EN 2172 3.0: APOCALYPTIC SCIENCE FICTION

TERM : Winter 2019

COURSE INSTRUCTORS :

COURSE DIRECTOR:
NAME:	Allan Weiss
OFFICE:	307 SC
PHONE:	416-736-5166 x77318
EMAIL:	aweiss@yorku.ca
OFFICE HOURS:	W 3:30-5:30 F 3:30-4:30 And by appointment
TEACHING ASSISTANTS:	Tyler Ball tylenol@yorku.ca Office: R-S109 Office Hours: F2:30-3:30 Clare Wall

TIMES AND LOCATIONS :

Lecture Tut 01 Tut 02 Tut 03 Tut 04

F 12:30-2:30 F  2:30-3:30 F  3:30-4:30 F  2:30-3:30 F 3:30-4:30

ACW 004 VH 2016 VH 1020 VH 2000 VH 1018

A. Weiss C. Wall C. Wall T. Ball

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION :

ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE:

Each week there will be a two-hour formal lecture by the teaching team and one-hour tutorial sessions of about 25 students each. The lectures will be supplemented by films and videos. Lectures will provide historical, cultural, and other contexts, while the tutorial meetings will involve discussion of the readings and assignments. Students will be expected to come to class having read the assigned material, and be prepared to discuss the literary, moral, and other issues the texts raise.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the field of fantastic literature, and to trace the development of a particular genre as it has evolved in the context of historical and cultural changes. The course demonstrates how various conventions and tropes of a given genre may persist, yet also undergo modifications in keeping with the changing interests of individual authors and society as a whole.

Specific learning objectives :

It is hoped that students will

- learn to recognize the features that distinguish a genre, and how those features change;

- understand the role of intellectual history in shaping how authors view the world and the

ways it may end;

- develop an appreciation for a “popular” genre and works that are marginalized because they

belong to that genre;

- improve their ability to read and write about literature.

COURSE TEXTS :

H. G. Wells, The Time Machine

Walter M. Miller, Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Cat's Cradle

Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake

In addition, a course kit containing short texts is available at the Bookstore.

EVALUATION :

Short essay (1000-1500 words; 4-6 pp.), due Feb. 15 : Term paper (1500-2000 words; 6-8 pp.), due Mar. 29 : Class Participation Exam A useful tool: Proofreading Checklist

20% 35% 15% 30%

Essays should conform to proper MLA style. They should be typewritten or printed, double-spaced, on one side of the page only. ANY USE OF ANOTHER PERSON’S WORK, WHETHER IT IS IN PRINT OR ELECTRONIC FORM, WITHOUT PROPER CITATION CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM AND WILL LEAD TO CHARGES OF A BREACH OF ACADEMIC HONESTY. Please see the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty at: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm

NOTE: Any changes to the marking scheme or reading list will be discussed in class prior to implementation.

Grading, Assignment Submission, Lateness Penalties, and Missed Tests

Grading: The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in

undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Assignments and tests will bear a letter grade designation and a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.).

(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar - http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/pdfs/ug2004cal/calug04_5_acadinfo.pdf)

Students may take a limited number of courses for degree credit on an ungraded (pass/fail) basis. For full information on this option see Alternative Grading Option in the Faculty of Arts section of the Undergraduate Calendar.

Assignment Submission : Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time. Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment. Assignments are to be handed in to the instructor or in the drop box ( Stong College 3rd Floor).

Lateness Penalty : Assignments received later than the due date will be penalized one-half letter grade per week or portion thereof that it is late. Exceptions to the lateness penalty

for valid reasons such as illness, compassionate grounds, etc., may be entertained by the instructor but will require supporting documentation (e.g., a doctor’s letter).

Missed Tests : Students with a documented reason for missing a course test, such as illness,

compassionate grounds, etc., which is confirmed by supporting documentation (e.g., doctor’s letter), may request accommodation from the instructor. Further extensions or accommodation will require students to submit a formal petition to the Faculty.

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the following information, available on the Senate Committee on Curriculum & Academic Standards webpage (see Reports, Initiatives, Documents): http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/senate_cte_main_pages/ccas.htm

- York’s Academic Honesty Policy and Procedures/Academic Integrity Website

- Ethics Review Process for research involving human participants

- Course requirement accommodation for students with disabilities, including physical, medical, systemic, learning and psychiatric disabilities

- Student Conduct Standards

- Religious Observance Accommodation

SYLLABUS

Jan. 4:   Introduction and Definitions

Jan. 11: The Moral Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation (ca. 100 A.D.)
Revelation : PowerPoint

Jan. 18: From Romans to Romantics: The Impossible Lecture
                        Alexander Pope, from Dunciad (1742)

Lord Byron, "Darkness" (1816)

Edgar Allan Poe, "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion" (1839)

Jan. 25: The Amoral Apocalypse
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895)

Feb. 1:   Modern Visions and the Golden Age
E. M. Forster, "The Machine Stops" (1909)

Arthur C. Clarke, "The Nine Billion Names of God" (1953)

Feb. 8: The Immoral Apocalypse: The Bomb
Judith Merril, "That Only a Mother" (1948)

Ray Bradbury, "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950)

Feb. 15: Post-Apocalyptic Visions I

                         Walter M. Miller, Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)
                         Short essay due

Feb. 22          Reading Week: No Classes

Mar. 1:   Post-Apocalyptic Visions II
                        Stephen Vincent Benet, "By the Waters of Babylon" (1937)

                        Carol Emshwiller, "Day at the Beach" (1959)

Mar. 8: The Immoral Apocalypse: The New Wave
                        Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Cat's Cradle (1963)

Mar. 15:          Postmodern and Postcolonial Visions
                        Robert Silverberg, "When We Went to See the End of the World" (1972)

                        Celu Amberstone, "Refugees" (2004)

Mar. 22: The Biological Apocalypse
                         Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (2003)

Mar. 29            Conclusion and Review
                         Dale Bailey, "The End of the World As We Know It" (2004)