Approved by Faculty Senate March 30, 2009

Approved by Faculty Senate March 30, 2009

English 120-2: Introduction to Literature –

Science Fiction

Winona State University Spring, 2009

Section 2 (001311) Meets M & W 2:00-3:20 Minné 363

Instructor: Rob Brault E-mail: rbrault@ winona.edu

Phone: 457-5449, home: 452-5993 (8 am – 9 pm, please) Office: Minné 315

Office Hours: MTWRF: 8:00-8:50 a.m.;10:00-10:50 a.m. and by appointment

Course Description

English 120 is an introduction to literature, one of the forms in which artists explore what it means to be human. Because literature both reflects and informs cultures, it offers important insights into how we experience and interact with our world. Literature can serve many practical purposes: education, inspiration, and recreation. As an art form, literature represents the highest and most carefully crafted use of language, the means by which humans order their experience into a meaningful coherence. This course is intended for students who are not majoring in English.

Course Content

Students will read works by British, Canadian, and American authors from the 20th century that explore human relationships in (usually) futuristic settings. Each of these works creates a world that is radically different from conventional reality (and from each other). These texts will illustrate some of the traditional genres of literature: poetry, short story, and novel.

University Studies

English 120: Introduction to Literature, is an elective course in the Arts & Sciences/Humanities area of the University Studies Program. The purpose of the Humanities requirement is to provide a framework for understanding the nature and scope of human experience. Humanities courses explore the search for meaning and value in human life by examining its expression in cultural forms and texts, literature and the arts. One of the interesting ways in which science fiction addresses the question, ―what does it mean to be human?‖ is by exploring encounters between Homo sapiens and other sentient life forms. What makes these aliens ―inhuman‖?

As a course fulfilling the objectives for the Humanities requirement in the Arts and Science core, then, English 120, Introduction to Literature, includes requirements and learning activities that promote students' abilities to … 2 Brault English 120: Intro. to Lit. – Science Fiction Spring 2009

q identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of a particular Humanities discipline

- through study of the formal and structural elements and complexities of science fiction.

q understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations

- through consideration of the roles history, culture, and gender play in science fiction.

q understand the role of critical analysis in interpreting and evaluating expressions of human experience

- through the study and practice of interpreting and evaluating science fiction.

Course Goals

Students of English 120 should expect to…

 read extensively in British, American, and Canadian Literature;

 study the texts’ relationships with each other and with the contexts in which they were written;

 discover connections between the ideas, themes, and methods of writing used by authors creating alternative realities;

 learn and apply the disciplinary tools for understanding and interpreting literature; and

 practice sharing their insights, both in writing and in oral discussions.

Texts

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Anchor/Doubleday, 1998. ISBN 038549081X

Card, Orson Scott, ed. Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century. Ace Books, 2004. ISBN 0441011330

Heinlein, Robert. Starship Troopers. Ace,1997. ISBN 0441783589

Le Guin, Ursula. The Left Hand of Darkness. Ace, 1991. ISBN 0441478123

Herbert, Frank. Dune. Ace, 1976. ISBN 0441172717

Modesitt, L.E. Jr. Adiamante. Tom Doherty Assoc, 1998. ISBN 0812545583

Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, 1976. ISBN 0451524934

additional readings supplied by instructor

Grading

 30% quizzes and mini-essays based on readings

 70% four exams: Brault English 120: Intro. to Lit. – Science Fiction Spring 2009 3

in-class objective (short answer)

take-home subjective (essay)

D = 65-69%, C = 70-79%, B = 80-89%, A = 90-100%

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is required, expected, and necessary. I expect that you attend on time and well prepared for each day’s work—material read, assignments completed, and brain fully engaged. If you should miss a class session, consult a classmate for the material you missed, do the work required of you, and return well prepared for the next session. Be aware that neither your classmates nor I can reproduce the content of a class session for you. If for some emergency—mental, physical, familial—you must miss consecutive class sessions, let me know about it in advance. I may be able to give you your assignments in advance or (in rare circumstances) extend course deadlines, but I’m obligated to do neither if I’m notified only after the fact. Chronic absenteeism virtually guarantees failure in the course—just as regular, purposeful participation virtually guarantees higher learning. Students’ grades reflect the quality of their work, not the validity or the extremity of their reasons for not completing their coursework.

Academic Integrity Policy

Academic integrity at Winona State University is based on honesty. The university community requires that work produced by students represents their personal efforts and requires that they properly acknowledge the intellectual contributions of others. WSU students are required to adhere to the University’s standards of academic integrity. These are printed in the undergraduate catalog and are available online at http://www.winona.edu/studentaffairs/integrity_policy.htm. Work that fails to acknowledge sources completely and correctly will receive no credit. Submitting any work fraudulently —including submissions prepared for other courses, ―ghostwritten‖ by others, or plagiarized from the internet— will result in automatic failure of the course.

Commitment to Inclusive Excellence

WSU recognizes that our individual differences can deepen our understanding of one another and the world around us, rather than divide us. In this class, people of all ethnicities, genders, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, and nationalities are strongly encouraged to share their rich array of perspectives and experiences. If you feel your differences may in some way isolate you from WSU’s community or if you have a need of any specific accommodations, please speak with the instructor early in the semester about your 4 Brault English 120: Intro. to Lit. – Science Fiction Spring 2009

concerns and what we can do together to help you become an active and engaged member of our class and community.

Campus Resources

Student Support Services, Howell Hall 133, 457-5465

http://www.winona.edu/studentsupportservices/

Inclusion and Diversity Office, Kryzsko Commons Room 122, 457-5595

http://www.winona.edu/culturaldiversity/

Disability Resource Center, Howell Hall 136, 457-2391

http://www.winona.edu/disabilityservices/

Counseling Center, Gildemeister Hall 132, 457-5330

http://www.winona.edu/counselingcenter/

Writing Center, Minné Hall 348, 457-5505

http://www.winona.edu/writingcenter/

GLBTA Advocate, Gildemeister Hall 132, 457-5330

http://www.winona.edu/counselingcenter/