THE FOLLOWING WORKSHEET APPLIES ONLY TO THE 3:30 CLASS ON WEDNESDAY


With a partner, please answer the following questions in response to the Black Mirror episode you watched.


1) What ethical problems does the episode raise?


2) Do you see any technology in our world that is heading in this direction? What is it?


3) What is appealing about this form of technology? What are its benefits?


4) What might happen if this technology were to get into the wrong hands?


5) Can you see any parallels between the choice to not use the device in the show, and some aspect of our world today? How reliant are we on our devices?


6) Come up with a scenario involving this form of technology that either 1) results in a negative consequence or 2) results in a positive consequence, directly as a result of the technology's existence.

Class Survey for Prof D

What was your favorite assignment and why?

What was your least favorite assignment and why?

What was your favorite book and why?

What was your least favorite book and why?

What was your favorite tv episode or film and why? What was your least favorite tv episode or film and why?

What did you think of the reading load?

What did you think of the watching load?

Do you have any specific ideas for improving the course? Are there any topics you'd like covered that we did not cover?

HW for Wednesday

Please look for a passage that you consider to be "dangerous" to the status quo, in a book that has affected you in some way. Bring the book to class on Wednesday, along with a one page, single-spaced write up explaining why that particular passage is "dangerous" and what aspects of society it threatens.

Note: don't look for an obvious passage that speaks to blowing things up or something. Consider "Dover Beach," the poem read in Farenheit 451 by Montag to the women. It is "dangerous" in that society because it encourages people to feel emotions from the past, to consider the brevity of life and its cruelty, and to place love as the most important thing above all. In that society, obedience to laws, cheap entertainment, and isolation are valued, and this is why the poem is dangerous.

1) Re-read "the firemen are hardly necessary" speech--how do you see this playing out in our world today? Can you think of any category of people or institutions that play the role of "firemen"? (p 83)

2) What does Faber mean when he says, "It's not the books you need, but some of the things that were once in books"? Do you think his criticism of TV and radio still holds up? Give some specific examples from mass media in your response. (p 78-80)

3) Break down the three things Faber says are missing from current media, and discuss whether each of these things is present or not present in our current mass media forms and society today. If they are not, what is impeding them? If they are, where can we find them? How might we create more of them? (p 79-81)

4) What is one thing you would add to Faber's list that books give us, that you see as missing in our world today?

Snapshot Presentations Schedule

1:30 class

4/25
Tori
Miranda
Danielle
Oliver


4/27

Bryan
Jake
Zeke
Delaney

4/29

Alex
Elise
Mia
Maria

 5/2

Gabriela
Jasmin
Li
Luis

3:30 class

4/25

Will
Arthur
Brie
Dominic
Kelsey 

4/27

Daniel
Nick
Tess
Sam

4/29

Alex
Ashton
Frankie
Mukewele

Reminder: there are two components to your presentation. 1) Your future "snapshot"--which is a creative story, video, website, etc that creates a speculative future. 2) A 3-4 page essay which analyzes your snapshot critically, discussing the elements of our world that inspired it, the influences on your work from our class (the novels and films and shows), your process, etc. 

“Give me a [person] who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a [person] who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed.”

-Anne Rice

PLEASE BRING WRITING UTENSILS (LAPTOPS, PENS, PAPER) FOR CLASS ON FRIDAY

Questions for Advantageous

1) Describe the world of the film. What does it have in common with our world? How does it differ? Did you notice anything peculiar that you have questions about?

 2) Are there any specific, troubling aspects of our world that the filmmaker projected into a speculative future? What are those aspects?

3) Compare this film to Eye of the Beholder. What do the films have in common? How do they differ?

4) If you had to summarize the central dilemma or "problem" of the film, what would it be?

5) What do you make of the ending of the film? Is it sweet or bittersweet?

6)  How does the film deal with the subject of race? What about gender?

Final Revision Assignment (we will discuss this on Monday in class)

For your final essay, due finals week via email only, you are required to do an extensive re-write of essay 1 or essay 2. You will be expected to incorporate at least two more outside research sources than your original ones and to make revisions to every single paragraph in the essay.


