Olin College of Engineering
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4-1-2013
Spring 2013 AHSE 2114: Science Fiction and
Historical Context: Information About Course:
Course Syllabus
Robert Martello
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, [email protected]
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Science Fiction Syllabus
Page 1
SCIENCE FICTION AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Spring 2013
Course
Syllabus
Instructor Information
Name:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Robert Martello
Milas Hall 355
781-292-2532
[email protected]
Course Information
Course Number:
Course Nickname:
Meeting Time:
Meeting Location:
Course email list:
Course Mascot:
Coolness Factor:
AHSE 2114
“Scifi”
Mondays and Thursdays, 10:50 AM to 12:30 PM
AC 417
[email protected]
A bespectacled gorilla smiling behind the wheel of a flying Ferrari
Indescribably gargantuan
Learning Objectives
The philosophy and main objectives of this course are embodied in the following goals:
1. Learn about textual analysis. Textual analysis, or the ability to study and interpret the different aspects
of a work, is an essential skill for sci-fi scholars such as ourselves. We will study an author’s intent and
perspective; identify major themes of the text; understand the stylistic techniques employed by authors;
and evaluate the impacts and take-home messages of a work. And we will investigate different genres of
science fiction – short stories, graphic art, and TV shows or movies – to gain different perspectives on the
analytical process.
2. Learn to analyze the context of a work. Texts must be understood as products of their social,
environmental, historical, cultural, genre-specific, and other contexts. We will learn to explore how the
context of each science fiction work shaped its content, style, and impact, including aspects such as…
a. Sci-fi as a reflection of societal and historical context. Utopian visions, technological
speculations, and many other aspects of science fiction intentionally or unintentionally reflect the
author’s society and history. Science fiction represents a look forward, but also looks sideways
and backward. Whoa. I just blew my own mind.
b. Sci-fi as a reflection of the cultures that embrace or engage it. Why is science fiction fan
culture so vibrant? Why do science fiction terms and concepts have such a lasting appeal? The
literature of speculation appeals to both its immediate and distant audience.
Science Fiction Syllabus
c.
Page 2
Sci-fi as an analysis of technological systems. A historical study can reveal how technologies
shape and are shaped by their societies. Good science fiction can also invite questions about
technological innovation and impact, causes and effects, culture and ethics, and PEZ.
3. Develop communication skills. This course will teach and assess a variety of communication practices
(NOTE: the assignments for this course are described in hideous and ineffable detail in the Assignments
Supplement):
a. Analytical writing. This course will stress clear and organized writing, insightful analysis, and
effective use of evidence.
b. Class presentations. Different assignments include presentation components. This will stress
your ability to speak with clarity and organization, work as a member of a team, and engage and
educate your peers.
c.
Class discussion. Your interactive discussion skills will be evaluated and developed. We will
learn to work together in building and advancing a constructive group dialogue. Participation
quality is at least as important as quantity.
4. Have a great time. I include this comment in the learning objectives for all of my classes, but it has never
been truer than it is here and now. Come on – robots, clones, time travel, virtual reality, utopias, sentient
AI … what’s not to love?
Required Texts
The following two texts are required, in any version you can find (I suggest that you buy them):
1. Robert Silverberg, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, ISBN: 0765305372
2. Orson Scott Card, Masterpieces, ISBN: 0441011330
In addition, we will draw from the following books occasionally throughout the course. You can access them in
the library (on reserve) and do not need to buy them:
3.
4.
5.
6.
Orson Scott Card, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, ISBN: 158297103X
James and Mendlesohn, Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, ISBN: 9780521016575
Pauline Maier et. al., Inventing America, ISBN: I would rather not say
Stan Lee, Fantastic Firsts, ISBN: 0785108238
Reading packets will be distributed throughout the course on a “need to know” basis.
Random Course Policies

