Welcome to the Sci Fi class blog. Check out the syllabus given.
HS 7592 - SCIENCE FICTION
L
T P C
3 0 0 3
Course
Description
This course is
designed to teach language skills through science fiction. Science fiction and
allied science writings are used as materials to generate discussions both on
the language as well as on the content.
Objectives
ü
To
familiarize students with the genre of science fiction.
ü
To
help students appreciate the nuances of the language used in science fiction.
ü
To
provide students with the material to discuss common themes of human concern.
Learning
Outcomes
Ø
Students
will be able to read and understand science fiction texts and the literary
tools and strategies used by writers to communicate their meaning.
Ø
Students
will be able to collect, organize and present details about the writers, the
historical and general contexts of the texts.
Ø
Students
will be able to discuss, analyse and argue about issues related to science and
technology and their impact on society, culture, war, race, gender and the
like.
Unit
I Science Fiction – An Introduction (9)
Definition of the
genre - The beginnings of the genre - Gothic fiction and fantasy - Early
writers
Texts for study
·
Excerpts from H.G.Wells’ Time
machine
·
Albert Einstein’s On the
Idea of Time in Physics from Relativity
Language focus
Descriptive language,
technical and scientific vocabulary, Verbs (Present, past, future tenses)
Suggested activities
Reading, dialogue
writing, paragraph writing, summarising
Discussion topics
Science as a reflection
of the spirit of scientific enquiry of the time, Science fiction as a
forerunner of future developments in science
Extensive reading
·
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
·
Jules Verne: Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Unit
II Social Science Fiction (9)
Use of science fiction to criticize
contemporary world and predict the future -
Texts for study
·
Excerpts
from George Orwell’s 1984
·
Excerpts
from Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock
Language focus
Imperatives, instructions
Use of allegory
Suggested Activities
Reading, skit, poster making
(based on the social issues presented in the material), role play
Discussion topics
Utopian vs dystopian fiction
Extensive Reading
·
Aldous
Huxley: Brave New World
·
Ray
Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451
Unit
III Man and Machine (9)
Exploration of the relationship between
man, machine and morality
Texts for study
·
Excerpts
from Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot
·
Stuart
Russell & Peter Norvig: ‘What if we do succeed?’ from Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
Language Focus
Compound
words, definition, machine description, If conditionals
Suggested Activities
Debate,
Creative writing, Report writing
Discussion
topics
Man vs machine, Artificial
intelligence
Extensive Reading
·
Philip
K. Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Unit
IV Other Worlds (9)
Exploring the idea of aliens and
other worlds
Texts for study
·
Excerpts
from Arthur C.Clarke’s 2001: A Space
Odyssey
·
Excerpts
from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos
Language focus
Compare and contrast
Suggested Activities
Group discussion, essay writing
Discussion Topics
Life in other worlds, Space
colonization
Extensive Reading
·
Robert
A. Heinlein: Stranger in a Strange Land
·
Douglas
Adam: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Unit
V Biological Sciences (9)
Exploring the forays into biological
research and the ethical issues involved
Texts for study
·
Excerpts
from Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park
·
‘Hybridism’
from Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species
Language focus
Process description
Suggested Activities
Profile writing
Discussion topics
Dangers and ethical issues in
cloning
Extensive Reading
·
William
Gibson: Neuromancer
Teaching
Methods
Lectures, discussions, seminars,
use of audio and video material, participative individual and group tasks (simulation/role
play, dramatic presentation, creative adaptation, creative writing etc) based
on the study materials
Evaluation pattern
Pen
and paper test, short quizzes, seminars, assignments
50
% Internal Assessment
50%
End Semester Examination
II
Assessments with equal weightage
Internal
Assessment:
Language based questions,
Analysis of unseen texts using similar methods and criteria, Transcreation,
creative adaptation, creative writing assignments, Oral presentations/seminars
on the texts, authors, contexts
End
Semester Exam:
Language based and text based
critical analysis and evaluation, analysis of Unseen texts, transcreation,
creative writing questions
References
James, Edward & Farah Mendelsohn, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Science
Fiction. 2003
Parrinder, Patrick.
Science Fiction: A Critical Guide. Routledge, 2014
Prucher, Jeffrey (ed) Brave
new words: the Oxford dictionary of science fiction, USA:
OUP, 2006