Please note that the books themselves (Parable and Wrinkle) do not count as outside research sources, though you should also incorporate them into your papers.


For those of you revising the in class essay, you will be required to use A Wrinkle in Time, and at least two outside library resources in your final draft of your revision paper. These resources can be on the book, the Cold War, or some other relevant issue. 






Add in detail where it is lacking, correct grammar, strengthen your arguments, and re-work organization. You are required to re-write your thesis, making it clearer and stronger, unless I wrote that it was perfect on your first draft. If you would like to significantly alter your thesis and paper (shifting topics, for example), this is fine too, although it is not required. 

Your re-write should be 2 pages longer than your initial draft as well. Go back and revisit the initial instructions for each of these assignments on the blog in order to figure out how long that should be.

Please utilize the notes I have made you in grading, on your rough and final drafts (if relevant). You can also visit me during office hours to discuss your work, should you need additional input.

Your paper will be reviewed alongside your initial paper, and if the changes made are not substantial, you will not receive a passing score. Should you have already gotten a high score on your paper initially, I recommend expanding your thesis and lengthening your paper, as well as adding in more research. 


Lastly, please note that this assignment has TWO grading components. It is an assignment in itself, with its own score, but if your grade is higher than your initial grade on the assignment, you also have the opportunity to bump up your initial paper score one full letter grade.








 Due: noon on Thursday 5/5, email only, .doc or .docx or pdf format. A google doc is fine as well.

In Class Essay Prompts

Hi everyone,


Here are the prompts for the in class essay, for those of you who choose to revise that particular essay for your revision assignment in this course.


Remember, you may revise either essay #1 (about Parable of the Sower) or essay #2 (the in class essay about A Wrinkle in Time) for your final revision assignment.


Please make sure to carefully read the following blog post detailing the instructions for this assignment before beginning to work on your revision. We will go over these guidelines on Monday in class, but a few people wanted to get started early, so I am providing this on the blog now.


As always, if you have questions, let me know.


***


A Wrinkle in Time In Class Essay Prompts (choose one):


In a Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle wages war against the ideologies of collectivism (emphasis on the group rather than the individual) and totalitarianism (absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution).

For your response on this paper, answer one of the following prompts in a cohesive essay, providing thorough examples and analysis from your memory of the reading.

1) Why is L'Engle waging war against these ideologies? What values do they threaten?

2) Do you see these ideologies manifesting in any form in our world today? If so, where? How do we combat them?

3) Is there any value in collectivism? What might L'Engle be missing in her emphasis on the individual over the group?  

Here is an interesting and disturbing article about VR and torture: https://versions.killscreen.com/we-should-be-talking-about-torture-in-vr/https://versions.killscreen.com/we-should-be-talking-about-torture-in-vr/

Hi everyone,


You may bring your laptops to class today. Sorry for the late notice!


Best,
Prof D

Snapshot Project

Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn't exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again. As soon as you have an idea that changes some small part of the world you are writing science fiction. It is always the art of the possible, never the impossible. -Ray Bradbury

Look into the future 50 years. What do you see? What kind of world are we living in? Are we living on planet Earth, or have we moved into outer space? How advanced is our AI? Has disease been eradicated, or do has there been even more disease as a result of pollution and warfare? What is the world like? What kind of beings have we become?

Create a sci-fi future snapshot to present to the class, based on what is going on in the world today. In other words, take actual events and scenarios from our current world, and project them into the future. 

Your snapshot can come in the form of a skit,  a story, a video, a website, a short story, a posterboard, or an other (approved by me) form. You will have 8 minutes to present it to the class, and do plan to use the full 8 minutes (but no more). Creativity is a HUGE part of your snapshot grade, so I do not want to see hastily organized PowerPoint or prezzis with a bunch of borrowed images from the internet on them.

In addition to presenting your future snapshot to the class, please write a 3-4 page essay detailing the events/situations in our world today that led you create your snapshot. Your snapshot should not be based on simply wish fulfillment, but you should have news articles and other resources bolstering your projection. Be prepared to share these with the class. For example, you could use current news articles on the melting of the polar ice caps to project a future where there are no polar ice caps at all. However, just because you are using real life events from today to project into the future, does not mean that you should not get creative and cannot be hopeful about the future. It's up to you if you want to create a dystopian or a positive snapshot (or some mixture thereof). There are all kinds of things happening in the world today, large and small, that will make our future: don't be afraid to look in unusual places for inspiration.


