ENGLISH 4108A

SCIENCE FICTION

Summer Session II, 2009

Dr. Bill Thierfelder

631 244-3098

ThierfeW@dowling.edu

www.thierfelderwilliams.com

OFFICE HOURS:      Before and after class; in the classroom.

CLASS RULES: NO EXCEPTIONS

1.  Please turn off cell phones and electronic devices.  No text-messaging during class.

2. You must have active e-mail to be in this course.  There are regular on-line assignments and questions.

3.  Lateness is rude and disruptive.

4. There are absolutely no make-ups or “take early’s” on any exam. No late papers are accepted.  No exceptions.  All tests must be taken during the assigned class period.  All papers are due during or before the class period.  A missed quiz or paper will result in a zero.  No exceptions.

5. Every student is allowed 1 absence, 1 lateness, and 1 leave-early without penalty.  After that 5 points are taken off the participation grade for the course for each absence.  You are allowed three (3) absences in total.  Your fourth absence will result in an automatic failure or withdrawal for the course; no exceptions.  Three points will be deducted for each lateness and leave early after the permitted single late/leave.  Lateness of more than 30 minutes will be counted as an absence.  Attendance is taken from the first day of class, not the first day the student starts attending.  No exceptions will be made to any of the rules of the attendance policy.  PERFECT ATTENDANCE, no lateness and no leave early will result in 5 points being awarded to your participation grade.

6. Dr. Thierfelder will be in regular contact with all students via e-mail, phone, or regular mail regarding assignments and other “news.”  He will also have all papers/tests returned to the students within one to two class periods.  Failure to hand back papers in such a timely manner will result in each student receiving 5 points added to that assignment’s grade. If Dr. Thierfelder fails to meet with a class and does not provide a substitute (except in cases of a weather emergency), forcing a class to be cancelled, 5 points will be added to each student’s participation grade.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Using six classic science fiction texts and several important sci-fi films, this course addresses several key issues regarding the future of humanity through films like Gattaca, 28 Days Later, and Minority Report, documentaries, Karel Capek’s play R.U.R., short stories by Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, and novels including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Zamyatin’s WE, and H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine.  Time travel and the manipulation of history, Dystopian governments, genetic engineering and other aspects of Biotech, the use of Artificial Intelligence (including computers and robots), and exploring other planets are some of the areas that will be explored.  Each Thursday evening after regular class time, an extra film dealing with one of the major themes of the course will be shown for those wishing extra credit.

PURPOSE: Students will come to understand the many complex issues facing humanity’s future as seen through the eyes of important authors and film makers.

METHODS:  Class lectures, class participation, 4 papers, 4 short exams

TEXTS:           HANDOUT PACKET

                        Isaac Asimov,               I, Robot

                        Ray Bradbury,              The Martian Chronicles

                        Karel Capek,                 R.U.R.

                        Mary Shelley,               Frankenstein

                        H.G. Wells,                  The Time Machine

                        Yevgeny Zamyatin,      WE

GRADING AND ASSESSMENT: 

                                                            40%     4 Papers

40%     4 Short Exams

20%     Attendance and Participation 

GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES:  Upon completion of this course the student should be expected to:

            1.  Apply communication theory, analytical reading, and critical thinking skills to the interpretation of texts, documentaries, and films.

            2.  Demonstrate an awareness of language as a tool for learning, communication, and creative thought; this includes knowledge of mood, tone, and diction as key elements of an author’s creative palette.

            3.  Collect, analyze, and critically evaluate information to produce writing with appropriate documentation (i.e. successfully create short objective research papers).

            4.  Write well-organized argumentative and analytical essays with a firm thesis and clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

            5.  Follow the standards of written English, specifically in regard to sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and usage, and spelling.

            6.   Recognize relations between works of literature, film, and the arts and the cultural and socio-political world in which they are created: i.e. understand the music, art, literature, and current events of a particular era.

            7. Be able to present oral reports on a particular work of literature or film.

            8. Work co-operatively in small groups and class discussions to develop listening, speaking, interpretive, and debating skills.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:   http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/biblio.htm

The following materials represent a sampling of recent studies concerning science fiction and its impact on society.

