Science Fiction, Technology, and Society (350:377)             Spring, 2009

Professor H. Bruce Franklin Office: Hill 515 Phone: 973-353-5444

e-mail: hbf@andromeda.rutgers.edu Web site: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf

Office Hours: MON: 1:00-2:00; WED 2:30-3:30; and by appointment.

REQUIRED TEXTS: (Editions listed are those ordered at New Jersey Books and Bradley Hall. You may substitute except where noted.)

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus. Bantam.
H. Bruce Franklin, Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the 19th Century. Rutgers University Press, 1995. [Do not use any earlier edition of this book.]
William Gibson, Burning Chrome. Ace Books.
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine. Bantam.
Joe Haldeman, The Forever War. Avon Books [Do not use any edition earlier than 1997; the text has been revised.]
Stanislaw Lem, Solaris. Harcourt Brace.
Gardner Dozois, The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection. St. Martin's. Be sure to get the Twenty-Fifth Collection, published in 2008.  Many inexpensive copies are available on the internet.]  
James Gunn, ed., The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here. Various publishers.  [A few used copies are available on the internet. A few used copies of this book will also be available for purchase in class. If you buy a new copy, please keep your sales receipt; then, if you wish, I will buy it back at half price at the end of the semester or later.]

This is an interdisciplinary course designed for students with serious interest in the subject. Although no previous knowledge is required, the readings may challenge your intelligence and imagination and will certainly demand considerable time and thought. Assignments must be completed by the indicated dates.

January 28 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).

February 2   In Future Perfect: Introduction; Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Birthmark" (1843); "The Artist of the Beautiful" (1844); "Automata"; Herman Melville, "The Bell-Tower" (1855); Fitz-James O'Brien, "The Diamond Lens" (1858).

February 4  In Future Perfect: Edgar Allan Poe, "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" (1845); Jack London, "A Thousand Deaths" (1899); In Road to SF: Larry Niven, “The Jigsaw Man” (1967).

February 9  In Future Perfect: "Women's Work"; Annie Denton Cridge, "Man's Rights" (1870); Mary E. Bradley Lane, Mizora (1880). In Road to SF: Joanna Russ, "When It Changed" (1972).

February 11  In Future Perfect: "Time Travel"; "Four-Dimensional Space" (1885); Mark Twain, "From the 'London Times' of 1904" (1898); "The Perfect Future"; William Harben, "In the Year Ten Thousand" (1892);  In Road to SF: Frederik Pohl, “Day Million” (1966).

February 16  H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895).

February 18  In Future Perfect: "Space Travel"; Washington Irving, "The Men of the Moon" (1809); Edward Bellamy, "The Blindman's World" (1886).  In Road to SF: Arthur C. Clarke,  "The Sentinel" (1951).

February 23  In Road to SF: Isaac Asimov, “Reason” (1941); Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations” (1954); Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” (1943).  In William Gibson, Burning Chrome: "The Gernsback Continuum" (1981).   

February 25  In Road to SF: Theodore Sturgeon, “Thunder and Roses” (1947); Judith Merril, "That Only a Mother" (1948).  

March 2  In Road to SF: William Tenn (Philip Klass), “Brooklyn Project” (1948); Robert A. Heinlein, “All You Zombies” (1959).  

March 4 In Road to SF: Harry Harrison, “The Streets of Ashkelon” (1962); Gordon R. Dickson, “Dolphin’s Way” (1964). 

March 9 In Road to SF: Robert Sheckley, “Pilgrimage to Earth” (1956); Philip K. Dick, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (1966).

March 11 In Year’s Best SF:  Pat Cadigan, “Nothing Personal” (2007).

March 23 Stanislaw Lem, Solaris (1961). (Note that you have twelve days to read Solaris, which is a challenging book.)

March 25  Please bring Solaris to class.

March 30  Harlan Ellison, “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1967); Norman Spinrad, “The Big Flash” (1969).

April 1  Joe Haldeman, The Forever War (1974; 1997): read at least the first section, "Private Mandella" (pp. 1-80 in the EOS edition or pp. 1-73 in the Avon edition).

April 6  Joe Haldeman, The Forever War (1974; 1997): finish the novel.

April 8  In Year’s Best SF:  Elizabeth Bear, “Tideline” (2007); Ian McDonald, “Sanjeev and Robotwallah” (2007).

April 13  In William Gibson, Burning Chrome: "Fragments of a Hologram Rose" (1977); "Johnny Mnemonic" (1981); "New Rose Hotel" (1983).

April 15  In Burning Chrome: "Burning Chrome" (1985); "The Winter Market" (1986).

April 20  In Burning Chrome: "Hinterlands" (1983); In Year's Best SF: Stephen Baxter, “Last Contact” (2007).

April 22  In Year's Best SF: Ted Kosmatka, “The Prophet of Flores” (2007); Greg Egan, “Steve Fever” (2007).

April 27  In Year's Best SF: Ken MacLeod, “Lighting Out” (2007); Keith Brooke, “The Accord” (2007).

April 29  In Year's Best SF: Tom Purdom, “The Mists of Time” (2007).

May 4  Final day for submission of original short story or essay (minimum length 2,500 words). Do not leave the writing or typing of this project for the last minute.  The hard copy is due in class. You must also submit a digitized copy, either on a disk or by e-mail, within 24 hours of this class. 

There will be frequent brief tests on the readings, usually on the day they are due. These are not meant to be ambushes but aids for reading and for our discussion. There will be a final examination but no mid-term.

In determining the grade for the course, approximately equal weight will be given to (1) the brief tests, (2) the short story or essay, and (3) the final examination. In addition, each student's work will be evaluated on overall performance, with attention given to attendance, participation in discussion, and the level of knowledge and understanding ultimately reached.

Instructions for Writing Project

The essay or short story you are writing for this course is an opportunity for an original, valuable achievement. Think of it as something you are preparing for publication. That is, you are addressing an audience of reasonably intelligent strangers whom you must entice to read your work and who will have a valuable experience reading it. Most questions about form and content can be answered easily if you put yourself in your readers' shoes. The essay or story should also contribute to your readers' understanding of some aspect of the subject matter of the course.

The minimum length is 2,500 words. If you are having difficulty reaching this length, you can be sure there is some problem in your conception and development of your essay or story. There is no maximum length.

On proper use and acknowledgement of sources, be sure you have a copy of the Rutgers Policy on Academic Integrity and are familiar with its contents, especially the sections on Level 2 and Level 3 violations.  The penalty for submitting a purchased or plagiarized paper is suspension from the University.

The physical appearance of your work should be attractive and professional looking. It should be double-spaced throughout, and the print should be very black (not gray and faded) and pleasant to read. There is no adequate excuse for frequent errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. So allow yourself ample time for spell checking and proofreading. 

Extensions without penalty will be granted only for medical or other emergencies. Be sure to keep a back-up copy of your paper. Barring any catastrophe, the graded paper will be returned to you at the time of the final examination. The comments on your paper (which may be extensive) are intended for your future benefit, not as a rationale for the grade; please study them with care.