HUMA 1905
Dangerous Visions, Brave New Worlds:
The Science Fiction Culture and Our Scientific Age

WELCOME, STUDENTS!

"Take me to your tutorial leader! "

Glad to have you with us for HUMA 1905: The Science Fiction Culture!

This course will introduce you to the world of science fiction (unless you're already a fan...but even then you'll still learn a lot). You'll probably discover things about it you never expected; for example, it's not always about spaceships and robots, and aliens that want to eat people for some reason (they probably wouldn't be able to digest us anyway). Science fiction explores themes of technological change, gender identity, social problems and their possible solutions, and what it means to be human. It's a genre of thought experiments: what if...? You'll also encounter Grammar Man , who will teach you how to use semi-colons, and the difference between "who" and "whom," among other things. His aim is to help you improve your writing so that you'll get higher grades and have a better chance of pursuing your dreams.

There are two course directors--J. Keeping and Allan Weiss--and two teaching assistants. Check the course outline for the day, the time, and the room number of your tutorial. One of us will be your tutorial leader, and your leader is your main source for information about the course, such as how he or she will grade your participation.

I say this at the beginning of every course every year; people seldom pay attention, but I feel better knowing that I've tried:
if you encounter any problems that could in any way interfere with your ability to do well in the course, come and talk to us before they start to interfere!
That's what we're here for. That's why we hold office hours. We want to help!

If you're still trying to get into the course, DO NOT ask for our assistance. We can't do anything, at least at this stage. You'll just have to keep trying. You're welcome to keep attending lectures on the off-chance that you'll get in, but there are no guarantees. People always switch in and out of courses, and a space might open up, so keep going into the on-line enrolment system. Good luck! Also, if you've incurred a conflict between your tutorial in this course and another course, don't expect us to help or let you switch tutorials. If you need to switch tutorials, you'll have to do it through the on-line system.

Looking forward to meeting all of you!

Allan Weiss
On behalf of the HUMA 1905 Teaching Team