English 270: Science Fiction   
Instructor: Marianne Boretz
Instructor's email address: mboretz@msn.com
Office Hours: I will usually reply to messages within 24 hours.  

Course Description (from the catalog):
This course presents science fiction as literature, with emphasis on the use of mythology, science fiction by scientists and non-scientists, politically and philosophically oriented science fiction, and science fiction as fantasy and escape literature.  

Required Materials:
All the short stories and novellas we will read are available on the Internet at no cost. In addition, I have assigned the 2 novels--full length works of fiction-- listed below, which you may purchase at the campus bookstore or online.

1.       Arthur C. Clarke. Childhood’s End.   

2.       C. J. Cherryh.  The Pride of Chanur.   This book is only available new as part of an inexpensive collection of three novels, The Chanur Saga.  We will only read the first, The Pride of Chanur. You may also buy  it used at Amazon (and other locations) or as an ebook  -- click on the underlined word to access the link.

Weekly Activities:

Readings: There will be weekly reading assignments. You should have most of these done by Tuesday of each week. (See the “Semester Schedule” for more detailed information).

Lecture: Almost every week, a brief lecture will be available in Modules on Monday or Tuesday. In each lecture I will give further information about and analysis of the previous week's assignment, then go on to introduce the new readings. These lectures are part of the assigned work for the class; you may be asked about this material in written assignments.

Discussion Forums:   Participation in discussion each week is important for your grade in the class.(See the next page for more information.)

Reflection Assignment: Each week I will post space in the Assignments section of the class for you to reflect on the previous week’s work – readings, discussions, interactions, whatever you want to say. I will respond to what you write and also comment on your discussion for the week. Reflections are due by Monday (starting with week 2) at 11:30 PM. 

Review Assignments: There will be 2 review assignments (AKA Quizzes)(in essay form) on the assigned readings and lectures. These will be available in the Assignments section of the classroom, and you will have approximately one week to do them.

Midterm and Final Exams:   These will be paper assignments in which I’ll ask you to analyze a story we have not discussed in class but which is related to the material we’ve been reading. You will be able to revise the midterm if you’re not satisfied with your grade.

Grades: I will use the following point system to determine your final grade:

13 weekly discussions  at  10  points each:    150 points

13 reflections  at 10 points each: 150 points

2 Review Assignments at 50 points each:   100 points

Midterm Exam:    100 points

Final Exam: 100 points

Total number of points:  600

For an A you need 90-100% of the total points or  540-600 points
  B, 80-89%:  480-539
  C, 70-79%:  420-479
  D, 60-69%:  360-419 

Academic Honesty:
All written work must be your own or properly referenced. In any written work, including discussion, if you copy another writer--whether professional or student--without acknowledging your source, you will receive a zero for that assignment with no chance of re-write. Here's a link to a major university with instructions on how to avoid plagiarism.  

Due Dates:
All work is due at 11:30 pm of the date specified. Late work may lose points. Students who add the class during week 1 will be given a make up option for discussion 1.  Otherwise, no late discussions will be accepted.

Next Step:  Click here to proceed to the next section on how to participate in discussion.