2006

• Special Issue: "On Ursula K. Le Guin." Extrapolation 47 (Winter 2006): 349-504.
• Special Issue. "Technoculture and Science Fiction." SFS 98 (March 2006): 1-148.
• Special Section: "On William Gibson's Pattern Recognition." SFS 100 (November 2006): 452-504.
• Carl Abbott. Frontiers Past and Future: Science Fiction and the American West. Lawrence: UP of Kansas, 2006.
• William Butcher. Jules Verne: The Definitive Biography. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2006.
• Sonja Fritzsche. Science Fiction Literature in East Germany. East German Studies/DDR-Studien 15. New York: Peter Lang, 2006.
• Eric Greene. Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race and Politics in the Films and Television Series. 1996. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2006.
• William S Haney, II. Cyberculture, Cyborgs and Science Fiction: Consciousness and the Posthuman. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006.
• Justine Larbalestier, ed. Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 2006.
• Patricia Melzer, Alien Constructions: Science Fiction and Feminist Thought. Austin: U of Texas P, 2006.
• Andrew Milner, Matthew Ryan, and Robert Savage, eds. Imagining the Future: Utopia and Dystopia. Melbourne: Arena, 2006.
• Patricia Monk. Alien Theory: The Alien as Archetype in the Science Fiction Short Story. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006.
• Donald E. Morse, ed. Anatomy of Science Fiction. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars P, 2006.
• Annalee Newitz. Pretend We’re Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 2006
• Julie Phillips, James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon. New York: St. Martin's, 2006.
• Diana M.A. Relke,  Drones, Clones and Alpha Babes: Retrofitting Star Trek's Humanism. Calgary, AB: U of Calgary P, 2006.
• Adam Roberts. The History of Science Fiction. New York: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2006.
• Brian Stableford, Science Fiction and Science Fact: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2006.
• Takayuki Tatsumi. Full Metal Apache: Transactions Between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-Pop America. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 2006.

2007

• Special Issue: Mark Bould and Rone Shavers, eds. "Afrofuturism." SFS 102 (July 2007).
• Special Issue: On Latin American SF. SFS 103 (Nov. 2007): 369-483.
• Special Issue. Rieder, John, ed. "Life Writing and Science Fiction." Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly 30.1 (Winter 2007).
• Special Issue: David Seed, ed. "Science Fiction." Yearbook of English Studies 37.2 (2007): 1-254.
• Sharon DeGraw. The Subject of Race in American Science Fiction. New York: Routledge, 2007.
• Barry N. Malzberg. Breakfast in the Ruins: Science Fiction in the Last Millennium. New York: Baen, 2007.
• Tom Moylan and Raffaella Baccolini, eds. Utopia Method Vision: The Use Value of Social Dreaming. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2007.
• Dominika Oramus. Grave New World: The Decline of the West in the Fiction of J.G. Ballard. Warsaw: U of Warsaw P, 2007.
• Jeff Prucher, ed. Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction. Intro. Gene Wolfe. New York: Oxford UP, 2007.
• Joanna Russ. The Country You Have Never Seen: Essays and Reviews. Liverpool: U of Liverpool P, 2007.
• Patrick B. Sharp. Savage Perils: Racial Frontiers and Nuclear Apocalypse in American Culture. Norman, OK: U Oklahoma P, 2007.
• Sherryl Vint. Bodies of Tomorrow: Technology, Subjectivity, Science Fiction. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 2007.
• Heather Urbanski. Plagues, Apocalypses and Bug-Eyed Monsters: How Speculative Fiction Shows Us Our Nightmares. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.
• Lisa Yaszek, Galactic Suburbia: Recovering Women's Science Fiction. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 2007.

2008

• Special Issue: Sherryl Vint, ed. "On Animals and Science Fiction." SFS 35.2 (July 2008): 177-307.
• Special Issue: Sylvia Kelso, ed. "Ursula K. Le Guin." Paradoxa No. 21 (2008).
• Christopher Bolton, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., and Takayuki Tatsumi, eds. Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams: Japanese Science Fiction from Origins to Anime. Minneapolis: U Minnesota P, 2008.
• Paul Kincaid, What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction. Harold Wood, Essex, UK: Beccon, 2008
• Wendy Pearson, Veronica Hollinger, and Joan Gordon, eds. Queer Universes: Sexualities in Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2008.
• John Rieder. Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 2008.

