DAILY ASSIGNMENTS

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

• First Class.

Friday, September 1, 2017

• Email contact information to me at hhalbert@gmail.com.  See handout on Blackboard  for exact information sought and link to template.  PLEASE USE THE TEMPLATE FILE.
• Read, sign, and return your contract.
• Read "How to Really Read This Book" (Handout)
• Read and mark the following selections from the course documents folder on the class web page:
• "A Brief Introduction to Science Fiction and Its History"
• [skim only, no need to mark] "A Selective Guide to Science Fiction Research"
• from The War of the Worlds—H.G. Wells
• "A Martian Odyssey" –Stanley G. Weinbaum
• "The Fact of Blackness"—Frantz Fanon

Monday, September 4, 2017

• NO CLASS. Labor Day Holiday
• START READING STARSHIP TROOPERS.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

• Read and mark Chapters 1-12 of Starship Troopers. Pages 1-201.
• We will begin watching Blade Runner  in class.

Friday, September 8, 2017

• Finish reading and marking Starship Troopers, including Historical Note on last page.
• We will finish watching Blade Runner in class.

Monday, September 11, 2017

• Read and mark "A Cyborg Manifesto"—Donna J. Haraway (see course documents). WARNING: This text is going to challenge you and will require multiple nights to complete. Start on Friday night. This is a 10-point reading.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

• Read and mark "Liar!"—Issac Asimov (see course documents)

Friday, September 15, 2017

• Read and mark "Burning Chrome"—William Gibson (see course documents)

Monday, September 18, 2017

• Read and mark "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick (see course documents)

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

• NO CLASS. We do not meet on Tuesdays
• Last day to drop before entering Withdrawal Period.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

• Read and mark selection From The Second Sex (see course documents)

Friday, September 22, 2017

• Read and mark "When I Was Miss Dow" (see course documents)

Monday, September 25, 2017

• Read and mark "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (see course documents)

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

• Read and mark "The Algorithms for Love" by Ken Liu (see course documents)

Friday, September 29, 2017

• Exam Quotation Assignment Due.  Submit to Blackboard Drop Box.
• Read and mark "Bloodchild"—Octavia E. Butler (see course documents) Audio version

Monday, October 2, 2017

• Read and mark "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke (see course documents)
• Read and mark "'All you Zombies--­'" by Robert A. Heinlein (see course documents)

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

• Read and mark "Mars Is Heaven!"—Ray Bradbury (see course documents) (a short film is also available)
• Read and mark "Bear Discovers Fire" by Terry Bisson see course documents)

Friday, October 6, 2017

• Midterm Exam.

Monday, October 9, 2017

• Draft of Paper #1 due.  Bring a copy to class and post a copy in the "Paper #1: Draft" forum of the class discussion board..  This is a 20-point assignment for a completed draft.  Incomplete drafts will be prorated, but it is better to come with a partial draft than to skip class.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

• Read and mark Robert Silverberg's "Passengers" (see course documents)

Friday, October 13, 2017

• Read and mark "The Historian and His Facts"—E. H. Carr (See course documents)

Monday, October 16, 2017

• NO CLASS.
• Final draft of Paper #1 due by 9:35 AM in the appropriate Dropbox on the class web site and on the Discussion Board.  See checklist for details.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

• Read and mark Harry Turtledove's "The Road Not Taken" (See course documents)

Friday, October 20, 2017

• Read and mark "At the Rialto"--Willis (See course documents)

Monday, October 23, 2017

• Read and mark "The Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang ((Handout, available in course documents). WARNING: This piece is long.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

• Read and mark "Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government"—Hannah Arendt (See course documents).  This non-fiction theoretical piece is a bit challenging.

Friday, October 27, 2017

• Read and mark "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"—Harlin Ellison (see course documents).

Monday, October 30, 2017

• Read and mark Section 1, Chapters 1-8 of 1984. Pages 1-106
• We will begin watching Gattaca in class.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

• Read and mark Section 2 of 1984. Pages 107-230.
• We will continue watching Gattaca in class.

Friday, November 3, 2017

• Finish reading and marking 1984. Pages 231-308. You do not need to read the appendix on "The Principles of Newspeak," but you may do so for five points extra credit.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

• NO CLASS. We do not meet on Saturdays.
• Last day to withdraw without Dr. Halbert's Signature

Monday, November 6, 2017

• Read and mark pages 3-115 of The Handmaid's Tale. ("I: Night" until "VIII Birthday").
• We will start watching Planet of the Apes.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

• Read and mark pages 109-195 of The Handmaid's Tale ("VIII Birthday" until "XII: Jezebel's").
• We will continue watching Planet of the Apes.

Friday, November 10, 2017

• Finish reading and marking pages 199-211 of The Handmaid's Tale ("XII: Jezebel's" through the end of the "Historical Note").

Monday, November 13, 2017

• Read and mark chapters 1-4 of Watchmen.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

• Read and mark chapters 5-8 of Watchmen.

Friday, November 17, 2017

• Finish reading and marking Watchmen.
• We will discuss the research project.

Monday, November 20, 2017

• Read and mark "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes (see course documents)
• Last day to withdraw with Dr. Halbert's signature.  After today, you will need to appeal to the Office of Academic Affairs.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

• NO CLASS. Thanksgiving

Friday, November 24, 2017

• NO CLASS. Thanksgiving

Monday, November 27, 2017

• Research project prewriting due.  Post a copy to the discussion board in the "Research Paper: Prewriting" forum.
• Library Orientation in our classroom.
• Attendance counts double today.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

• Read and mark "How the World Was Saved" by Stanislaw Lem.
• Meet in the library (in College Hall) to do research.  Sign in with Dr. H in the lobby of the library.

Friday, December 1, 2017

• Annotated Bibliography Due at 9:35 AM.  Post a copy to the "Research Paper: Bibliography" forum and submit a copy to the "Annotated Bibliography" dropbox.

Monday, December 4, 2017

• Draft of Paper #2 Due.  Post a copy and bring two copies to class.  This draft will be graded out of 20 points for a complete paper with a works cited page (and not just a copy of the annotated bibliography) attached.  It is better to come with a page or two than to skip class.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

• Read and mark Chapters 1-13 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Friday, December 8, 2017

• Finish reading and marking The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Monday, December 11, 2017

• Last Class.
• Second Quotation Assignment Due.  Post a copy to the "Quotations for Final" Dropbox.  Make sure to use the template linked in the instructions: don't just copy and paste.
• Read and mark "The Star" by Arthur C. Clarke (see Course Documents).

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

• NO CLASS.  Class is over.
• Final Draft of Paper #2 due.  Remember to have the works cited page as part of the final copy.
• Submit to discussion board and to the dropbox. 

Friday, December 15, 2017

• Final Exam.  See Assignments page for topics, quotation guide, and exam card instructions. Meet in our normal room.
• Last day to submit rewrites of first paper.  Email them to your professor with the subject line "Sci-Fi Rewrite" and attach the updated file in MS Word format.
• Last day to show readings to your professor for credit.