GHUM200: GREAT WORKS (Speculative Fiction)

JMU Professor: EMAIL: Office:

Prof. Sharon Cote cotesa@jmu.edu James Madison University, Keezell 209

Availability:

At JMU, during my office hours and by appt.

Description: In this course we will focus on a humanistic examination of some major philosophical and social themes in speculative fiction. However, in reading and discussing this diverse group of interesting and unusual literary works, both modern and historical, that may be categorized as "speculative," we will also be led to consider the cultural factors that influence ideas about genre, "greatness," and canonicity in the humanities. More generally, we'll challenge our own first responses to readings and hone our ability to evaluate literature and its potential as a gateway to new ideas and insights. We'll explore some connections between literature and other creative works. Finally, through all of these efforts, we'll work on improving our basic ability to approach ANY text (ie. not just "literature") and, in fact, any communicative act critically, developing basic vocabulary and skills in the techniques of textual analysis.

Required novels:
Bryant, Dorothy. The Kin of Ata are Waiting For You. Random House, ISBN 0679778438
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. Mass Market Paperback, ISBN 0812589041.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. Mass Market Paperback (Random House), ISBN 0345361792
McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. Vintage Books, ISBN 978-0-307-27792-3 .
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Bantam Books, ISBN 0553212478.
Stephenson, Neal (1992). Snow Crash. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell, ISBN 0553380958.

Additional required readings :
The short stories listed in the schedule below, as well as some supplemental materials, will be made available online and/or distributed in class at least one class period before they will be discussed. Check the "readings" section of the syllabus regularly for new readings!

Recommended references:
A good, comprehensive dictionary-- You'll be expected to look up the meaning of any words in our reading with which you are unfamiliar!) (There is a link to the OED online at the bottom of this webpage.)
A writing guide such as the MLA Handbook that includes citation guidelines. (There is also a link at the bottom of this webpage to the JMU library's page with a few MLA citation style examples.)

Work and Grading:Assignments(12%), class participation (4%), 2 1600-word papers(21% each), midterm (21%), Final (21%). All work must be submitted on time and in-class unless permission for late submission or an alternative submission method is given in advance. (In the case of a true emergency or sudden illness, rare exceptions may be made at the instructors' discretion.) If you miss a class, you are responsible for checking for new at-home assignment links on the syllabus website and doing any assignment due the next class period. Some assignments will be "ungraded," and some assignments may be unannounced in-class assignments. "Ungraded" assignments will be recorded as 100 (fully acceptable effort), 50 (some legitimate effort), or 0 (little or no legitimate effort). In other words, on an "ungraded" assignment, you won't be penalized for incorrect information, although you must (of course!) make an honest and serious attempt at all parts of the assignment to get full credit. Assignments must be typed unless otherwise specified. Follow specific guidelines for the two major papers. You may skip one ungraded assignment without affecting your grade, except those assignments related to paperwriting or otherwise described as required. Assignments will be worth 12% of the total grade for the course. A good participation grade requires advance reading of materials to be covered, and overall preparation and willingness to ask and answer questions and to contribute to other class activities. Remember - always bring your copy of the literary text(s) under discussion to class!

Note: Of course, all your work for this course is subject to the JMU Honor Code. If you are not very familiar with the details of this code, you should review it before any assignments are due. We will take plagiarism cases very seriously (a student can fail the course for plagiarism, even as a first offense, and stronger penalties may be imposed by JMU and/or Clarke County HS for second offenses), and if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or about other aspects of the honor code, you should ask Prof. Cote for clarification.

Daily Schedule: This course is scheduled to meet on odd days, fifth period, 12:10pm-1:45pm. Below is a tentative schedule for what will be discussed in each class period, for when papers will be due, and for when exams will be given. As noted above, you should have readings done BEFORE the class date on which they will be discussed. The topics listed are designed to give you perspective for your reading and to help begin class discussions. They don't summarize what will be discussed in class that day. Topics, literary and supplemental readings, and paper and exam dates may all be modified to support the direction and duration of class discussions, so check this schedule frequently. (Schedule changes may also need to be made for snow days, JMU visits, and other unforeseen events.) Links to assignments, with their due dates, will be posted below this schedule throughout the semester.)

Look Here for At-Home Assignments and Information:

• Due 1/7/08
• Due 1/15/08
• Due 1/29/08
• Due 1/31/08
• Assignment 5 was in-class 2/5
• Due 2/11/08 (last Ender's Game assignment)
• Due 2/13/08 (REQUIRED paper topic assignment)
• Due 2/19/08 (Debate preparations and Debate)
• Assignments 10-12 were in-class
• Assignment 13 was the in-class dystopia/post-apocalypse assignment 3/31
• Assignment 14 was the in-class Kin of Ata questions assignment 4/17
• Assignment 15 was the library assignment at JMU 4/23 (Students who could not come no the campus trip should see Ms. Wilt for the alternative requirement ASAP.)
• Due 5/5/08 (REQUIRED - 2nd paper topic assignment)
• The A Prayer for Owen Meany assignments 5/7 or 5/9 (depending on group).
  See Handout on topics and details for each group. These preparations and in-class presentations are, together, worth one quarter of the total "assignments" grade. (In other words, they cannot be skipped without penalty even if you missed no other assignments.) Each individual group member's preparations (clearly indicating what part of the total presentation was prepared by the group member) must be submitted on the day a group gives its presentation. Each group member must also be an active participant in the presentation. Each student's grade will be based on these criteria: the extent to which he/she contributed his/her fair share of effort to the preparations, the extent to which he/she takes responsibility for a fair share of the presentation, the extent to which the group overall adequately covers the assignment material.

LOOK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON TOPICS AND GUIDELINES FOR THE SECOND PAPER: Second Paper -- Topics and Guidelines

LOOK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON TOPICS AND GUIDELINES FOR THE FIRST PAPER: Topics and Guidelines

OPTIONAL FINAL EXAM EXTRA CREDIT INFORMATION: Final Exam Extra Credit Options

OPTIONAL MIDTERM EXTRA CREDIT INFORMATION: Optional Midterm Extra Credit