Hong Kong Shue Yan University Department of English Language & Literature 1st term, 2012-2013 Course Title

Course Code Year of Study Number of Credits Duration in Weeks : Science Fiction in Literature and Films : ENG 479 : 3rd or 4th :3 : 15

Contact Hours Per Week : Lecture (2 Hours) : Tutorial (1 Hour) Pre-requisite(s) Prepared by : NIL : Dr. Amy CHAN

Course Aims This course is designed to introduce to students both the historical development and narrative structure of science fiction as a unique genre within the context of the postmodernist movement. Through a body of literary works such as cultural theories, short stories, and novellas, and Sci-fi films, students will be introduced to topics such as alternate history, artificial intelligence, cyberpunk, cloning and genetic engineering, cyborg and posthumanism, nanotechnology, etc. Course Outcomes, Teaching Activities and Assessment Upon ILO1 ILO2 ILO3 ILO4 ILO5 ILO6 ILO7 ILO8 TLA1 TLA2 TLA3 TLA4 TLA5 Course Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) completion of this course students should be able to: identify the main features of science fiction recognize the special status of science fiction as a literary genre Identify the important themes of science fiction demonstrate a critical understanding of sci-fi texts and films construct a theoretical framework in reading science fiction and sci-fi films relate features of science fiction to characteristics of postmodernity demonstrate their vision of the future in a creative way write critically on science fiction Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) Introduction to science fiction Textual analysis of the texts Screening of Sci-fi movies Explanation of the technology or science relevant to the texts Analysis of literary or filmic texts with reference to the

TLA6 TLA7 TLA8 TLA9

technology or science concerned Analysis of literary or filmic texts with reference to critical concepts Oral Presentations by students Write a sci-fi story in words or comic strips Write a Term Paper

AT1 AT2 AT3 AT4

Assessment Tasks (ATs) Oral Presentation Group Project Term Paper Final Examination TOTAL

15% 20% 25% 40% 100%

Alignment of Course Intended Learning Outcomes, Teaching and Learning Activities and Assessment Tasks Course Intended Teaching and Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes Learning Activities ILO1 TLA1,2,3 AT1,2 ILO2 ILO3 ILO4 ILO5 ILO6 ILO7 ILO8 TLA1,6 TLA1,2,3,4,5 TLA6,7,9 TLA1,5,6,7 TLA5,6,7 TLA2,3,6,8 TLA6,9 AT1,2 AT1,2 AT1,3,4 AT1,3,4 AT3,4 AT2 AT3,4

Course Outline Week 1 Introduction George Slusser. The Origins of Science Fiction. A Companion to Science Fiction. PP. 27-42. Week 2 Beginning of Science Fiction Arthur C. Clark, The Sentinel Reference: 2001 Space Odyssey (movie) Week 3 Encounter with Aliens I Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (movie), 132 mins Week 4 Encounter with Aliens II Ridley Scott, Alien (movie), 117 mins Week 5 Science Fiction and Feminism Nancy Kress, Out of All Them Bright Stars Tiptree Jr., James. The Women Men Dont See Reference: Veronica Hollinger (2002). (Re)reading Queerly: Science Fiction, Feminism, and the Defamiliarization of Gender. Reload: Rethinking Women + Cyberculture. PP. 301-320. Week 6 Time-Travel and Alternate History Nancy Kress, The Price of Oranges

