Overview
Conceptual
Overview
During
the course of the 20th century, science fiction became one of
the most popular, influential and pleasurable ways to speculate
about the accelerating changes in our world. This course will
offer a selective survey of science fiction, beginning with classic
texts of H.G. Wells, The Time Machine and The War of
the Worlds, and ending with the Wachowski brothers' cyberpunk
film, The Matrix. In this course we will pay special attention
to these themes: alien invasion, machine intelligence and the
cyborg, futures for gender, the perfection of simulation, and
the issue of domination and freedom. Along the way, we will investigate
how changes in 20th century media—from cheap print and bright
covers, to film, radio, television and computer based new media—have
helped to enable science fiction, and become a theme for analysis
within science fiction. Our course will work with questions
like the following: what is science fiction? from where in the
history of Western narrative does science fiction come? what are
its distinct pleasures? is there a special affinity between film
and science fiction? does science fiction have predictive value?
This course is part of the UCSB's
English Department's new curricular project entitled Transcriptions:
a Digital Humanites Project on the Cultures of Information.
Course Web
Address:
http://dc-mrg.english.ucsb.edu/WarnerTeach/E192/
Class Location
and Time:
Lecture location/Time: Buchanan 1910; Tues 5-6PM; Thurs 5-7PM
Professor Warner's
Office Hours:
2507 South Hall
Friday, 1:30-2:30PM, and by appointment
Technology Help:
There will be drop in hours for this class in the Transcriptions Studio,
South Hall 2509.
Required Texts
and Films (see Schedule):
Books are available from the UCSB Bookstore and
in the bookstore in IV.
Texts:
- H. G. Wells, The
Time Machine & The War of the Worlds; Fawcett Books;
ISBN: 0449300439
- Isaac Asimov I,
Robot. Reprint edition (July 1994) Bantam Books;
ISBN: 0553294385
- Arthur Clark. 2001:
A Space Odyssey, Reissue edition (September 12, 2000)
Roc; ISBN: 0451457994
- Ursula K. LeGuin.
The Left Hand of Darkness Reissue edition (January
1991) Ace Books; ISBN: 0441478123
- The Norton Book
of Science Fiction. Ed. By Ursula LeGuin and Brian Attebery.
Paperback (June 1999) W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 0393972410
- Various on-line readings
Films\ Radioplay:
Screenings will
be held Wed. 5:00PM - 7:30PM in Buchanan 1920. I will also have
films available at the learning lab in Kerr Hall. Of course, you
may also screen these at home.
- Metropolis
(Fritz Lang, 1927)
- Radio play of "The
War of the Worlds" (Orson Welles, 1938): This radio play can
be found online as the October 30, 1938 broadcast of The
Mercury Theatre on the Air
- The Stepford
Wives (Forbes, 1975)
- 2001: A Space
Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968)
- Star Trek: the Next
Generation: I, Borg (1992)
- Blade Runner
(Scott, 1982)
- The Matrix
(Wachowski Brothers, 1999
Assignments
(Details):
- 1st paper: 4 pp.
- Midterm: matching,
identification, and short essay question
- 2nd paper: 5pp.
- Final exam:
matching, identification, and 2 long comparative essays
Course Policies
(Details)
Read, Screen,
Attend, Participate, and Think Continuously
Honors
Section (Assignments and Projects)
Location: South Hall
1415; Time: Friday, 12:00-12:50PM
Focus for the section: Class members will divide into small teams
and prepare web-sites that expand upon some dimension of this course's
study of science fiction. Web experience is desireable but not necessary.
First meeting: Friday, April 12th.
Honors Projects:
presented to Lecture June 6, 2002
Section Contact
Information:
Please
note: if a student has not appeared in their section by week
2, her or she will be dropped from the class roll.
In order to communicate with Professor Warner or your TA, please
use email. Feel free to write at any time. All the instructors in
this course like to know what's on your mind.
Instructor/
Office |
Sections |
Location |
email
address |
Elizabeth
Freudenthal
SH 3432 N. Grad Tower |
Wed
9am
Wed 10am |
SH 1609
SH 1430 |
freuden@umail.ucsb.edu |
Steve
Sohn
SH 4431 Grad Tower |
Wed
12pm
Wed 1pm |
SH 1415
Santa Rosa dorm |
ssohn@umail.ucsb.edu |
Jennifer
Stoy
SH 2432
Grad Tower |
Thurs
8am
Thurs 9am |
SH 1415
Santa Rosa dorm
|
jmstoy@umail.ucsb.edu |
Chris
Hoffpauir
SH 4431Q
Grad Tower |
Thurs
3pm
Thurs 4pm |
Santa
Rosa
Santa Rosa dorm |
cdh@umail.ucsb.edu |
Professor
Warner/
SH 2507 |
Honors
Fri 12pm |
SH 1415 |
warner@english.ucsb.edu |
|