DAILY WORK

Note: bulleted assignments are due on the date immediately above the bulleted list.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

• First Day of Class.
• Dr. Halbert will be recovering from retina surgery and will miss the first day of class.
• Students should check Canvas for homework and a note from Dr. Halbert.

Friday, August 30, 2024

• Read the instructions and complete the Contact Information handout.
• Read the instructions and complete the Student Contract handout.
• Read and mark the following selections Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page:
• “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 2, 2024

• No Class: LABOR DAY. Thank a Union.
• You may want to start watching Blade Runner (Final Cut) for Wednesday. ). You can see where it is legally streaming here.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

• No Class: we do not meet on Tuesdays.
• Last day to add a 15-week course without faculty signature.

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

• Watch and take notes on Blade Runner (Final Cut). You can see where it is legally streaming here.

Friday, September 6, 2024

• Read and mark "Liar!"—Isaac Asimov (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Read and mark "Burning Chrome"—William Gibson (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Monday, September 9, 2024

• Read and mark "A Cyborg Manifesto"—Donna J. Haraway (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).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 11, 2024

• Read and mark "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Friday, September 13, 2024

• Read and mark “When I Was Miss Dow” (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Read and take notes on the Handout “Dealing with Titles in MLA Format” on the class web page.

Monday, September 16, 2024

• Scholarly Article Analysis Project: read and mark Lisa Yaszek’s “Of Fossils and Androids: (Re)Producing Sexual Identity in ‘Jurassic Park’ and "’Blade Runner’" and then complete the questions found on the template document in the Scholarly Article Analysis Project.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

• No Class: we do not meet on Tuesdays.
• Last day to drop a course before withdrawal period starts.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

•  Read and mark selection From Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Withdrawal period without signature starts.

Friday, September 20, 2024

• Read and mark "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Monday, September 23, 2024

• Read and mark "The Algorithms for Love" by Ken Liu (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Read and mark "Mars Is Heaven!"—Ray Bradbury (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

• Read and mark "Bloodchild"—Octavia E. Butler (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Friday, September 27, 2024

• Midterm Exam Quotation Assignment Due.  Submit to “Midterm Quotations” Assignment.

Monday, September 30, 2024

• Draft of Paper #1 due.  Post a copy in the "Paper #1: Draft" Discussion Board topic. 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 so I can make arrangements.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

• Read and mark Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” (the original short story version, not the novel, available online).

Friday, October 4, 2024

• Read and mark Robert Silverberg’s “Passengers” (see course documents).
• Read and mark "How the World Was Saved" by Stanislaw Lem (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Monday, October 7, 2024

• No class.
• Final draft of Paper #1 due by noon in the “Paper 1: Final Draft (Graded copy)” in Assignments (for up to 200 points) and the “Paper 1: Final Draft (Discussion Board)” option (for 5 points).  See checklist for details.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

• Midterm Exam, Part 1 (Identifications: use the Midterm Quotation Guide to help you study)

Friday, October 11, 2024

• Midterm Exam Part 2 (Essay). Make sure you prepare an exam card.

Monday, October 14, 2024

• Read and mark "Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government"—Hannah Arendt (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).  This non-fiction theoretical piece is a bit challenging.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

• Read and mark "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"—Harlin Ellison (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Friday, October 18, 2024

• Please arrange to view Gattaca. You can see where Gattaca is legally streaming here. Take notes that will serve as your reading check for the film.

Monday, October 21, 2024

• Read and mark Section 1, Chapters 1-8 of 1984. Pages 1-106.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

• Read and mark Section 2 of 1984. Pages 107-230.

Friday, October 25, 2024

• Finish reading and marking 1984. Pages 231-308.
• Read the final essay in 1984, "The Principles of Newspeak.”

Monday, October 28, 2024

• Read and mark pages 3-115 of The Handmaid's Tale. ("I: Night" until "VIII Birthday").

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

• Read and mark pages 109-195 of The Handmaid's Tale ("VIII Birthday" until "XII: Jezebel's").
• Last day to withdraw without a faculty signature.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

• No class: we do not meet on Thursdays.
• Withdrawals require faculty signature. You need to discuss this option with me before sending the form.