Issac Asimov, Fair Exchange Reference: Time Machine (movie); Back to the Future series (movie); Terminator series (movie) Week 7 Postmodern Urbanscape Kathryn Bigelow, Strange Days (movie), 145 mins Reference: Wong Kin Yuen, On the Edge of Spaces: Blade Runner, Ghost in Shell, and Hong Kongs Cityscape. Science Fiction Studies, Vol.27, Part I, March 2000, pp. 1-21. Week 8 Bioengineering David D. Levine, I Hold My Fathers Paws Mike Resnick, Old McDonald Had a Farm Greg Egan, Learning to be Me Ref: Richard Fleischer , Soylent Green (movie) Week 9 Terminal Identity & Memory Implant I Alex Proyas, Dark City (movie), 100 mins Week 10 Terminal Identity & Memory Implant II Greg Egan, The Extra, The Safe-Deposit Box Week 11 Singularity and Beyond Greg Egan, Border Guards Film Clips from Surrogate (movie), A.I. (movie), Avatar (movie) Week 12 Science and Religion I Ridley Scott, Prometheus (movie), 124 mins Ref: Prometheus-community http://www.prometheusmovie.com/community/forums/topic/8031 Week 13 Science and Religion II Greg Egan, Oceanic Week 14 Recapitulation
Academic Honesty You are expected to do your own work. Dishonesty in fulfilling any assignment undermines the learning process and the integrity of your college degree. Engaging in dishonest or unethical behavior is forbidden and will result in disciplinary action, specifically a failing grade on the assignment with no opportunity for resubmission. A second infraction will result in an F for the course and a report to College officials. Examples of prohibited behavior are: Cheating an act of deception by which a student misleadingly demonstrates that s/he has mastered information on an academic exercise. Examples include: Copying or allowing another to copy a test, quiz, paper, or project Submitting a paper or major portions of a paper that has been previously submitted for another class without permission of the current instructor Turning in written assignments that are not your own work (including homework)

Plagiarism the act of representing the work of another as ones own without giving credit. Failing to give credit for ideas and material taken from others Representing anothers artistic or scholarly work as ones own Fabrication the intentional use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive To comply with the Universitys policy, the term paper and the project have to be submitted to VeriGuide.

Resources Primary Texts Egan, Greg (2009). Dark Integers and Other Stories. Far Territories. Flanagan, Mary & Booth, Austin, eds. (2002). Reload: Rethinking Women + Cyberculture. Cambridge & London: The MIT Press. Supplementary Readings Critical Theories Bacon-Smith, Camille (2000). Science Fiction Culture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Bukatman, Scott (1993). Terminal Identity: Virtual Subject in Post-Modern Science Fiction. Durham and London: Duke University Press. Freedman, Carl (2000). Critical Theory and Science Fiction. Hanover & London: Wesleyan University Press. Hollinger, Veronica & Gordon, Joan, eds. (2002). Edging into the Future: Science Fiction and Contemporary Cultural Transformation. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Kuhn, Annette, ed. (1990). Alien Zone: Cultural Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema. London & New York: Verso. Kuhn, Annette, ed. (1999). Alien Zone II: The Spaces of Science Fiction Cinema. London & New York: Verso. Lefanu, Sarah (1988). Feminism and Science Fiction. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. McCaffery, Larry, ed. (1991). Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern Fiction. Durham & London: Duke University Press. Roberts, Adam (2000). Science Fiction. London: Routledge. ----- (2006). The History of Science Fiction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Sawyer, Andy & Seed, David, eds. (2000) Speaking Science Fiction: Dialogues and Interpretations. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. Seed, David (2005) A Companion to Science Fiction. Oxford: Blackwell. Slusser, George & Shippey, Tom, eds. (1992) Fiction 2000: Cyberpunk and the Future of Narrative. Athens & London: The University of Georgia Press. Wong, Kin Yuen, Westfahl, Gary and Chan, Amy Kit-sze, eds. (2005) World Weavers: Globalization, Science Fiction and the Cybernetic Revolution. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Science Fiction Card, Orson Scott. (2004) Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the

20th Century. New York: Ace Trade. Clarke, Arthur C. (2000) 2001: A Space Odyssey. New York: ROC. Dozois, Gardner. (2007) The Years Best Science Fiction: Twenty-fourth Annual Collection. New York: St. Martins Griffin. Dozois, Gardner. (2008) The Years Best Science Fiction: Twenty-fifth Annual Collection. New York: St. Martins Griffin. Dozois, Gardner. (2009) The Years Best Science Fiction: Twenty-sixth Annual Collection. New York: St. Martins Griffin. Dozois, Gardner. (2010) The Years Best Science Fiction: Twenty-sevenrth Annual Collection. New York: St. Martins Griffin. Egan, Greg. (1995) Axiomatic. New York: HarperPrism. Le Guin, Ursula. (1994) The Left Hand of Darkness. New York: Eos. Le Guin, Ursula. (2000) The Dispossessed. New York: Ace Trade Lem, Stanislaw. (2002) Solaris. Translated by Joanna Kilmartin & Steve Cox. Orlando: First Harvest.