WRITING PAPERS AND EXAMS FOR THIS COURSE

Instead of one 8- to 10-page paper due at the end of the course, 4 shorter papers will be required throughout the semester.

A.  All papers will be 2 pages in length.  Learn to self-edit.  No paper over 2 pages will be accepted.  Writing focused, short papers compels you to master your material so well that you are able to express your ideas succinctly.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

B.  All papers will be typed, 1 ½ -- 2 spaces, traditional margins, 12 or 14 point font.  No cover pages. Put your name in the corner; the name of course goes under your name; double space, then put the title of paper centered: double space, then begin your text.  NO EXCEPTIONS

C.  Some papers require research.  All articles or online articles must be included with the paper.   All papers must properly cite sources. No article; no grade.  Put the article(s) and your paper in a pocketed folder with the paper on one side and the article(s) on the other.  NO EXCEPTIONS

---------------------------------------------------------------

1.  All papers must have an introduction.  Your introduction must clearly state the theme of your paper.  Keep your topic focused around two or three main points, which you clearly state in your introduction. Avoid broad generalizations: Tell your reader exactly what you are going to write about.  [A lawyer gets in front of the jury on the first day of the trial and tells them what he/she plans to prove.]

2.  The body of your essay centers on the two or three points that you have already introduced in the opening and in the same order.  [A layer brings in witnesses before the jury, saving the star witness (most important point) for last.]  Failure to use illustrations such as quotes or specific references will preclude an A on your paper.

3.         A. Make sure each sentence and paragraph builds on the previous one; otherwise you have blocks of ideas that can be moved without affecting the whole. Use transitional words and phrases. 

            B. Use transition phrases to move reader from idea to idea.  Failure to do this results in choppy, incoherent writing, and precludes an A on the paper.

            WEAK:  The Clash of the Titans talks about the gods.  They can be very selfish.  I know a man like that.  Perseus is told to kill Medusa in order to win Andromeda.  Thetis is very angry with Zeus for having mutilated her son, Calibos.

            BETTER:  the Clash of the Titans tells a tangled tale of revenge and jealousy involving two young men—Perseus and Calibos—and their respective, adoring parents—Zeus and Thetis.  Both Zeus and Thetis selfishly want their sons to “win” the hand of the princess Andromeda and go to astounding lengths to insure the victory.  Perseus, for example, must kill the dreaded Medusa and the titan named Kraken before he can claim the beautiful princess.  To “help” Perseus along, Zeus enlists the aid of several other gods to provide his son with a magical helmet, sword, shield, and even an all-wise mechanical owl.

4.  All papers must have a developed conclusion that tells your reader what you’ve proven.  Never introduce a new idea or topic in the conclusion.  This paragraph is not a repeat of your introduction; merely to repeat means you’ve taken your reader nowhere. The conclusion is an outgrowth of the argument you have constructed. [The lawyer makes his final argument before the jury, telling them what all of his witnesses have proven.] Failure to create a meaningful conclusion precludes an A on the paper.

5.         A. Many papers require quotations (specific evidence):  If you are writing about an article or literary, you must use quotations.  Lack of documentation/citations precludes an A.

            B. Make quotations part of your text:

            WEAK:  Tennyson misses Hallam but he knows that he did the right thing. “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”  (Tag-on quotes like this example preclude an A.)

            BETTER:  Though Tennyson misses Hallam very much, he realizes that it is always “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” 

OR:  To remain isolated from others out of fear of getting hurt is no excuse for the Narrator.  It is “better to [love],” even if it means eventual “loss,” because in daring to love, one is daring to enter fully the human experience and condition.

6.  All essays about films, literature, music, painting, etc. must be written about in the present tense.  The Arts are alive and well—a poem, a film, a song, or a painting, etc. IS not WAS.  If you do not do this or if you skip back and forth between past and present tense, you are precluded from an A on your paper.

