posted
I was walking in the school bookstore the other day looking for text books and I saw a few books that were on my "I need to read that sometime" list. It turns out that they offer a Science Fiction course. I'm not a huge fan of scifi per say, but it's an excuse to let me read. I'm not looking forward to the paper writing, but it should help to better my thought organizational skills and quality of writing overall. I'm excited about this.
By the way, I may ask for some proofreading down the line. Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
I sure hope your experience is better than mine was.
I took Science Fiction as a 300 level English course. The reading list was very good, and I was focusing in creative writing (and SF/F is my genre), so I thought it would be right up my alley.
And it would have been, had the teacher not been absolutely terrible.
She started the first class by justifying to the class how she was qualified to teach the course, because she had "read a lot of science fiction" and "enjoyed shows like Star Wars and Star Trek." I should have known right then that the class would start going downhill, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
It was when she spent two weeks on H.G. Wells' Time Machine without once mentioning Marxism, or really anything having to do with the book's social commentary. Instead, she talked about food. How order was established by the author with meals, and disorder by the time between meals. That was the extent that the book was discussed - Order, Disorder, and the Role of Meals in H.G.Wells' Time Machine. Then she moved on.
When reading Clarke's 2001, she confidently declared that Dave Bowman destroys the Earth at the end of the novel, showing how stepping beyond your bounds makes you forget the importance of where you came from. (?!?!?) When we explained to her that the Earth was not destroyed, but it was just a satellite meant for war, she scoffed at the idea. When we explained that there are sequels, and that the earth was not destroyed, she said "there are ways for an author to get around that."
When the final exam rolled around, there was a question that asked "In the books we have read, was science portrayed as being good or evil?" Of course, my essay was about how science was not portrayed as being good or evil, but was portrayed repeatedly as a tool. Humans then used this tool for either good or evil, getting into the "just because we can do something, should we?" discussion.
She gave me no credit for the question. After flipping out on the TA during her office hours (she was hospitalized temporarily in a car accident the day before finals were returned - and we all wondered if it could have been someone in the class that took her out), I got my grade raised.
Needless to say, after our class surveys were returned, that professor no longer taught that course.
For those of you who are interested, the semester's booklist was: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley The Time Machine, H.G. Wells Cosmicomics, Italo Calvino Solaris, Stanislaw Lem Foundation, Isaac Asimov 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke Hyperion, Dan Simmons Brightness Falls from the Air, James Tiptree, Jr. Nightfall, Isaac Asimov Neuromancer, William Gibson Tales of Neveryon, Samuel R. Delany
For those who haven't read it, Brightness Falls from the Air was great (and I'd never heard of it before the class) - so at least something positive came from the experience.
Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
I took a 300-level science fiction course too, and it was great. It was quite a while ago, so I don't remember the whole reading list, but I'm pretty sure it was longer than either of those posted so far. Also I think the essay prompts were a lot more general that what FC describes.
I remember that the list included Frankenstein and the Time Machine. Also Berserker by Fred Saberhagen, A Canticle for Liebowitz, and a whole bunch of short stories. I could probably figure out most of the rest by wandering through my bookshelves and trying to remember which ones were bought for that class. Maybe I'll do that when I get home tonight.
Anyway, I hope your experience is as good as mine was.
Oh -- Left Hand of Darkness was on it too.
And some book that had caterpillers that I waited until the last minute to look for and couldn't find and skimmed in a couple hours in the library the day the paper was due. I got a "B-" on that paper with the comment that my analysis was "superficial." Which was true. I wish I knew what that book was, I'd like to really read it sometime, but pretty much all I've got is a vauge memory of giant caterpillers. Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I took one at BYU in the days when there was a teacher who was very enthusiastic about the subject. He singlehandedly, if I remember correct, made the school one of the top universities for such things. One of the best classes I ever had. I think he is dead now. At any rate, he didn't just read Sci-Fi, but understood it and knew its history.
Posts: 2207 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by dkw: And some book that had caterpillers that I waited until the last minute to look for and couldn't find and skimmed in a couple hours in the library the day the paper was due. I got a "B-" on that paper with the comment that my analysis was "superficial." Which was true. I wish I knew what that book was, I'd like to really read it sometime, but pretty much all I've got is a vauge memory of giant caterpillers.
Was it Gerrold's War against the Chtorr?
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I took a 300 level course on Science Fiction at my college just 2 semesters ago. The textbook was a collection of sci fi picked and assembled by our favorite author Mr. Card. There was tons of valuable reading and discussion that went on. Though I didn't always agree with my teachers ideas she was very fair at letting me say, "That story was absolute garbage," if I could explain why I thought so. She really was focused on showing us why Sci Fi was a wonderful beast we should all experience and she did a great job in exposing me to alot of sci fi I had no idea existed.
It was a very positive experience and its a great class to scope out cute girls. If they like sci fi they can't be all that bad Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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My SF teacher accidentally OD'd on drugs and alcohol halfway through the semester. But the class was great up until then.
Posts: 1379 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: Do you go to public school in the state of Kansas?
I've never been to Kansas. Why?
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk: I took one once too, but back then they called it "Technical Writing 101".
By that definition, I have as well, and would then have to say that I greatly dislike "science fiction".
Flying Cow, I doubt it can be that bad. Besides, I looked up the teacher on ratemyprofessor.com and he seems to be well liked. I'll look into Brightness Falls from the Air. I probably won't get to it for a while, but I'll look into it. Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I hope for your sake that it isn't that bad. It would be a feat, if it were.
I just looked her up again, and it seems she's teaching the course again. I guess they just waited until all those who complained about her graduated, then gave it back to her.
I wonder what time the course is held... I'm tempted to go audit the class and contribute *a lot* to discussion.
Edit: Dang. Called Rutgers information, and it's a fall course. I'm soooo tempted to show up and heckle. Posts: 3960 | Registered: Jul 2001
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That was a joke. It was a dig on, IIRC, the Kansas Board of Education, which has disallowed the teaching of evolution in Kansas science classes. The joke is that the "science" classes in Kansas aren't really science anymore, and should be called "science fiction".
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Ooohhhh, hahaha. Sorry, I was a bit slow on the uptake. And sorry Tante for ruining the joke. (Thanks mph)
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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