Imagination will be a key element that I am looking for when I grade your project. I want to see that you are thinking outside the box and getting creative.

Reading Questions for Wednesday

Reading questions for Wednesday. Please write down your responses. 

1) An important aspect of Willis' novel is the way in which she tackles history. Often when we read history, it becomes a bunch of boring facts and statistics. Throughout the book, Kivrin's intensive preparation for the time period rubs up against the realities of the time, things that she did not anticipate.What does Connie Willis reveal to us about the inadequacies of studying history?

2) Why is it important that you, as a reader, must switch back and forth between the 1300s and the imagined future? What is the effect of reading both of these timelines? 

3) The Domesday book is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states:

While spending the Christmas time of 1085 in Gloucester, William had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock and what it was worth.

It was written in Medieval Latin, was highly abbreviated, and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents.^[3] The survey's main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of KingEdward the Confessor.

The book is an invaluable primary source for modern historians and historical economists. No survey approaching the scope and extent of Domesday Book was attempted again in Britain until the 1873 Return of Owners of Land (sometimes termed the "Modern Domesday")^[7] which presented the first complete, post-Domesday picture of the distribution of landed property in the British Isles.^[8]

Why do you think Connie Willis chose to name her book Doomsday Book?

4) What unites people from the ancient past and the present? What unites us with the humans who have come before us? 

Hi everyone,

Here is an interesting video on robot technology. Please watch for Wednesday, March 23rd.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000502094

Best,
Prof D

Some Handy Tips on In Class Essays

The In-Class Essay:

Aim and Organization

AIM:

To successfully prove a clear, specific thesis. The thesis should, obviously, address the prompt given in class. Following directions here, as always, is crucial to receiving a passing grade.

ORGANIZATION:

An in-class essay is organized into five paragraphs. The first paragraph is the introduction, then comes three body paragraphs, then a concluding paragraph. No more—no less!

You will want to make a brief outline before you write your essay.* Make sure the body paragraphs appear in a logical order, not simply the order they came to your mind in. Build on the information as you go.

Introductory Paragraph: Make sure not to take too much time writing in introduction. This paragraph should be about five sentences long (give or take a sentence or two). Provide a clearly arguable, well-qualified, thesis.

Body Paragraph One: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.

Body Paragraph Two: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well as a topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Two should follow Body Paragraph One in terms of building logically upon it.

Body Paragraph Three: Don’t forget to provide clear examples to back up your argument, as well a topic sentence as the beginning of the paragraph. And remember, Body Paragraph Three should follow Body Paragraph Two in terms of building logically upon it.

Concluding Paragraph: Re-state your thesis. Summarize what has been successfully argued in the essay. End with a thoughtful and strong statement. This paragraph, like your introductory paragraph, need not be longer than five sentences, but should also not be shorter.

Grammar and formatting: Make sure to check your grammar and spelling as you go along. There is a bit more room for error in an in-class essay, but your essay must be readable and legible (so make sure your handwriting is clear). Double-check your essay for errors before you turn it in. You may choose to double-space or single space an in-class essay (depending on what your teacher requests).

SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR IN-CLASS ESSAY

Par. 1: THESIS: Write out thesis statement here.

Par. 2: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 1 here.

Par. 3: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 2 here.

Par. 4: TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA: Write out topic sentence/main idea for Paragraph 3 here.

Par. 5: CONCLUSION: Final thought to leave reader with.

*Remember, this is just a sample outline—yours can differ slightly. Also, you obviously will want to fully develop your intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion—so while you are providing the main idea of these paragraphs here in the outline, you will flesh them out with evidence/support in your actual essay.

