ENGLISH 190C • Professor Tanaka • Fall 1999
Instructor: Prof. Ronald Tanaka
Office: English 163
Message number: 278.6586
Email: tanakarp@csus.edu
INTRODUCTION
English 190C will examine contemporary science fiction as 'serious' literature by examining the cyberpunk movement represented by William Gibson and Neil Stephenson as well as the work of Sheri S. Tepper and Elizabeth Moon. This is not a survey course, but a seminar designed to help the student to explore the ways that science fiction writers use ideas from science and technology to represent alternative visions of the world.
Our approach will be conceptual in nature. We will be be using some of the same modeling techniques that science fiction writers use in order to explore their work.
In a sense, we want to "study science fiction" by "doing science fiction." The purpose of this course will be to explain what this expression means.
For further information, please see our 1997 190C web site at: www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tanakar.
PREREQUISITES:
All students are welcome regardless of their background. No previous experience with the interpretation of literature is necessary. However, students are expected to keep an open mind. The use of the Internet will be encouraged.
FORMAT
Since this is a seminar, we will try to keep lectures to a minimum. However, the first few weeks of the course will be devoted to presenting a general model for conceptual analysis. The rest of the semester will be devoted to class discussions, analysis of selected videos, oral reports and guest speakers.
REQUIREMENTS
190C is designed to allow the student to be evaluated according to his or her personal interests and needs. All students will be required to read the texts according to the schedule and attend class regularly, but there will be choices as to the books that must be read.
Students will be required to write a series of short book reports, which will be included in the course web site <students do not have to use their actual names>.
TEXTS
William Gibson, Neuromancer
"Johnny Mnemonic"
Sheri S. Tepper Sideshow
Philip K. Dick Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Elizabeth Moon Once a Hero
Neil Stephenson Snow Crash
Three issues of Wired
One other novel to be selected by the student that may include:
Tepper, Gate to Women's Country
Gibson, Idoru