SFE20709 English: Science Fiction: The Future as History (Autumn 2012)
Facts about the course
- ECTS Credits:
- 10
- Responsible faculty:
- Avdeling for økonomi, språk og samfunnsfag
- Course Leader:
- Robert Lewis Mikkelsen
- Teaching language:
- English
- Duration:
- ½ year
Table of contents
The course is affiliated to the following study programme
Teaching semester
English Extension course: 1st semester (autumn).
Bachelor in Society, Language and Culture: 3rd or 5th semester (autumn).
Content
The course is interdisciplinary in its approach; that is, lectures and seminars will make use of selected novels, short stories, and films, as well as historical, sociological, scientific and literary texts to provide students with a foundation from which they can form a critical and independent view of the genre.
The student's learning outcomes on passing the course
Knowledge:
This course provides students with the historical and literary context of Science Fiction (SF). It traces the connections between SF and its contemporary trends and issues. This provides a basis for students to understand how SF may provide social and political criticism of the time in which it is written, as well as envisage future developments.
Skills:
The course shows students how SF makes use of the fields of history, literature and science to create its unique visions.
General Competence:
In an age in which the pace of technological change is increasing, this course will provide students with tools to evaluate and manage the impact such developments have on our societies and our individual perspectives. In all these activities, students will be encouraged to explore the rich world of SF through the choice of literature and films.
Teaching and learning methods
Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam
Exam
A written paper with oral examination
Students will be assessed on the basis of a 2000-3000 word paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the course lecturer. The paper must be analytical and research-based with a bibliography and footnotes.
Students then will sit for an oral examination (approx. 30 minutes) based upon the submitted paper and the course curriculum. An adjusted final grade for the course will then be given. Grade scale A-F.
Course evaluation
Reading list
Novels:
The Time Machine, H. G. Wells (1895)
Foundation, Isaac Asimov (1951)
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin (1969)
Neuromancer , William Gibson (1984)
Blood Music, Greg Bear (1985)
Short Stories:
'There Will Come Soft Rains', Ray Bradbury (1951)
'Flowers For Algernon', Daniel Keyes (1959)
'Eutopia' by Poul Anderson (1967)
'Story of Your Life', Ted Chiang (1998)
"Evil Robot Monkey", Mary Robinette Kowal (2008)
Films:
Required :
2001, A Space Odyssey, 1968
Blade Runner, 1982
The Matrix, 1999
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004
A Scanner Darkly, 2006
Theoretical and Historical Texts:
Contemporary American Science Fiction, The Age of Maturity 1970-2000, Darren Harris-Fain (2005)
Compendium selections from:
Science Fiction, Roger Luckhurst (2005)
'From Atomjocks to Cultural Critique: American SF, 1939 - 1959,' pp. 92-120
The History of Science Fiction, Adam Roberts (2005)
'The Impact of New Wave Science Fiction, 1960s-1970s', pp. 230-264
Screening Space; The American Science Fiction Film, Vivian Sobchack (1997)
'The Limits of the Genre: Definitions and Themes', pp. 17-25, 55-64
In addition, an estimated 50 pages of selections will be made from the following texts dealing with specific novels, short stories, films and authors, as well as articles dealing with forms and critiques of SF:
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, (1993) eds. John Clute & Peter Nicholls
The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, (2003) eds. Edward James & Farah Mendelsohn
Anatomy of Wonder; A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, (2004) Neil Barron
A Companion to Science Fiction, ed. David Seed (2005)