ENGLISH 3283/4933
Our final exam is now set for 7:45 pm on Monday, May 3. The exam, similar to the midterm, will open on Blackboard at that time. The exam will be open book. You may consult the lectures, on-line reading assignments, or other recorded sources. Do not, however, consult other people. The exam will go live on Blackboard at 7:45 pm. You will have thirty minutes to complete the exam once you start, though it will remain live until 8:30, in case some people get started late.
REMEMBER THAT YOUR CRITICAL ESSAYS ARE DUE ON MONDAY, APRIL 26. Essays should be submitted to me as Word-compatible e-mail attachments.
Instructor:
Prof. M. Keith Booker
234 Kimpel Hall, 575-7248
e-mail: m.keith.booker@gmail.com
Textbooks Required:
On-line textbook supplied free of charge.
Description:
The purpose of this course will be to provide a broad introduction to science fiction film, with an emphasis on American science fiction film. We will examine a number of important individual films and discuss the ways in which they relate to larger trends within science fiction film, including surveys of specific subgenres.
Course Resources for Remote Delivery
Online video lectures: Available on YouTube, linked to the schedule below.
Online textbook: Linked to the schedule below.
Facebook Group for Class Discussions: Click here.
Individual films: Available for inexpensive rental on Amazon Prime Video, as well as other platforms.
Essays, exams, and other major requirements:
Students will write one critical essay (4-5 pages, double-spaced) and have an on-line mid-term exam and an on-line final exam, both delivered via Blackboard. Prompts for the critical essay are included at the end of this syllabus.
There will also be a class Facebook page where students may participate in discussions, ask questions, post relevant information, and so on. For each class for which you post or comment, on this page, you will be awarded 1-3 points, depending on the quality and substance of the post, up to a possible total of 15 points for the semester. Any crucial information posted by the instructor on the Facebook page will also be made available via this syllabus.
All students should check this syllabus daily for announcements and updates and to make sure you understand the schedule. All students will be responsible for being aware of any information or announcements presented in this syllabus.
Note on participation in discussions on Facebook: To avoid spoilers, you should not discuss the material for a given class before the date of that class. In general, responses to a given film should be posted as comments on a post on that film provided by the instructor as a prompt.
Grades and Grading
Facebook Discussions: 15%
Mid-term exam: 25%
Final exam: 25%
Critical essay: 35%
Course Schedule:
***Alien Invasions***
Monday, January 11, 2021
Introduction to the Course.
View the brief lecture Introductory Overview of Science Fiction Film.
Read the on-line assignment.
TODAY’S FILM: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951, 92 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for The Day the Earth Stood Still.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, January 18
Note: This day is the university’s Martin Luther King holiday. Accordingly, there will be no synchronous discussion on this day.
TODAY’S FILM: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956, 80 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, January 25
Synchronous discussion of The Day the Earth Stood Still and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Film viewing: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977, 138 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, February 1
Synchronous discussion of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and District 9.
TODAY’S FILM: District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009, 112 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for District 9.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, February 8
From this class forward, each Monday evening synchronous discussion will focus on the film assigned for that day.
TODAY’S FILM: Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, 2016, 116 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Arrival.
____________________________________________________________
***Adventures in Space***
Monday, February 15
TODAY’S FILM: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968, 149 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, February 22
No class: spring break.
Monday, March 1
TODAY’S FILM: Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979, 117 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Alien.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, March 8
TODAY’S FILM: Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005, 119 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Serenity.
Midterm exam on Blackboard, covering all material through the class of March 1. The exam will be open book. You may consult the lectures, on-line reading assignments, or other recorded sources. Do not, however, consult other people. The exam will go live on Blackboard at 5:15 pm. You will have thirty minutes to complete the exam once you start, though it will remain live until 6:00, in case some people get started late. Our synchronous on-line discussion of Serenity will begin at 6 pm.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, March 15
TODAY’S FILM: Europa Report (2013, Sebastián Cordero, 90 min)
As we enter the second half of the semester, now might be a good time to start thinking seriously about your critical essay. You might find this video helpful for that project.
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Europa Report.
____________________________________________________________
***Exploring the Posthuman***
Monday, March 22
TODAY’S FILM: Blade Runner (Original 1982 theatrical cut, Ridley Scott, 1982, 117 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Blade Runner
____________________________________________________________
Monday, March 29
TODAY’S FILM: Terminator (James Cameron, 1984, 107 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Terminator.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, April 5
TODAY’S FILM: Robocop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987, 102 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Robocop.
Monday, April 12
TODAY’S FILM: Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2014, 108 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Ex Machina.
____________________________________________________________
***Science Fiction as Satire***
Monday, April 19
Film viewing: They Live (John Carpenter, 1988, 94 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for They Live.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, April 26
TODAY’S FILM: Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018, 112 min)
View the brief introductory lecture.
Watch the film (Amazon).
Read the on-line assignment for Sorry to Bother You.
____________________________________________________________
Critical essays due for all students by midnight on this date. Essays should be submitted to the instructor by e-mail as a Word-compatible attachment.
____________________________________________________________
Monday, May 3: Final Exam
Final exam. The exam will be open book. You may consult the lectures, on-line reading assignments, or other recorded sources. Do not, however, consult other people. The exam will go live on Blackboard at 7:45 pm. You will have thirty minutes to complete the exam once you start, though it will remain live until 8:30, in case some people get started late.
SAMPLE CRITICAL ESSAY TOPICS
The following suggested topics are intended to give students an idea of the kinds of topics that are likely to make successful critical essays. These topics my be used directly, or they may simply be used as guidance for students who wish to develop their own topics.
- Using examples from the films we have seen in class, discuss some of the ways in which the representation of aliens in science fiction can be used to comment on real-world social and political issues.
- Using examples from the films we have seen in class, discuss the ways in which science fiction can contain energies that suggest that the world need not be the way it currently is.
- Choosing any two films on the syllabus, compare and contrast these two films in terms of a specific issue, such as treatment of race and racism, representation of women, critique of capitalism, environmentalism, etc.
- Choosing any two films on the syllabus, discuss the ways in which this film uses the mode of science fiction to achieve goals that could not have been achieved in a more realistic film.
- Using examples from the films we have seen in class, discuss the ways in which science fiction film explores the ways in which technological advances can change fundamental social ideas.
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