7.  Avoid shifting past to present or present to past in your paper.

            WEAK:  Then Sylvia goes into the woods to climb the pine tree.  There she found herself looking out over a vast, new world.

            BETTER:  Then Sylvia goes into the woods to climb the pine tree.  There she finds herself looking over a vast, new world.

8. You should use inclusive language.  Sexist words like “mankind” or using “he” when you also mean to include women are not acceptable.

            WEAK:  A good lawyer always brings in his best witness last.

            BETTER: Good lawyers always bring in their best witness last.

9.  Avoid speaking directly to your reader:  YOU or YOUR

            WEAK:  When you read line 37, you know that Shakespeare has felt love deeply.

            BETTER:  When readers examine this poem, especially line 37, they know that Shakespeare has felt love deeply.

10.  Avoid use of short, choppy sentences:  creates a “Police Report” style.

            WEAK:  Browning wrote “My Last Duchess” in the 1840’s.  It tells the story of a greedy Duke.  The Duke may have killed his most recent wife.  This explains the title.  (FACT…FACT…FACT…FACT)

            BETTER:  Browning’s 1842 poem, “My Last Duchess,” contains a clue right in its title.  There is reason to believe that the greedy Duke has had several wives and that the “last” one may have been murdered.

11.   Avoid repetition of the same words and phrases from one sentence to the next.

            EXAMPLE:  AIDS is a horrible epidemic.  This epidemic has especially hit hard in Africa.  In Africa it is estimated that nearly half the population of some countries is infected.  Such devastating infection rates will undermine the economy of the continent.  If the economy of the continent goes under, the rest of the world will follow.

12.  Do not summarize the plot or content of a work.  Stick to your topic.  Your reader does not need Cliffs’ Notes.

13.  Proofread for important grammar and usage errors, such as run-on sentences, comma splices, sentence fragments, incorrectly used idiomatic expressions, etc.   CHECK for correct spelling of words and names.  Your professor is not your editor; you are.  More than a few important errors will automatically preclude an A on your paper.  C or less is the usual grade for papers with faulty grammar and usage.

NOTE WELL:  All papers and exams will use the number system of this section for correction purposes.  Thus if next to a paragraph in one of your papers, you see 11, that means that repetition/redundancies is a problem.  If you see 6, that means you have written about a film or story in the past tense.  If you see 3, that means that you have not used transitions between paragraphs or sentences/ideas.  If you see 13, that means you have a punctuation, grammar, usage, or idiom error.  It is your responsibility to know grammar and usage and to get help if you need it.  Etc. 

GRAMMAR WEBSITE:  www.grammarbook.com

STUDENT’S GUIDE TO GRADING ON PAPERS AND EXAMS IN THIS COURSE:

NOTE WELL:  Even if the content of a paper, quiz, or exam is correct, poor writing automatically precludes an A.  No exceptions.

A:        EXCEPTIONAL.          Your work is convincing, persuasive, and exceptional all around; its content and style are superior; penetrating analysis, balanced argument, apt illustrations, and specific evidence are present.  Your work is free of grammar and usage errors.

B:        GOOD, SOLID WORK.            Your work is solid but not completely conclusive; there is substantial content, illustration, and fairly well controlled handling of the material, but there may be errors in organization or in mechanical details like punctuation.  Lacks the polish of an A paper.

C:        AVERAGE; SATISFACTORY.             If your paper has grammar and usage errors, such as fragments and comma splices, your paper automatically starts out at the C level.  Only partially successful in explaining or persuading.  Such papers often lack substance, conclusive arguments, or specific illustrations.  Insufficient use of transitions, specific illustrations, or sentence variety also mean a C, the average grade for a paper.

D:        VERY WEAK. If you receive a D, you simply have not written a college-level paper.  Contains ven more serious errors than a C paper.  It may have two or more of the following errors:  organizational flaws; brief or unevenly developed paragraphs; no sentence variety; contradictions; paragraphs that can be moved around without effecting the whole; ideas that do not flow from one sentence to another; lack of transitional terms; no/faulty introduction and/or conclusion; lack of focus; excessive wordiness; serious diction/idiomatic faults; serious errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage.