Friday, November 1, 2024

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

Monday, November 4, 2024

• Read and mark Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five (Chapters 1-4, pages 1-86).

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

• NO CLASS: We do not meet on Tuesdays.
• It’s Election Day in the United States. Please consider voting, regardless of your party affiliation. Good citizens vote.
• See extra credit for voting-related option.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

• Read and mark Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five (Chapters 5-6, pages 87-157).

Friday, November 8, 2024

• Read and mark Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five (Chapters 7-10, pages 162-215). You will finish the novel for today.

Monday, November 11, 2024

• Read and mark chapters 1-6 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 13, 2024

• Read and mark the rest of Watchmen.

Thursday, November 14, 2024

• No class: we do not meet on Thursdays.
• Last day to withdraw with a faculty signature. After today, you need to appeal with documentation to the administration. You should email prior to sending the form. If I don’t get it by 3PM, I cannot guarantee that I will see it in time to sign.

Friday, November 15, 2024

•  Please arrange to watch and take notes on The Matrix. You can see where it is currently streaming for legal viewing here.
• Withdrawals now require administrative approval.

Monday, November 18, 2024

• Library Orientation. We will meet in the College Hall Library Classroom, CH 265.
• 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” Discussion Board Topic.
• Attendance counts double today.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

• Library Research Day. Meet on the main floor of the library and sign in with Dr. Halbert. Bring your laptop

Friday, November 22, 2024

• Annotated Bibliography Due at start of class.  Post a copy to the "Research Paper: Bibliography" Discussion Board Topic and submit a copy to the "Annotated Bibliography" Assignment.
• You may wish to review the Sample Annotated Bibliography.
• Two-Minute presentation on your paper topic.

Monday, November 25, 2024

• Draft of Paper #2. Post a copy in the "Paper #2: Draft" Discussion Board topic. 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 final exam so I can make arrangements.

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

• No class: Thanksgiving Break.
• Remember that a paper draft is due in one week.

Friday, November 29, 2024

• No class: Thanksgiving Break.
• Shout out to our friends in retail who have to work this day.

Monday, December 2, 2024

• Second Exam Quotation Assignment Due.  Post a copy to the “Quotations for Final” Assignment.  Make sure to use the template linked in the instructions: don’t just copy and paste.
• Read and mark “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes (available in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 [Updated 9/7/24]

• Read and mark “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clark(Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Read and mark “The Star” by Arthur C. Clark (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).

Friday, December 6, 2024

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

Monday, December 9, 2024

• Finish reading and marking The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
• Last day of class (and for all Fall 2024 15-week classes)

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

• ENG 245 (Sci-Fi) Final Exam: 10:20AM to12:20 PM in our normal classroom.
• Bring exam card.
• Last day to attempt to submit missed readings.

Friday, December 13, 2024

• NO CLASS: Our regular class meetings are over.
• Final Draft of Paper #2 due by noon. Post to “Paper #2 Final Draft: Discussion Board” (for 5 points) and to “Paper #2 Final Draft: Graded Copy” (for up to 200 points). See checklist for details.

Monday, December 16, 2024

• NO CLASS: Our regular class meetings are over.
• Optional Major Paper Rewrite of Paper #1 due by noon. Please submit to “Major Paper Rewrite” Assignment.

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

• No Class: the course is over.
• Faculty must submit 15-week course grades by 11:59 PM.

End of Semester Notes and Reminders:

• Attend the final meeting of all your classes.
• Check your Montco email and Canvas announcements every day until Dr. Halbert says the grades are posted.
• Don’t email Dr. Halbert to see if the grades are done: he will announce when he is done.
• Do check your gradebook on Canvas during the exams to see individual assignment grades as they are entered.
• If there is a problem with a graded assignment, please email Dr. Halbert immediately.
• Faculty have until 11:59 PM on December 18th to get their grades in, but if they submit them sooner, they do not have to look at any work you try to submit late. Bear that in mind with your other professors.