Science-Fiction LiteratureDr.
Julia Houston Syllabus
and Policy Sheet BOOKS: The
Time Machine, by H. G. Wells SHORT STORIES (these will be copied for you): "The
Lost City of Mars," by Ray Bradbury MOVIES and TELEVISION: Galaxy
Quest PAPERS
AND PROJECTS: Overall, you have three things due. One must be a paper, and one a project or presentation. The third can be either. There will also be a short-answer and identification final. 1. First
paper/project/presentation @ 20% ESSAY
POLICIES: 1. ALL PAPERS written outside class must be neatly typed on standard white, non-erasable paper, double-spaced and with a title page bearing a title (all caps, no underline) in the center and in the lower right hand corner: your name, essay number and my name. Don’t put a title on the second page or give it a large margin. 2. Do not justify the right margin. This means that you are not to line up the right margin like you do the left one. Many computers will do this automatically, so you may have to change the margin default. Justifying the right margin screws up your spacing. 3. Remember: one space after commas and semi-colons (;), two after periods and colons (:), and it’s .” or ,” in ALL situations except a series of quotes. 4. All subsequent pages must have a header consisting of your last name in normal type and the page number. The first page after the title page is page number 1. 5. Pages must be attached by staple or paper clip—not computer feed paper which hasn’t been separated or one of those plastic folder things!! No graphics. 6. Margins should be at 1 ½ “ on top, the rest at 1.” 7. Type font should be around 10/12 point, giving you about 250-300 words per page. 8. Paragraphs are to be indented 5 spaces. DO NOT PUT EXTRA SPACES BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS. That’s for business writing and certain formats of technical papers. 9. Check your spelling. 10. Failure to follow these format rules will lower your grade. 11. The use of correct grammar helps you to get good grades on your papers. Bad grammar interferes with getting the grades you deserve. Readers need to be able to concentrate on what you are saying, not to be distracted by errors you can correct with careful proofreading. This course will review grammatical rules in response to common errors on your papers, and I will also go over any grammatical information in class upon a student’s request. 12. However, I am not a machine, nor do I expect you to be. The occasional mistake will not lower your grade (say, three grammar mistakes on a two-page essay).
1. A project is an object of some kind, constructed outside class and presented with adequate information to the class. This might be a video compilation, an art project, a piece of creative writing, the results of some organized research, anything you can imagine. 2. Projects should reflect your interests based in class discussion and class topics. 3. All projects must be pre-approved by me. You should approach me with a specific idea of what your project will be and an argument to convince me that it will reflect the concerns of the course. 4. If you decide to do something on the Internet for your project, the class will view it between class periods and then discuss it. PRESENTATION
POLICIES: 1. You are to talk for the length of time one would associate with reading an essay out loud, a good ten to fifteen minutes, but you need not simply stand there and recite. A good presentation has handouts for the class and tries to involve the class with questions or other interaction. You may want to have a video accompaniment, or some sort of “visual aid.” 2. You should be prepared for questions from me and your fellow students. 3. Presentations will be graded on the coherence of your argument, the strength of your supporting examples, and the amount of interest you generate in me and in your fellow students. OVERALL: 1. NO LATE PAPERS, PROJECTS, OR PRESENTATIONS. Papers are due at the beginning of the class period. Do not hope that we won’t get to your project or presentation on the day you are scheduled. 2. If sickness or loss of limb causes you to be unable to meet a due date, and you contact me as soon as you can (not, like, uh, two weeks later), you may turn one paper in at a later appointment. You can do this only once in the semester, so don’t use this emergency except for anything but an emergency. 3. The
whole point of this class is to talk about science-fiction, and everyone’s
opinion is important. Expect to be called on and just talk about what
you think. In sci-fi, there are few “wrong” answers.
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