Universität Wien

123223 SE Literature Seminar / BA Paper / MA British/Irish/New English (2011W)

Science Fiction: Dystopia, Space Opera, Cyberpunk

11.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 18 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 13.10. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 20.10. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 27.10. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 03.11. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 10.11. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 17.11. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 24.11. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 01.12. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 15.12. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 12.01. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 19.01. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19
  • Thursday 26.01. 12:00 - 14:00 Raum 4 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-EG-19

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Science fiction, the intermedial mode devoted to constructing alternative worlds, arguably presents one of the most challenging forms of literature. Reading sci fi involves one extra intellectual effort over and above the one necessary for reading more realistic forms of literature. In works of science fiction, we encounter societies, technologies, laws of nature and forms of life which are startlingly different from what we know, a fact which attests to both the exuberant creativity and the politically utopian potential of the genre. In this course, we will investigate some of the key short stories and novels, analyse sci fi's types, forms and prime concerns and follow its changing course throughout the different stages of literary history.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment will be on the basis of attendance, active participation, presentations, a written exam and a seminar paper.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

This course aims at a) presenting basic generic features and key works of sci fi b) teaching a topic-related analytical toolkit c) enabling students to apply their knowledge and skills in their own projects d) alerting students to related issues such as feminist literary theory and the cultural history of literature.

Examination topics

eLearning, group work, lecture, audio- and video-excerpts, classroom discussion, student presentation, home study, exam, seminar paper.

Reading list

Texts are already available at the Facultas campus bookshop! PLEASE START READING EARLY! Isaac Asimov, I, Robot; Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451; Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End; Frank Herbert, Dune; Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle; Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Joanna Russ, The Female Man; Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; William Gibson, Neuromancer.

Association in the course directory

Studium: Diplom 343, UF 344, BA 612, MA 844;
Code/Modul: Diplom 322, 326/328, 336/338, 721-723, 821, UF4.2.4-322, BA10.2, MA4, MA7;
Lehrinhalt: 12-0216

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33