Homework for Monday

Create a short story that is a contemporary parallel to A Wrinkle in Time. Here are the primary things I want you to consider: how will The Dark Thing manifest in your story? What contemporary social problems or issues will inform your narrative? Remember, Madeline L'Engle was informed by the Cold War--totalitarianism and collectivism vs. freedom of thought, individualism, and democracy. What issues today might serve for a battle between The Dark thing and "light"? You can set your story at Whittier College, or elsewhere, but it must be set in 2016. Also, make sure you consider how the Dark Thing will be defeated, or if it will be defeated (and if not, why not?).

2 pages, typed and double-spaced. Can be longer if you like.

Questions for "I'll Be Back" (Black Mirror episode)

1) What role does social media play in the episode?


2) What ethical problems or questions are raised by the episode?


3) Do you think robots/ai's have consciousness? Why or why not?

4) If your closest loved one died, would you be tempted to use this technology if it were widely available? Why or why not?

5) If you were to die, would you be comfortable with your closest loved ones using this technology? Why or why not?

6) Discuss the role of money in the episode.

An interesting article to read for next Monday: https://aeon.co/essays/could-machines-have-become-self-aware-without-our-knowing-it

A good read on why literature matters, what it offers us.

Please read this letter from Apple in addition to your regular reading for Friday. 

https://www.apple.com/customer-letter/

WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP GUIDELINES

DIRECTIONS: Please answer in complete sentences and take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on your answers. You do not need to write down the questions.

You should be addressing all questions within a given section. Give the notes to the Paper Author when finished. They will hand it in to me next week at the beginning of class on the day your final paper is due, and you will both get credit for the assignment.

1) Is the essay's thesis clear? Point out any areas where it could be clearer. Is it arguable? Is it well-qualified (specific)? Even if the thesis seems to be specific enough, suggest a way for the writer to make it even more specific and narrow. Also note any awkward grammar or unclear word choice.

2) Is the writer incorporating research from scholarly sources into the essay? Do the sources seem to be a strong and relevant for the thesis at hand? Do not ask the writer to tell you about them, but judge them based solely on what is in the paper. Write what you know about the sources below and give any suggestions for what you need to know more about:

3) Does the writer incorporate plenty of quotes/paraphrases/summaries from the book/outside sources examples in the essay? They should! Are those quotes strong enough to use (i.e. “murder weapon quotes”)? Which quote is the strongest and which is the weakest? Why? 

4) Does the writer provide convincing, sufficient analysis for their quotations? Remember, analysis is as important than the quote itself. Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific. The analysis should of course connect back to the thesis.

5) Is the paper organized? Do the main topics of the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Are the quotations logically organized? Give at least one suggestion for improvement.

Please note that my office hours are canceled today. I will see you in class!

Hi everyone,

This is a friendly reminder to bring two PRINTED copies of your rough draft--which must be at least TWO pages, typed, double-spaced--to class on Wednesday.

Failure to bring your rough draft means you may be sent home! So do bring it.

Your final draft must be the full length of 4-5 pages.

Lastly, I will post here if we will be meeting in the alternative classrooms on Wednesday. For now, plan to be in our regular classroom.

1) What is the Black Mirror?
2) What aspects of our world today does the show reflect? Why do you think that the creators chose these aspects to explore?
3) What "message" does the ending of the episode send? How does this ending reflect our world today?
4) What utopian and dystopian elements did you notice in the show?
5) What is the role of the judges on the show? How does your perspective of them shift over the course of the episode?

Hi everyone,

Please note that I have shifted our Rough Draft workshop to Wednesday. I will let you know in class what to do for the workshop.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Prof D

Dear students,

Our class for Monday has been relocated.

Please note that my 1:30 and 3:30 classes have been relocated to two separate places. Please make sure to note which one is yours.

1:30 class

Club 88

3:30 class

Ball Hall Living Learning Classroom

 Below are your pairs for Friday's activity. When you have completed the activity, please email me a grade for your partner. The grade will be kept private and will inform my grading on this assignment. Essentially, I want so ensure the work is shared and one person doesn't carry the whole load.

Pairs for 1:30 class

Tori and Miranda
Danielle and Bryan
Oliver (group of one)
Zeke and Delaney
Alex and Elise
Mia and Maria and Jake
Gaby and Jasmine
Li and Luis

3:30 class

Will andArthur
Brie and Dominic
Daniel and Nick
Tess and Sam
Alex and Ashton
Frankie and Mukewele and Kelsey

Sci Fi Tv Show Synopsis Pairs Project

For Friday, you will meet outside the classroom with a partner at an agreed upon time, in order to put together a synopsis for an episode of a sci fi tv show akin to The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.