Attendance
o
o
o
o
Since this is a discussion class, attendance is required and will be considered in computing your
grade.
If you are too sick to come to class please focus on getting healthy! Notify me as soon as you
can – before class if possible or at the first opportunity after class if necessary. I will help you
make up the missed material, but if you do not make up missed work your grade will suffer.
If you have a different reason for missing class, contact me as early as possible. I may or may
not allow the absence, and you will certainly have to make up missed work.
Perfect attendance will be rewarded at the end of the year with a small ode of thanks in your
honor, possibly orated by Hugh Jackman.
Science Fiction Syllabus
o
Page 3
Lateness is disruptive. I will make sure we end on time, and you should do your best to arrive on
time. Excessive lateness will earn you a pompous longwinded lecture.

Late assignments are often a problem as they are unfair to fellow students and to me. Assignments will
be penalized for lateness unless an extension is requested (and granted) well in advance.

Class participation is really vital, a critical learning objective of this course that will play a substantial role
in determining your grade. You must participate in class discussions! If participating in discussions is
stressful or confusing to you in any way, please contact me and we’ll talk. And if talking to me is stressful
or confusing to you in any way, please participate in class discussions (whoa -- well played!).

Laptop use in class: If you have a reason to use your laptop, such as note-taking or in-class research,
ask me at any time. I will surely say yes, and this way we can weave it into the class rather than creating
a distraction for you, me, the rest of the class, and the sentient microphages living in the projector.

Honor code issues: the honor code helps me focus on important things, like time travel paradoxes and
new class discussion strategies, and saves me from the need to worry about dishonesty, plagiarism,
cheating, or Rickrolling. Please follow the spirit of the honor code and ask me to clarify anything that is
unclear. Honor code related issues include:
o
o
o

Plagiarism: you must always take extreme care to acknowledge the source of all quotes, content,
and theories. Even if you paraphrase the information, you need to cite all sources that informed
your analysis. Citations must include page numbers, website addresses, times of interviews, or
other details as needed. When in doubt, cite (and feel free to ask me for clarification!).
Collaboration: see the description of each assignment below for exact guidelines on the degree
of allowable collaboration. If you receive help you must acknowledge it in a brief note at the end
of the assignment.
The Harlem Shake: first it was cool. Then it was funny. Soon it became dated and then
tiresome. And now, it has become an honor code issue punishable by matlab.
Time expectations: A diligent and reasonably efficient student, supplied with plenty of Vanilla Coke,
should spend no more than 12 hours per week doing everything associated with this course (including
attending class). If you are spending more than 12 hours a week on this course please contact me and
we’ll see what we can do.
Grading
This course will use the ABCDF grading system as outlined in the Student Handbook, including pluses and
minuses (note that Olin does not use the A+ grade: an A is fully delightful in and of itself). Final grades will be
assigned in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Student Handbook.
This course offers both required and optional assignments, which work together to create a lovely mélange that
I hope you will adore. The following assignments are required of all students:
Required Course Assignment
Percentage
Instructor assessment (participation, attendance,
timeliness, engagement…)
Contextual presentation and materials
TOTAL
25 (*)
15
40
(*) Attendance and participation will impact more than 25% of your grade in exceptionally good or bad cases.
Science Fiction Syllabus
Page 4
The required assignments account for 40% of your final grade. It is your responsibility to select an assortment
of other assignments to get you to 100% (or more) of a final grade. Your choices include:
Optional Course Assignment
Percentage
A second contextual presentation
15
Extra reading
10
Analytical paper
30
Creative deliverable
20-30
Design your own assignment (and do it!)
10-30
TOTAL
>= 60
All assignments are described in cosmically mind-melding detail in the Assignments Supplement.
Format for Written Assignments
All writing assignments must exist as MS Word documents using the following settings:






