English 192 Syllabus - Evolution of Cyberpunk - K. Knight Summer 2006
From UCSB English Department Knowledge Base
| Welcome to the English Department Knowledge Base at the University of California, Santa Barbara. |
|---|
Contents |
[edit] Overview
English 192 Science Fiction
Catalog No. 5504
Meets: MTWR 3:30 – 4:35.
Location: ARTS 1241
Instructor: Kim Knight (kimberly_knight@umail.ucsb.edu)
Office Hours: M, T 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and by appointment in Transcriptions Lab (SH 2509)
In the age of networked culture and spectacular media, the line between science fiction and “real life” becomes increasingly difficult to define. In this version of English 192 we will explore the development of cyberpunk, a genre of science fiction that typically features a hacker-figure in the context of cyberspace and is typically set against larger institutions. Born of the 1980’s, this particular strand of science fiction has anticipated the future in uncanny ways. Our goal will be to examine the literature and film of this genre to determine whether, in fact, “the future is now.”
We will begin with Frankenstein, the earliest example of science fiction and then trace the development of the genre through cyberpunk-precursors such as Philip K. Dick and James Tiptree Jr. We will then work extensively with cyberpunk texts and film, including its many subgenres, to address questions of spirituality, the un/human, and the role of the individual in society. Finally, we will end the course with a look at “real life” iterations of cyberpunk (hypertext literature, hacker art, etc) in order to assess the relevance of this genre to contemporary information culture.
Prerequisite: Writing 2 or 50 or 109; English 10; or upper-division standing.
Satisfies a GE Area G and a Writing Requirement.
The texts for the class are listed below, in the order that we will be reading them:
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. (Norton Critical Edition)
Cadigan, Pat, ed. The Ultimate Cyberpunk.
Gibson, William. Neuromancer.
Cadigan, Pat. Mindplayers.
Stephenson, Neal. The Diamond Age.
Jackson, Shelley. Patchwork Girl. CD-Rom.
Unfortunately, the two Cadigan texts are out of print. You can find copies through Alibris, Amazon or Powells. Alternatively, the UCSB bookstore is working to procure the rights to reprint them for our class.
[edit] Course Policies
[edit] Attendance
The most valuable insights will come out of our class discussions and your participation is necessary for our success. It is important that you come to every class prepared and on time. To be “prepared” means that you have thoughtfully engaged with the reading, completed the critical response assignment, are prepared to discuss it and that you are equipped with the supplies necessary to participate in class (books, paper, writing instruments, etc.)
Because your presence in class is important, two or more absences will impact your final grade. In most circumstances, four absences will result in failure. Two instances of tardiness will equal one absence.
Cell phones and pagers are to be turned off and kept out of my sight. If your phone or pager rings during class, or if I see you checking your messages / pages during class, you will be marked absent. No exceptions.
[edit] Email Policy
Please be aware that I respond to most email messages within 24 hours Monday - Friday. If you send me an email and I do not respond during this timeframe, chances are that I did not receive it. It is your responsibility to re-send the email or to contact me another way.
[edit] Online Etiquette
As we will undoubtedly discover in class, the finer points of online communication can be tricky. Emotions are difficult to express and read. Our many online assignments will require vigilance to ensure that we are always preserving an atmosphere of mutual respect. Disagreements may arise and consensus may not be possible. We can, however, respect each person’s right to an opinion. Name-calling or menacing behavior will not be tolerated.
[edit] Academic Honesty
From the UCSB General Catalog: “Materials submitted to fulfill academic requirements must represent a student’s own efforts. Any act of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or other forms of cheating, is unacceptable and will be met with disciplinary action.”
Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the plagiarized assignment and possible disciplinary action by the university. We will review the proper way to use outside sources in order to avoid plagiarism; however, I encourage you to meet with me if you are at all uncertain about whether your writing could be misconstrued as plagiarism.
[edit] Late Work
All late work will be given a failing grade. No exceptions.
[edit] Assignments
Participation, including attendance and critical response assignments 20%
Wiki Assignment 1, ongoing due dates 10%
Mid-term Exam, Mon 7/17 25%
Wiki Assignment 2, due Fri 7/28 10%
5 - 7 page Critical Paper*, due Sun, 8/6 35%
For the final project, students may write a shorter paper (4 – 5 pages) as part of a web publication. This option is required for those who wish to receive LCI credit for the course. A web-publishing workshop will be held prior to the project’s due date.
