Instructor: Thomas Holme
Contact Information : (office) Chemistry 272 (phone) 229-5680 (email) tholme@uwm.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 10:00-10:50, Wednesdays, 1:30-3:00
Materials: Book - Galileo's Finger, by Peter Atkins. Novel: A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller. Short stories - handouts
Objectives: The aim of this course is to understand major themes in science, particularly chemistry, using science fiction as the vehicle. Many science fiction stories begin their speculative journey from a reasonable projection of the best science known at the time. Thus, the science becomes both part of the story and a means by which society can be reflected in literature. There is little question that modern society is profoundly influenced by science based technology and science fiction represents the primary means by which literature grapples with the importance of these relationships. This course intends, therefore, to provide both an opportunity to explore the influence of technology on the human condition and to explore the scientific principles at play in the discovery and development of technology.
Grading: Like any honors seminar course, you will be assessed based on written work and class participation. There will be three papers during the semester and a final project. Written preparation for in class discussions will also be expected. The breakdown for the grade percentages is as follows:
|
Class participation |
Story worksheets |
Papers |
Science Essays |
Final Project |
|
15 % |
10 % |
15% each |
15% |
30% |
Within this partitioning of the grading scheme - the guidelines for grades themselves will follow the scale of 93% A; 90% A&endash;; 87% B+, 83% B; 80% B&endash;; 77% C+, etc.
Class Participation: For many of the science topics and SF stories, the material to be discussed in class will be unfamiliar. Preparation for class is, therefore, vital for the success of the class. When we are going to discuss an SF short story, you will be expected to have completed the worksheet before class. The discussion will not be exclusively focussed on the topics on the worksheet - but they provide our starting point. For the science discussions, the topics might be quite unfamiliar, so having read the chapter assignment prior to class is just as vital. The class participation grade will be based on notes I keep after each class assessing the both your preparedness and actual participation.
Mid-term papers: There are two mid-term papers that must each be written about an SF story from class. The first paper is due no later than February 21 (in class) and the second paper is due no later than March 13 (in class). These papers are to be 3-4 pages in length, typed, double spaced. Any outside resources used should be included in a bibliography. Aside from being related to at least one SF story - the topics of these papers are yours to choose. I am always happy to talk with students about their specific topic choices - and the SF stories that we will read provide a rather broad basis for picking topics.
Science Essays: To make sure that science content is also being learned in this course, I will hand out a set of prompts for essay writing on April 8. You will have to write three one page essays about the science - choosing from a list of 6-8 possible prompts. The science essays will be due on April 15.
Final Project: The final project for this class may be chosen from three categories. The first category is an extended paper, 8-10 pages in length that includes an analysis of the relationships between at least two of the SF stories from class. Additional stories not included in class can be included as well (so long as the story is attached to the paper.) The second category is to do a creative work, such as art or a series of poems. If artwork is chosen the amount of artwork must be roughly equivalent to the space used in the analysis paper (option 1). Students normally do this by preparing 6-8 drawings that somehow illustrate 6-8 of the SF stories read. The third option is to write an original SF story. For a story, the page limit can be relaxed - but stories over 15 pages must have specific permission. If you have an idea for another form of final project, check with me and I'm likely to OK it, so long as the effort it requires is equivalent to that required for the other projects.
Approximate Schedule: For the schedule click here.
Departmental Policies: The policies of the Chemistry Department are posted on the bulletin boards near rooms 164 and 195.