ANG1750 Science-Fiction and FantasyWinter 2016
Description:
This course will explore the intersection of fantasy and science fiction to engage with gender representations and popular culture. The latter has a fraught place in academe, with its potentially derogative qualitative label on works of literature and other media (the so-called ‘high’ and ‘low’ labels). Students will be exposed to a range of writings from 1865 to the present in a critical framework that includes cultural studies, new media studies, and gender studies. Discussions will also include the parodic elements inherent in popular culture. Finally, all the works considered in this course will demonstrate how popular culture constantly engages with contemporary historical and political issues.
Requirements:
- Mid-term exam: 40%
- Final exam: 50%
- Participation: 10%
Bibliography:
- Octavia Butler, Fledgling
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
- Susan Collins, The Hunger Games
- Alan Moore and David Gibbon, Watchmen
- John Scalzi, Redshirts
- Ian Tregillis, The Mechanical
- Joss Whedon and Karl Modine, Fray: Future Slayer
[Students can purchase the books at the university bookstore, with the exception of Watchmen. Students can also purchase e-version of the books.]
Schedule:
- Tuesday 12 January: Introduction / TV: Phineas and Ferb & Film: The Matrix (Part I)
- Tuesday 19 January: Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland & Phineas and Ferb / Film: The Matrix (Part II)
- Tuesday 26 January: class cancelled due to sickness
- Tuesday 2 February: The Matrix & Alan Moore and David Gibbons’ Watchmen
- Tuesday 9 February: Guest-Lecture by Jason Haslam on Flight of Neveryon
- Tuesday 16 February: Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games
- Tuesday 23 February: Midterm exam
- Tuesday 1 March: Reading Week
- Tuesday 8 March: Octavia Butler’s Fledgling
- Tuesday 15 March: Film: Galaxy Quest and TV: Humans
- Tuesday 22 March: Ian Tregillis’ The Mechanical
- Tuesday 29 March: TV: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog / Joss Whedon and Karl Modine’s Fray: Future Slayer
- Tuesday 5 April: TV: Star Trek / John Scalzi’s Redshirts
- Tuesday 12 April: Revision @ home
- Tuesday 19 April: Final exam
Plagiarism
Plagiarism – the stealing or “borrowing” of another person’s written work and passing it off as one’s own – is a very serious academic offence.
Plagiarism occurs when:
- the work submitted was done, in whole or in part, by an individual other than the one submitting or presenting the work;
- an entire work (e.g., an essay), is copied from another source, or parts of the work are taken from another source without explicit reference to the author;
- an essay copies a sentence or paragraph of another work with minor variations.
Plagiarism occurs not only when direct quotations are taken from a source without explicit acknowledgement, but also when original ideas from the source are not acknowledged. A bibliography or “works cited” is insufficient to establish which portions of the student’s work are taken from external sources; formal modes of citation (i.e., page numbers and the author’s name in parenthetical references) must be used for this purpose.
Professors are required to report all cases of plagiarism to the Dean. The minimal disciplinary measure for cases of plagiarism is an F on the assignment, essay, or exam. Further measures can include an F in the course, suspension from the Faculty, and even the requirement to withdraw from the University.
If you are unclear on the definition of plagiarism or you are unsure about how to avoid it, please do not hesitate to ask me. Ignorance is not a valid defense.
This content has been updated on January 17, 2021 at 20 h 34 min.