12 point font, spacing 1.5, and margins 1 inch all around
A font such as Times, Century Schoolbook, Arial, Verdana
Page numbers, your name, and the assignment title somewhere
File name containing your last name and the assignment title
If you are citing a required text for this course you can simply mention authors and page numbers
throughout your paper, e.g., “According to Card [page 28] …” or “In the words of Robert Silverberg, this
book is ‘a roster of outstanding stories selected by people who know more intimately than any others what
the criteria for excellence in science fiction should be.’ [page xi].”
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME A PDF.
All assignments must be emailed to me (at [email protected]) or posted to google docs on or before the
deadline -- submission logistics are covered in unimaginable and abominable depth in the Assignments
Supplement. Late assignments will be penalized but I will try to give an extension of you ask in advance.
Science Fiction Syllabus
Page 5
Semester
Schedule
WEEK 1
Note: all assignments (reading and writing) are DUE on the date listed.
Thursday
Mar. 14
Introduction
Hello. Welcome.
Monday
Mar. 18
Thursday
Mar. 21
SPECIAL WEEK
Spring Break March 18-22!
It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when
you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you
do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
~Mark Twain
WEEK 2
Monday
Mar. 25
Martians and futures and robots, oh my!
Classic Sci-fi Themes (1930s)
Reading:

SFHOF pages 1-23: A Martian Odyssey (1934)

SFHOF pages 24-41: Twilight (1934)

SFHOF pages 42-52: Helen O’Loy (1938)

SONG: Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway (1931)
-- jazz, scat lyrics
Context topics:
1. American society and history in the 1930s
(Inventing America chapter 24)
2. What are the iconic ideas of sci-fi? (Cambridge
Companion chapter 11)
Thursday
Mar. 28
The Heroic Ideal in Sci-fi (1940s)
Reading:

SFHOF pages 53-87: The Roads Must Roll
(1940)

SFHOF pages 113-144: Nightfall (1941)

SFHOF pages 145-180: The Weapon Shop
(1942)

SONG: Chattanooga Choo Choo, Glenn Miller
(1941) -- big band swing
Context topics:
3. American society and history, 1940-1945
(Inventing America chapter 26)
4. How do the concepts of MICE and character
perspective help us interpret sci-fi? (How to
Write SF pages 63-87)
Science Fiction Syllabus
Page 6
Monday
Apr. 1
Alien Contact! (1940s)
WEEK 3
Reading:

SFHOF pages 227-251: Arena (1944)

SFHOF pages 252-280: First Contact (1945)

Masterpieces pages 130-142: Dark They Were,
and Golden Eyed (1949)
…to contrast with…

SFHOF pages 322-337 Mars is Heaven (1948)


SONG: Swinging on a Star, Bing Crosby (1944) -the age of the crooners!
Thursday
Apr. 4
The Search for Meaning (1950s)
Reading:

SFHOF pages 378-393: The Quest for Saint
Aquin (1951)

SFHOF pages 394-425: Surface Tension (1952)

Masterpieces pages 110-115: The Nine Billion
Names of God (1953)

Isaac Asimov, The Last Question (1956)
(available online at multivax.com)

Optional bonus: YouTube videos for Mars is
Heaven (Ray Bradbury Theater) or Dark They
Were and Golden Eyed (misc.)
Context topics:
5. American society and history, 1946-1950
(Inventing America chapter 27)
6. How important is the setting of a sci-fi story? What
factors are most important? (How to Write SF
pages 36-62)
Context topics:
7. American society and history, 1951-1955
(Inventing America chapter 28)
8. Science fiction and religion (Cambridge
Companion chapter 20)
WEEK 4
Monday
Apr. 8
Justice and Power (1950s)
Reading:

SFHOF pages 433-448: It’s a Good Life (1953)
 SFHOF pages 449-471: The Cold Equations
(1954)

Masterpieces pages 177-202: The Tunnel Under
the World (1955)
 SFHOF pages 490-501: The Country of the Kind
(1955)