You may want to read through some of the synopses for  these two shows online in order to make sure that you don't copy an idea that's already been done, but also that you are in line with the basic elements of the show.

You are also welcome to watch another episode or two, although this is not required.

 Your synopsis should be one and a half to two pages in length, typed and doublespaced. Let your realtor know who the characters are, what the basic plot elements are, where the episode is set, and what time period it is in. You may choose to explore dystopian or utopian ideas, or to try something else.

This is due via email only by the beginning of Monday's class.

Hi everyone,

Please read this article on Flint Michigan for Wednesday.

Essay 1 Prompts

Choose to respond to one of the following prompts for your first essay in this course. Your final paper should be 4-5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, and should follow MLA formatting (including a Works Cited page, which does not count as one of the 4-5 pages).


Make sure to use at least three, scholarly outside sources from the library's databases to support your ideas.


1) Write a comparison/contrast paper that compares Lauren's religion of Earthseed to one or more major religions in the world. What does Earthseed have in common with these religions? How is it different? And, most importantly, what makes Earthseed significant as a religious movement? (Please note that this is an analytical paper--aim for secular objectivity.)


                                                                     OR

 2) Analyze the social and imaginative importance of dystopian novels. Why might this genre of novel be important? What are its major aims? How might a dystopian novel affect a reader or group of readers, if taken seriously? Please make sure to use lots of examples from the novel to support your ideas, and feel free to use additional examples from other dystopian novels, provided that your primary focus is Parable of the Sower. You may want to do research not only on dystopian novels and their value, but also on real life issues (science based) that parallel the novel.

Mars One

Hi everyone,

Please check out this website on Mars One before Friday's class! You can simply skim through. I recommend spending around 10 minutes with it.

Best,
Prof D

Office Hours

Professor Durbin's office hours are from 12:15-1:15 and 2:30-3:15 on MWF in the top floor of Mendenhall. It's always a good idea to give me a heads up before you make the trek up to Mendenhall, just in case I step out for a minute.

Syllabus

Required Texts: 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle 

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

* Please order or purchase your books all at once, at the very beginning of the semester. Bring the respective book we are reading to class every session that reading is due, even if you think we might not use them in the session. Please note that Doomsday Book is not available in the WC bookstore, so you will need to purchase online or at another bookseller. In addition, we are no longer reading The Forever War, so please return that book.

Again, please note: no excuses are ever accepted for not doing your reading (barring extreme professionally documented illness with a doctor's note) or for not having your books in class. If you have a financial challenge in obtaining the books, please meet with me to chat about your options no later than Wednesday the 3rd of February. 

Course Description:
“We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin


“As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation, just as a cellist playing a Bach suite participates, note by note, in the creation, the coming-to-be, the existence, of the music. And, as you read and re-read, the book of course participates in the creation of you, your thoughts and feelings, the size and temper of your soul.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin


"I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining."--Octavia Butler 


Surveillance, time travel, dystopias—oh my! What can we learn about the human condition by studying the parallel worlds and bodies of science fiction’s greatest contemporary literary works? A lot! In this class we will examine race and gender dynamics, environmental issues, global politics, and questions of technology, genetics, and ethics via the novels of Octavia Butler, Suzanne Collins, Connie Willis, and others, as well as the 2015 Jennifer Phang film Advantageous, the Netflix series Black Mirror, and more. We will ground each text in the social and political contexts from which they came, examining each dystopian world as a telling mirror of our own fears and hopes for our past, present, and future.

This class will serve as an introduction to the aesthetics and critical reading of science fiction. The primary goal of this course is to help you become a better reader of literature, with an enhanced ability to analyze, discuss, and write about literary texts. By the end of the course, you will have  garnered new skills and intensified old ones to help you appreciate the joy and complexity of literature, and the gifts only it can offer you. You also might become a little more "alien"--in a good way!