Details of each assignment will be posted on the class website.
[edit] Course Schedule
[edit] Week One Introduction and Early Science Fiction
- Mon, 6/26 Course Overview
- Tue, 6/27 Frankenstein Preface, Volume I, and Introduction to the 3rd Edition (pages 169 – 173 of the Norton Critical Edition)
- Wed, 6/28 Frankenstein Volume II (pages 59 – 101)
- Thu, 6/29 Frankenstein Volume III (pages 102 – 156)
[edit] Week Two Precursors to Cyberpunk
- Mon, 7/3 Philip K. Dick “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale” (Ultimate Cyberpunk)and “The Minority Report” (online)
- Tue, 7/4 – July 4th Holiday, No Class
- Wed, 7/5 James Tiptree Jr. “The Girl Who Was Plugged In” (Ultimate Cyberpunk)
- Film Screening: Blade Runner
- Thu, 7/6 Blade Runner. Dan O’Bannon & Moebius “The Long Tomorrow”.
[edit] Week Three Cyberpunk I
- Mon, 7/10 Follow up discussion on readings from week one and week two.
- Tue, 7/11 William Gibson Neuromancer parts 1 - 3
- Wed, 7/12 William Gibson Neuromancer part 4 and Coda
- Film Screening: Ghost in the Shell
- Thu, 7/13 Ghost in the Shell
[edit] Week Four Cyberpunk II
- Mon, 7/17 Midterm Exam
- Tue, 7/18 Pat Cadigan Mindplayers Part One (pages 1 - 99)
- Wed, 7/19 Pat Cadigan Mindplayers Parts Two, Three, and Afterword (100 - 279)
- No Film Screening: Arrange to view The Matrix outside of class.
- Thu, 7/20 Class canceled; Get a head start on The Diamond Age
[edit] Week Five (Post?) Cyberbunk
- Mon, 7/24 Cory Doctorow, “I, Robot”;
- Printable version of “i, robot” *Please do print it and bring it to class - even if you have to print it really tiny in 2-up format.
- Tue, 7/25 Neal Stephenson The Diamond Age Part The First
- Wed, 7/26 Neal Stephenson The Diamond Age Part The Second
- 2pm - 3:15 pm extended office hour in SH 2509
- 5pm - 7pm Film Screening: Gattaca
- Thu, 7/27 Gattaca
[edit] Week Six Cyberfiction / Cyberlife
- Mon, 7/31 Andrew Plotkin Shade; The Agrippa Files and William Gibson Agrippa (a book of the dead) **If Andrew Plotkin’s site continues to be down, read “Photopia” by Adam Cadre instead**
- 2pm - 3:15 pm extended office hour in SH 2509
- Tue, 8/1 Shelley Jackson Patchwork Girl;
- Wed, 8/2 Felis Rex, LambdaMoo: An Introduction
- LambdaMoo Your computer will launch a “telnet” window. In the window that says LambdaMoo at the top, type “connect Guest” to get started. I highly recommend typing “@tutorial” right away to help you find your way around. Spend some time exploring and interacting with people.
- Linden Labs, Second Life (register for a free basic account and spend a couple of hours playing).
- Originally scheduled for this week, and still worth taking a look at: 0100101110101101.org; wwwwwwwww.jodi.org; anti-capitalist operating system
- Thu, 8/3 Course Wrap Up;
[edit] See Also
- English 192 Critical Response Assignment
- English 192 Secondary Sources Assignment
- English 192 Annotated Bibliography Assignment
- English 192 Final Project
- Paper Grading Rubric (downloadable .pdf)
- Web Project Grading Rubric (downloadable .pdf)
Categories: Teaching Resources | English 192 | Summer 2006 | LCI | Kim Knight | Syllabi | English 192 Syllabi | Frankenstein | The Ultimate Cyberpunk | Mindplayers | Neuromancer | The Diamond Age | Patchwork Girl | Girl Who Was Plugged In, The | We Can Remember It For You Wholesale | The Minority Report | Blade Runner | Gattaca | Ghost in the Shell | Second Life
