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, January 18, 2023

• First day of class

Friday, January 20, 2023

• 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, January 23, 2023

• Read and mark "Liar!"—Isaac Asimov (Found in Course Materials)
• Watch and take notes on Blade Runner (Final Cut). You can see where it is legally streaming here.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

• No Class: we do not meet on Tuesdays.
• Last day to add without faculty signature.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

• Read and mark "Burning Chrome"—William Gibson (Found in Course Materials)

Friday, January 27, 2023

• Read and mark "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick (Found in Course Materials)

Monday, January 30, 2023

• 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, February 1, 2023

• Read and mark “When I Was Miss Dow” (Found in Course Materials)

Friday, February 3, 2023

• Read and mark selection From Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (Found in Course Materials)

Monday, February 6, 2023

• 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 instructions. (20 points)

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

• No Class: we do not meet on Tuesdays.
• Last day to drop a course (15-week Classes)

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

• Read and mark "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (Found in Course Materials)

Friday, February 10, 2023

• 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)
• Withdrawal without signature period starts.

Monday, February 13, 2023

• Read and mark "Bloodchild"—Octavia E. Butler (Found in Course Materials)

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

• Read and mark “All You Zombies—” –Robert A. Heinlein
• Read and mark “The Nine Billion Names of God” –Arthur C. Clarke

Friday, February 17, 2023

• Exam Quotation Assignment #1 Due.  Submit to Blackboard Drop Box.

Monday, February 20, 2023

• 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 so I can make arrangements.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

• Read and mark Robert Silverberg’s “Passengers” (see course documents)
• Read and mark "How the World Was Saved" by Stanislaw Lem (Found in Course Materials).

Friday, February 24, 2023

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

Monday, February 27, 2023

• 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, March 1, 2023

• Midterm Exam, Part 1 (Identifications: see quotation guide)

Friday, March 3, 2023

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

Monday, March 6, 2023

• 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, March 8, 2023

• Read and mark "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"—Harlin Ellison (Found in Course Materials)

Friday, March 10, 2023

• Please arrange to view Gattaca. You can see where Gattaca is legally streaming here.

Monday, March 13, 2023

• NO CLASS: Spring Break

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

• NO CLASS: Spring Break

Friday, March 17, 2023

• NO CLASS: Spring Break

Monday March 20, 2023

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

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

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

Friday, March 24, 2023

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

Monday, March 27, 2023

• Read and mark Part One: “The Hearth and the Salamander” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

• NO CLASS: We don’t meet on Tuesdays.
• Withdrawal without signature period ends.

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

• Read and mark Part Two: “The Sieve and the Sand” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
• Withdrawal with signature period starts.

Friday, March 31, 2023

• Read and Mark Part Three: “Burning Bright” of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Monday, April 3, 2023

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

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

• Read and mark pages 109-195 of The Handmaid's Tale ("VIII Birthday" until "XII: Jezebel's").

Friday, April 7, 2023

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

Monday, April 10, 2023

• 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 Paper #2, which requires research.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

• Read and mark the rest of Watchmen.

Thursday, April 13, 2023

• NO CLASS: We don’t meet on Thursdays.
• Withdrawal with faculty signature ends.

Friday, April 14, 2023

• NO CLASS: Dr. Halbert will be on an academic trip with the Liberal Arts Division.
• 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 approval from Academic Affairs.

Monday, April 17, 2023 [Updated with location information on 4/6/2023]

• Library Orientation. Meet updatairs in College Hall Library in room 301.
• 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, April 19, 2023

• 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, April 21, 2023

• Annotated Bibliography Due at start of class.  Post a copy to the "Research Paper: Bibliography" forum and submit a copy to the "Annotated Bibliography" dropbox. Review the Sample Annotated Bibliography to make sure you are formating it correctly.
• Two-minute presentations on your paper topics.

Monday, April 24, 2023

• 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, April 26, 2023

• Exam Quotation Assignment #2 is 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 Chapters 1-13 of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Friday, April 28, 2023

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

Monday, May 1, 2023

• Read and mark “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke (Found in Course Materials).
• Last Class.

Friday, May 5, 2023

• No Class: the course is over except for the exam next week.
• Paper #2 due by 9AM. Submit to both Dropbox and Discussion Board. See Checklist for details.
• Optional Major Paper Rewrite of Paper #1 due. Submit to Dropbox and email to Dr. Halbert with a subject line “Major Paper Rewrite for ENG 211.”

Monday, May 8, 2023, 10:20 AM to 12:20 PM

• ENG 245 Final Exam in our regular classroom. Make sure to prepare your Exam Card.
• Today is the last day to resolve any grade issues.

End of Semester Reminders:

• Always attend the last day of class for each of your courses.
• Check your MC3 email every day of exams until the professor lets you know the grades have been submitted. If there is an issue, your professor will email you to try to resolve the issue, but if you don’t check your email, you may not have your issue addressed, resulting in a lower grade or even a failure for the course.
• Professors must submit grades no later than 11:59 PM on Thursday, May 11, 2023.
• Don’t email your professor to see if the grades are done: he will email the class when they are finalized.