For your final project in this class, you will utilize the Digital Humanities lab in order to create your own science fiction project.  


This course satisfies the Liberal Education requirement COM 2. INTD 100 is a pre-requisite. It is assumed that you have a basic working knowledge of grammar, paper formatting, and MLA style.

Departmental Learning Objectives for this Course:

1) Learn about major authors
2) Interpret literature in broader disciplinary contexts
3) Analyze the formal, linguistic and aesthetic aspects of a text in essays, examinations and other assignments
4) Distinguish a variety of important critical theories including those used in your own writing
5) Develop critical thinking skills through thesis-based composition;
6) Synthesize information and interpretations through research or textual analysis
7) Use information, inferences and interpretations developed through research to defend a thesis of your own creation    

Course Requirements:
For this class you will write two papers, one paper revision, and do one final project and presentation (which also contains a paper element). The papers will be approx. 4-5 pages in length, and you will receive separate instructions for all of them. One will be an in-class essay. You will also have short exercises and quizzes throughout the semester.

All papers must be typed and carefully proofread. Papers should always have a title and a Works Cited page. If you have grammatical or stylistic questions consult reference guides such as A Writer’s Reference or the OWL @ Purdue website. If you are using a computer lab, always be sure to give yourself extra time, and to save your material frequently. 

Plagiarism—claiming ownership of ideas and language that are not your own—is simply unacceptable.

Plagiarized papers will result in a failing grade for the course, and a report will be submitted to the office of Student Life.


Participation and Attendance:
There will be moments when I will lecture. Aside from these times, class should operate like a seminar. This means that it is imperative that you read the material--on time--and are prepared to verbally discuss this material in class. Again, you should always have your book with you.

Always be prepared, and always come to class on time. Two tardies count as an absence. More than three absences will result in a lower grade; more than six will result in a failing grade. 

Any absences at all can only mar your performance in the class. Inform me in advance regarding serious operations or other significant reasons for being excused, and please note that without any exception they will only be excused with written verifiable proof. 

Technology and Classroom Behavior Etiquette:
No laptops or iPads unless I approve them for notetaking (ask first). I don’t want to see your phones out—if I do, I will take them away, no exceptions. If it seems you are not paying attention or you are talking while I am talking, you may be asked to leave the classroom and take an absence for the day. If you show up without having done your reading or work, you may also receive an absence for the day.

Class is only 50 minutes long, so you should have no reason to get up and leave the room unless it’s an absolute emergency. That also means that you should not have more than one or two emergencies in an entire semester, as emergencies by their very nature are rare. 


Please use the facilities before class—it’s your job to be in class on time as you would for a job. Please note that arriving right on time, setting your things on the table or desk and then leaving to use the restroom or get a drink of water does not mean that you are on time to class. Being on time means being in your seat, ready and prepared to go, right when class begins.


Abiding by these policies will allow us a pleasant, productive class session. Thank you for your cooperation!


Class Blog:
I will communicate with you regularly via this class blog, so check it for updates here every day. You can sign up to subscribe to the blog to get automatic updates if you like. 
I will also post any updates to the Course Schedule here. You don’t need to print the syllabus out, unless you want to.


Papers and Workshop Etiquette:
All papers will be submitted electronically, at the very beginning of class. For every half hour your paper is late, your grade is lowered one whole letter score. Do not turn in late papers. If you are going to be absent for some reason on the day your paper is due, please turn it in early.

 If a true emergency occurs that prevents you from turning in your work, please note that I will only accept your late paper provided that both of the following conditions are met:


1) You have physical proof that I can verify of your emergency (accident reports from the police, doctor's notes, etc.).


2) You tell me immediately via email what is going on, on the day the paper is due. 
If either of these conditions is incomplete, I will not accept your late paper. No exceptions. 
You will turn in hard copies of your rough drafts for workshop. You may NOT bring your laptops instead of hard copies for workshop. If you fail to bring in hard copies of your papers for workshop, you will be asked to leave and take an absence for the day.


Please note as well that if you are more than five minutes late to class on a workshop day, you will be asked to leave and take an absence for the day. Pairs will have already been formed at that point, and I will not interrupt others to accommodate your lateness.