F:        FAILURE.                    Below college-level writing [OR] suspected or proven plagiarism.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

STRUCTURE OF COURSE:

For every session, there is a corresponding section in the Course Workbook.  Please read all materials. Answers to homework questions are to be prepared at home before class session; we will go around the room to hear each other’s answers and ideas.  Your answers are part of your Participation Grade.

WEEK ONE

1. June 29                     1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. Introduction/Definitions

                                    3. Human Population Growth: Children of Men (2006)

2.  June 30                    1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. Progress and Technology: H.G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895)                                                      Chapters 1—6

                                    3. Children of Men

3.  July 1                      1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. The Time Machine,

                                                Chapters 7—end

                                    3. Technology; Nuclear Warfare; Interplanetary Travel; Aliens: The Day                                                 The Earth Stood Still (1951)

4.  July 2                      1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. The Day The Earth Stood Still

                                    3.  QUIZ NO. 1: (NO MAKE UPS/NO EXCEPTIONS)

                                                Short answers on WORKBOOK materials, The Time Machine, Children of Men, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

On Thursday evenings, I will show an extra credit movie.

EXTRA FILM: Bioterrorism: Twelve Monkeys (1995)

EXTRA ASSIGNMENT (up to 5 points added onto QUIZ NO. 1):  Compare and contrast James Cole and the Time Traveller as scientists.

WEEK TWO

5.  July 6                      1. WORKBOOK                      

                                    2. EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT ON TWELVE MONKEYS DUE

                                    3. Totalitarianism and Dystopian Society: Zamyatin’s We (1921)

                                                Entry 1—13

                                    4. Artificial Intelligence; Progress: Blade Runner (1982)

6.  July 7                      1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. WE

                                                Entry 14—28

                                    3. Blade Runner

7.  July 8                      1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. WE

                                                Entry 29—40

                                    3. Climate Change: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

8.   July 9                     1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. The Day After Tomorrow

                                    3. PAPER NO. 1:  (Follow guidelines A, B, C on page 4 of this syllabus; papers not following guidelines will be returned unread with an “F.”  Use sample essays in WRITING TWO-PAGE PAPERS as a guide) Pick one (1) of the following topics and write a 2-page essay:

Compare and contrast “the hero’s journey” of Theo (Children of Men) and the Traveller (The Time Machine)

<<OR>>

Compare and contrast The Traveller (The Time Machine) and Klaatu (TDTESS) as determined “men with a mission.”

<<OR>>

Describe and discuss the “disasters” that Children of Men, The Time Machine, and the 1951 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still explore.

EXTRA FILM: Search for Intelligent Life beyond Earth: Contact (1997)

EXTRA ASSIGNMENT (up to 5 points added to Quiz No. 2):  Is Ellie Arroway a good scientist?

WEEK THREE

9.  July 13                    1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT ON CONTACT DUE

                                    3. Genetic Engineering; Progress; Scientific Responsibility:                                                                    Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1816)

                                                            Introduction; Opening Letters; Chapters 1—10

                                    4. Terrorism; Technology: 28 Days Later (2002)

10.  July 14                   1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. Frankenstein

                                                Chapters 11—16

                                    3. 28 Days Later

11. July 15                    1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. Frankenstein

                                                Chapters 17—24

                                    3. Genetic Engineering; Progress; Scientific Responsibility:                                                                    Gattaca (1997)

12.  July 16                  1. WORKBOOK          

                                    2. Gattaca

                                    3. Discussion:  The responsible scientist.

                                    4.  QUIZ NO. 2:  Short answers on WORKBOOK materials, We, Blade Runner, The Day After Tomorrow, Frankenstein, 28 Days Later, and Gattaca.

                                    5.  PAPER NO. 2: (Follow guidelines A, B, C on page 4 of this syllabus; papers not following guidelines will be returned unread with an “F.”  Use sample essays in WRITING TWO-PAGE PAPERS as a guide) Pick one (1) of the following topics and write a 2-page essay: 

Compare and contrast D-503 (WE) and the Monster (Frankenstein).

