Reading Posts (100 words each, 5 total) 20%
You will hand in one or two paragraphs, most in response to questions posed about the reading discussed that day in class. These posts are due ideally 60 minutes before class so I can read them and use them in preparing for our discussion.
Discussion 10%
A liberal arts approach to education emphasizes active student engagement in class through discussion. I expect you all to ask questions and contribute to our discussions each day and participate fully in group break out sessions.
Essay (300 words) 40%
We will be reading a rich range of science fiction from authors across time and space; all will have a vision of what the future might bring, and that vision could terrify or excite you. For the final essay, please focus on a specific anxiety/fear that seems to come up in more than one of our readings. Compare how two authors/readings explore the anxiety/fear you chose to focus on and what the texts imply about our future. Use and analyze textual evidence (quoted material) from the texts you choose and provide citations to the passages (e.g. author’s last name, page number) in parentheses at the end of the quotations
Group Presentation (15 minutes, with ppt) 30%
We will be reading Liu Cixin’s “Moonlight,” “The Weight of Memories,” and “Yuanyuan’s Bubbles.” You will be assigned to a group who will work on one of these stories, exploring it and coming up with a presentation for the class to expand our understanding of the story’s themes, meaning, and significance.
