DAILY ASSIGNMENTS
Note: The bulleted items under a specific date are what is due on that date. Items are due at the start of class unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
- First day of class
Friday, September 2, 2022
- Read the instructions and complete the Contact Information handout.
- Read the instructions and complete the Student Contract handout.
- Read the instructions and complete the “Introduce Yourself” assignment.
- Read and mark the following selections found in the Course Materials section of our Blackboard Site:
- “How to Really Read This Book"
- "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 5, 2022
- NO CLASS. Labor Day. Thank a Union.
- Please arrange to watch and take notes about Blade Runner (Final Cut Version). You can see where it is legally streaming here.
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
- NO CLASS: We do not meet on Tuesdays.
- Last day to add a course without faculty signature.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
- Read and mark "Liar!"—Issac Asimov (Found in Course Materials)
- Be prepared to discuss Blade Runner (Final Cut)
Friday, September 9, 2022
- Read and mark "Burning Chrome"—William Gibson (Found in Course Materials)
Monday, September 12, 2022
- Read and mark "A Cyborg Manifesto"—Donna J. Haraway (Found in Course Materials). 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 14, 2022
- Read and mark "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick (Found in Course Materials)
Friday, September 16, 2022
- Read and mark selection From Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (Found in Course Materials)
Monday, September 19, 2022
- Read and mark “When I Was Miss Dow” (Found in Course Materials)
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
- NO CLASS: We do not meet on Tuesdays.
- Last day to drop a course
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
- Read and mark "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (Found in Course Materials)
- Withdrawal period without signature starts.
Friday, September 23, 2022
- Read and mark "The Algorithms for Love" by Ken Liu (Found in Course Materials)
- Read and mark "Mars Is Heaven!"—Ray Bradbury (Found in Course Materials)
Monday, September 26, 2022
- Read and mark "The Algorithms for Love" by Ken Liu (Found in Course Materials)
- Read and mark "Mars Is Heaven!"—Ray Bradbury (Found in Course Materials)
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
- Read and mark "Bloodchild"—Octavia E. Butler (Found in Course Materials)
Friday, September 30, 2022
- NO CLASS: Dr. Halbert will be traveling.
- Exam Quotation Assignment Due. Submit to Blackboard Drop Box.
Monday, October 3, 2022
- Draft of Paper #1 due. Post a copy in the "Paper #1: Draft" forum of the class discussion board. Posting is worth five points.
- We will have a workshop on your drafts today worth 20 points. You must attend class with a completed draft printed for a partner to read to get those points. Incomplete drafts will be prorated, but it is better to come with a partial draft than to skip class.
- If you had an accommodations letter sent to me, please send me an email to remind me that you will need extra time on the midterm exam on October 12th so I can make arrangements.
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
- Read and mark Robert Silverberg’s “Passengers” (see course documents)
Friday, October 7, 2022
- Read and mark "How the World Was Saved" by Stanislaw Lem (Found in Course Materials).
Monday, October 10, 2022
- NO CLASS.
- Final draft of Paper #1 due by noon in the appropriate Dropbox on the class web site and on the Discussion Board. See checklist for details.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
- Midterm Exam. Make sure you prepare an exam card.
Friday, October 14, 2022
- Read and mark "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"—Harlin Ellison (Found in Course Materials)
Monday, October 17, 2022
- Read and mark "Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government"—Hannah Arendt (Found in Course Materials). This non-fiction theoretical piece is a bit challenging.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
- Please arrange to view Gattaca. You can see where Gattaca is legally streaming here.
Friday, October 21, 2022
- Read and mark Section 1, Chapters 1-8 of 1984. Pages 1-106
Monday, October 24, 2022
- Read and mark Section 2 of 1984. Pages 107-230.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
- Finish reading and marking 1984. Pages 231-308.
- Read the final essay in 1984, "The Principles of Newspeak.”
Friday, October 28, 2022
- Read and mark Part One: “The Hearth and the Salamander” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Monday, October 31, 2022
- Read and mark Part Two: “The Sieve and the Sand” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
- Anyone wearing a full costume (none of this name tag/paper leaf nonsense) to class will get 5 points of extra credit.
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
- Read and Mark Part Three: “Burning Bright” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
- Withdrawal period without signature ends.
Thursday, November 3, 2022.
- NO CLASS: We do not meet on Thursdays.
- Withdrawal period with required faculty signature starts.
Friday, November 4, 2022
- Please arrange to watch and take notes on The Matrix. You can see where it is currently streaming for legal viewing here.
Monday, November 7, 2022
- Read and mark pages 3-115 of The Handmaid's Tale. ("I: Night" until "VIII Birthday").
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
- NO CLASS: We do not meet on Tuesdays.
- Today is Election Day. See election-related extra credit. Please vote if you are eligible.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
- Read and mark pages 109-195 of The Handmaid's Tale ("VIII Birthday" until "XII: Jezebel's").
Friday, November 11, 2022
- Finish reading and marking pages 199-211 of The Handmaid's Tale ("XII: Jezebel's" through the end of the "Historical Note").
Monday, November 14, 2022
- Read and mark chapters 1-4 of Watchmen. Since the text is a graphic novel, I suggest using large Post-it notes so that you do not have to cover up the pictures that are as much a part of the text as the words.
- We will discuss our second paper, which requires research.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
- Read and mark chapters 5-8 of Watchmen.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
- NO CLASS: We do not meet on Thursdays.
- Withdrawal period with faculty signature ends.
Friday, November 18, 2022
- Finish reading and marking Watchmen.
- Excused Withdrawal period starts: you will need to petition Academic Affairs with documentation of an emergency/extreme circumstances to withdraw after this point.
Monday, November 21, 2022
- Read and mark "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes (Found in Course Materials)
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
- NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break
Friday, November 25, 2022
- NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 28, 2022
- Library Orientation. We will meet in the library: check announcements for specific location.
- Post a half-page description of one or two topics you are considering for Paper #2 that requires library research. Indicate the author, text, and overall topic about the text. Copy and paste AND attach the description to the “Research Paper Topics” forum.
- Attendance counts double today.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
- Library Research Day. Meet on the main floor of the library and sign in with Dr. Halbert. Bring your laptop if you have one to facilitate looking up information.
Friday, December 2, 2022
- Annotated Bibliography Due at 9:35 AM. See Annotated BibliographyInstructions and Sample Annotated Bibliography Post a copy to the "Research Paper: Bibliography" forum and submit a copy to the "Annotated Bibliography" dropbox.
- Two-Minute presentation on your paper topic
Monday, December 5, 2022
- 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.
- If you had an accommodations letter sent to me, please send me an email to remind me that you will need extra time on the final exam on December 14th so I can make arrangements.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
- Read and mark Chapters 1-13 of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Friday, December 9, 2022
- Finish reading and marking The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- 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.
Monday, December 12, 2022
- Last Class.
- Read and mark “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke (Found in Course Materials).
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
- Final Exam ENG 245 Science Fiction at 12:40 PM to 2:40 PM in our normal classroom.
- Last day to reconcile any missing readings or other assignments. Not all will be accepted.
Monday, December 19, 2022
- Final Draft of Paper #2 (with research) Due at 10 AM. See checklist for details. No extensions will be possible.
- Optional Major Paper #1 Rewrite due at 10 AM. No extensions will be possible.
Note: grades are due on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 11:59PM. Do not email me about your final grade until I announce to the class that all the grades have been submitted unless there is a problem with a specific assignment. Please check your email every day until I make that announcement: if there’s an issue with you grade that we can fix, I will contact you via email.