the policies below in
order to be counted present:

• Keep your cell phone out of sight and silenced (not on vibrate!) during class unless otherwise
instructed.
• Do not use computers for non-class related activities (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.).
• Arriving more than 10 minutes after class begins and packing up or leaving before class is
dismissed will result in an absence.

Reasonable Accommodations:
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with documented
disabilities or chronic medical conditions. If you have a disability and need accommodations to fully
participate in this class, please visit the Access Center website to follow published procedures to request
accommodations: http://www.accesscenter.wsu.edu. Students may also either call or visit the Access
Center in person to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. Location: Washington Building 217;
Phone: 509-335-3417. All disability related accommodations MUST be approved through the Access
Center. Students with approved accommodations are strongly encouraged to visit with instructors early in
the semester during office hours to discuss logistics.

Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of higher education. As such, all members of the university
community share responsibility for maintaining and promoting the principles of integrity in all activities,
including academic integrity and honest scholarship. Academic integrity will be strongly enforced in this
course. Students who violate WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy (identified in Washington Administrative
Code (WAC) 504-26-010(3) and -404) will fail the course and will not have the option to withdraw from
the course pending an appeal, and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration as defined in the
Standards of Conduct for Students, WAC 504-26-010(3). You need to read and understand all of the
definitions of cheating: http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=504-26-010. If you have any
questions about what is and is not allowed in this course, you should ask course instructors before
proceeding. If you wish to appeal a faculty member's decision relating to academic integrity, please use
the form available at conduct.wsu.edu.

Classroom Safety Statement:

Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University, and are the
shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the “Alert, Assess,
Act,” protocol for all types of emergencies and the “Run, Hide, Fight” response for an active shooter
incident. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency notification), ASSESS your specific
situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to assure your own safety (and the safety of others if you
are able). Please sign up for emergency alerts on your account at MyWSU. For more information on this
subject, campus safety, and related topics, please view the FBI’s Run, Hide, Fight video and visit the WSU
safety portal.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Students are encouraged to refer to the academic calendar often to be aware of critical deadlines
throughout the semester. The academic calendar can be found at http://registrar.wsu.edu/academic-
calendar/.

Severe Weather
For severe weather alerts, see: http://alert.wsu.edu/and https://oem.wsu.edu/emergency-
procedures/severe-weather/. In the event of severe weather affecting university operations, guidance will
be issued through the alert system.

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