<<OR>>

Compare and contrast Jim (28 Days Later) and the Monster (Frankenstein) as beings alienated from society.

EXTRA FILM: Apocalyptic science fiction: Ever Since The World Ended (2001) 

EXTRA ASSIGNMENT (up to 5 points added to Quiz No. 3):  Compare and contrast the survivors in Ever Since the World Ended with Jim and his companions in 28 Days Later.

WEEK FOUR

13.  July 20                   1. WORKBOOK          

                                    2. EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT ON EVER SINCE THE WORLD ENDED DUE

                                    3. Artificial Intelligence: “Escape” from I, Robot (1950) (Isaac Asimov)

                                    4. Artificial Intelligence: Act 1, R.U.R. (1921) (Karel Capek)

                                    5. Artificial Intelligence: Minority Report (2002)

14.  July 21                   1. WORKBOOK          

                                    2. Minority Report

                                    3. “Evidence” from I, Robot

                                    4. Act 2, R.U.R. 

15.  July 22                   1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. “The Evitable Conflict” from I, Robot

                                    3. Act 3 and Epilogue, R.U.R.

                                    4.  Minority Report

16.  July 23                  1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. Space exploration; Artificial Intelligence; Scientific Hubris:                                                                Forbidden Planet (1956). 

                                    3. PAPER NO. 3: (Follow guidelines A, B, C on page 4 of this syllabus; papers not following guidelines will be returned unread with an “F.”  Use sample essays in WRITING TWO-PAGE PAPERS as a guide) Pick one (1) of the following topics and write a 2-page essay: 

Compare and contrast  Helena (R.U.R.) with Susan Calvin (I, Robot)

<<OR>>

Compare and contrast John Atherton (Minority Report) with D-503 (WE) as men at odds with their respective societies.

<<OR>>

Compare and contrast Vincent (Gattaca) and the Monster (Frankenstein) as beings alienated from society.

EXTRA FILM: Artificial Intelligence: A. I. (2001) This is a 2 hour 20 minute film; it will not end until after 10 PM with a short bathroom break.

EXTRA ASSIGNMENT (up to 5 points added to Quiz No. 4):  Compare and contrast the lives of David (A.I.) with that of the “Precogs” in Minority Report. 

WEEK FIVE

17.  July 27                   1. WORKBOOK

                                    2. TAKE HOME QUIZ NO. 3: Please answer the following three questions; each answer should be approximately 1 typed page; support your answers about the literary pieces with quotes; support your answer about the film with specific examples. Each answer will be worth 33 points.

1. What is the primary dilemma of John Atherton (Minority Report)?

2. What is Isaac Asimov’s main point in I, Robot?

3.  Is Dr. Gall (R.U.R.) a responsible scientist?  

                                    3. EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT ON A.I. DUE

                                    4. Aliens; colonization: The Thing (1951)

18.  July 28                   1. WORKBOOK

                                    2.  Space colonization: “The Martian” from The Martian Chronicles (1950)

                                    3. Space Exploration; terraforming: Red Planet (2000)

19. July 29                    1. WORKBOOK          

                                    2. “The Long Years” and “The Million Year Panic”

                                                 from The Martian Chronicles

                                    3. Red Planet

20.  July 30                  1. BRING GOODIES FOR A PARTY

                                    2. WORKBOOK

                                    3.  Star Trek: The Next Generation: “The Inner Light” (1992)

                                    4. QUIZ NO. 4: Short answers on WORKBOOK materials, The Thing, The Martian Chronicles, Red Planet, and “The Inner Light”

                                    5. PAPER NO. 4: (Follow guidelines A, B, C on page 4 of this syllabus; papers not following guidelines will be returned unread with an “F.”  Use sample essays in WRITING TWO-PAGE PAPERS as a guide) Pick one (1) of the following topics and write a 2-page essay: 

Compare and contrast how The Martian Chronicles and Red Planet deal with the idea of exploring and expanding the scope of human knowledge (and territory).

<<OR>>

Compare and contrast the presentation of robots in R.U.R.; I, Robot; and “The Long Years.”