Email and Facebook:
I do not check the Whittier email address as frequently as I check my gmail, so please contact me via katedurbinteacher@gmail.com. I do check my gmail email address several times a day, and will get back to you asap.  I recommend this over any other means of contacting me. Please do not send me FB messages or Instagram messages with class related requests (although you are welcome to friend me if you like!). 

Grade Breakdown:
Paper 1: 20%
Paper 2: (in-class) 15%
Paper Revision: 20%
Project, Presentation & Paper: 30%
Attendance, participation, reading and brief assignments: 25%*
*Please note that because reading, attendance and participation are worth 25% of your grade, it is next to impossible to pass this course without regularly reading, attending, and sharing your thoughts.

Students with Disabilities:
Students desiring accommodations on the basis of physical, learning or psychological disability for this class are to contact Disability Services. Disability Services is located in the Library building, first floor, room G003 and can be reached by calling extension 4825.

Course Schedule

Course Schedule

*All reading is due on the date on which it is listed. Schedule subject to change with notice. You are always encouraged to read ahead.

*Sometimes I will post interesting news readings and videos for you on the blog about relevant science fiction topics that we will discuss in class. Please check daily to see if there is an article to be read or a video to be watched. 

Week One 

F 1/29 Course Introductions

HW: purchase all books, read up to Chap 6 in Parable of the Sower

Week Two

M 2/1 

HW:Essay #1 introduction; read up to beginning of "2026" in Parable of the Sower

W 2/3 

HW: read up to beginning of Chap 16 in Parable of the Sower

F 2/5

HW: read up to beginning of Chap 21 in Parable of the Sower

Week Three

M 2/8

HW: finish Parable of the Sower 

W 2/10 Black Mirror viewing

F 2/12 Pairs Work Outside of Class 

HW: complete rough draft of Essay #1

Week Four

M 2/15 

HW: read through end of Chap 6 in Hunger Games

W 2/17 Essay #1 Rough Draft Workshop 

HW: read through end of Chap 13 in Hunger Games

F 2/19

HW: read through end of Chap 20 in Hunger Games

Week Five

M 2/22 Essay #1 Final Draft Due
HW:finish The Hunger Games

W 2/24
HW: read A Wrinkle in Time up to beginning of Chap 4

F 2/26
HW: read A Wrinkle in Time up to beginning of Chap 6 

Week Six

M 2/29 Introduce Essay #2 In Class Essay
HW: read A Wrinkle in Time up to beginning of Chap 10 

W 3/2

HW: finish A Wrinkle in Time

F 3/4
HW: prep in-class Essay #2

Week Seven

M 3/7 Essay #2 in Class

HW: read Doomsday Book to page 50

W 3/9
HW: read Doomsday Book to page 100

F 3/11

HW: read Doomsday Book to page 350 over the break

Week Eight

M 3/14 SPRING BREAK

W 3/16 SPRING BREAK

F 3/18 SPRING BREAK

Week Nine

M 3/21  

HW: read Doomsday Book to page 400

W 3/23
HW: read Doomsday Book to page 450

F 3/25

HW: read Doomsday Book to page 500

Week Ten

M 3/28 Introduce Project and Presentations

HW: finish Doomsday Book

W 3/30 Watch Advantageous

F 4/ Watch Advantageous

Week Eleven

M 4/4 Discuss Advantageous

HW: read Fahrenheit 451 to page 50

W 4/6
HW: read Fahrenheit 451 to page 100

F 4/8
HW: read Fahrenheit 451 to page 150

Week Twelve

M 4/11 Introduce Final Paper Assignment

HW: read Fahrenheit 451 to page 200

W 4/13
HW: finish Fahrenheit 451

F 4/15
HW: work on Final Projects

Week Thirteen

*M 4/18 Watch Black Mirror

HW: work on Final Projects

*W 4/20 Discuss Black Mirror
HW: work on Final Projects

*F 4/22 NO CLASS - PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE
HW: Work on Final Projects

Week Fourteen

M 4/25 Presentations
HW:

W 4/27 Presentations
HW:

F 4/29 Presentations
HW:

Week Fifteen

M 5/2 Party; EVALS