SONG: Come Fly with Me, Frank Sinatra (1957)
SONG: Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley (1957) -The King!
Context topics:
9. American society and history, 1956-1960
(Inventing America chapter 29)
10. Science fiction and Marxist theory (Cambridge
Companion chapter 7)
Thursday
Apr. 11
Rebellion and Upheaval (1960s)
Reading:

Masterpieces pages 203-211: Who Can Replace
a Man? (1958)

Masterpieces pages 36-46: “All You Zombies –“
(1959)

Masterpieces pages 145-155: “Repent,
Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman (1965)

SONG: The Times, They Are a-Changin' (1964);
or Like a Rolling Stone, both by Bob Dylan
(1965) "The Poet Laureate of Rock"
Context topics:
11. American society and history, 1961-1965
(Inventing America chapter 29)
12. How does an understanding of different
expository techniques help us interpret sci-fi?
(How to Write SF pages 88-103)
Science Fiction Syllabus
Monday
Apr. 15
Patriot's Day: NO
CLASSES
WEEK 5
Nada.
Page 7
Wednesday
Apr. 17
Alternative Forms: Star Trek,
Comics, and Identity (1960s)
Thursday
Apr. 18
Empowerment … Or Not (1970s)
Reading:

Star Trek (Original Series) episode
“City on the Edge of Forever”

Star Trek (Original Series) episode
“Taste of Armageddon”

Fantastic Firsts, Chapter 1: Fantastic
Four

Fantastic Firsts, Chapter 7: Iron Man

Fantastic Firsts, Chapter 11: X-Men

SONG: Hey Jude, The Beatles
(1968) -- or listen to your favorite
three Beatles songs…
Context topics:
13. Understanding Comics (basically,
select parts of this book that will help
us interpret comics in class)
14. American society and history, 19661970 (Inventing America chapter 30)
Reading:

Masterpieces pages 218-239:
Inconstant Moon (1971)

Masterpieces pages 156-165:
Eurema's Dam (1972)

Masterpieces pages 212-217: The
Ones Who Walk Away from
Omelas (1973)

Masterpieces pages 243-275:
Sandkings (1979)

SONG: I Will Survive, Gloria
Gaynor (1978) -- Disco lives again!
Context topics:
15. American society and history in the
1970s (Inventing America chapter
31)
16. Science fiction and feminist theory
(Cambridge Companion chapter 8)
WEEK 7
WEEK 6
Monday
Apr. 22
New Directions (1980s+)
Thursday
Apr. 25
Modern Sci-Fi One (woo hoo!)
Reading:

Masterpieces pages 91-96: Robot Dreams (1986)

Masterpieces pages 276-296: The Road Not
Taken (1985)

Masterpieces pages 297-315: Dogfight (1985)

Masterpieces pages 375-383: Bears Discover Fire
(1990)

SONG: I am incapable of picking only one song
from the 1980s. Can't be done. Please listen to a
few 80s songs and come to class with one to
share with us.
Reading:

I, Robot, by Cory Doctorow (2005)

Tideline, by Elizabeth Bear (2007)

Exhalation, by Ted Chiang (2008)
Context topics:
17. American society and history in the 1980s
(Inventing America chapter 32)
18. Space Opera (Cambridge Companion chapter 14)
Context topics:
19. Sci-fi from the 1990s to today (Cambridge
Companion chapter 4)
20. State of the sci-fi address: modern sci-fi genres,
new directions, publishing trends…
Monday
Apr. 29
Modern Sci-Fi Two (student selections)
Thursday
May 2
Last Day! You Pick It!
Reading:

We will read more modern sci-fi … this time, to be
determined by YOU!

In addition we can watch and discuss some cool
Sci-fi TV episodes or a movie… stay tuned for
details
Reading:

This day will be programmed by a class vote and
discussion. We can watch something and
discuss it, read classic sci-fi, assign readings
that we skipped on earlier days, assign all or
some of a novel, try comics or webisodes, etc.
Context topics:
21. Student-defined topic one
22. Student-defined topic two
Context topics: None