Some relevant Chiang quotes

From the 2011 Locus interview:

"I consider most of my work science fiction, even the stories that look like fantasy. To me, what makes a story science fiction is not whether the universe has the same laws as our universe or not, but whether it is a universe in which the scientific method works. That is a more interesting distinction for me. By that criterion, ‘Exhalation’ is a science fiction story, even though its universe bears no resemblance to ours. The same is true for '72 Letters,' and for 'Tower of Babylon.'"

The next two are from the 2010 Boing Boing interview:

"When some friends of mine read 'Understand,' they were certain that I must have taken hallucinogens at some point, but I have not. I wasn't attempting to describe someone hallucinating, but I was attempting to describe the experience of having a revelation, an incredibly deep and profound revelation about the nature of the universe. I guess it so happens that most people's experience of that occurs when they're taking hallucinogens, but the hallucinogen aspect was not my intent."

On "Seventy-Two Letters":

"Computer programming is a rational practice while Kabbalah is a mystical practice, and DNA is different from computer code, and I wouldn't want anyone confusing one with another. At a metaphorical level, they all provide ways of thinking about the relationship between language and reality, which is a topic I find interesting. There's this old idea in magic that there's a language where the symbols have a tight relationship with what's being signified, so by manipulating those symbols, you could manipulate reality itself. ... And that certainly bears a resemblance to computer programming, where code is translated into actions by a computer. And in turn that bears a resemblance to DNA, where code is translated into the bodies of living organisms. So I think it's fun to imagine a connection between all three of these, so long as we're talking about fiction. I wouldn't want anyone to take this too literally."

The next two are from the 2008 IndieBound interview:

"I wouldn't say I've explored alternate histories, per se, but rather alternate sciences. For example, in 'Seventy-Two Letters,' what's different isn't the outcome of a pivotal historical event, but rather the underlying mechanism of reproductive biology: in the world of that story, there's a fully formed, tiny fetus inside each sperm cell, which ultimately grows to become an infant. The theory is known as preformation, there's a famous sketch, drawn around 1700, that illustrates it. Initially I didn't know much more than that, but I did some reading and found that there's quite a history behind it. For decades scientists debated whether the preformed fetus originated in the sperm or the ovum, and they tried to design experiments to prove either the 'spermist' or 'ovist' hypothesis. I'm fascinated by episodes like this in the history of science."

"To me, 'Tower of Babylon' and 'Seventy-Two Letters' are more about science than faith, although I certainly understand why many people focus on the religious elements. In the past science and faith were much more closely aligned than they are now; investigating the natural world was seen as a way of celebrating God's creation, and that attitude is visible in both of those stories. But I wouldn't say that the characters' religious beliefs are literally true; the universe in those stories appears consistent with the inhabitants' religious beliefs, but the same could be said of our universe."

From the 2003 Fantastic Metropolis interview:

"I wasn’t raised in any religion, so I don’t have such strong feelings toward religion that many people do. When I was younger I had a vague belief in God, but as I grew older, it seemed to me that the idea of God didn’t explain anything that couldn’t be explained otherwise, so I’m currently an atheist. I think religion is interesting, but my interest in it is strictly abstract. I recently had a conversation with someone who said she had occasionally experienced epiphanies, moments when she felt the presence of the divine. I have never experienced anything like that, which probably keeps my interest in religion from becoming more than abstract."

From the 2002 Infinity Plus interview, on the similarity between the Heptapods in "Story of Your Life" and the Trafalmadorians in Vonnegut's <i>Slaughterhouse-Five</i>:

"I actually hadn't read Vonnegut's novel at the time I wrote my story. To me there's a big difference in the two works. I think of Slaughterhouse-Five as being really bleak in its outlook, while I don't think of my story that way at all. My story ends on a note that, to me, is ultimately life affirming. The story is about choosing to go ahead with life, even though there will be pain in the future as well as joy. You can say that the narrator doesn't actually have a choice, and that's true, but that's not the most important aspect of it. She's not being forced into it against her will. She's accepting the bad with the good."

From the 2002 SF Site interview:

"I'd say that, as far as divine intervention goes, the world in 'Tower of Babylon' operates the way I see our universe operating, while the world in 'Hell is the Absence of God' operates the way certain other people see our universe operating. Good and bad things happen in both universes. In the former, it's unclear whether any of them are the result of divine intervention; in the latter, it's clear that many of them are. That accounts for some, if not all, of the difference between those stories' depictions of religion."

On "Understand": 

"While the story is about the search for knowledge, its message is not that some forms of knowledge are intrinsically corrupting or destructive. It's true that the story's protagonist feels little kinship with ordinary humanity, but many people feel the same way right now, without having enhanced intelligence. 

"There have been a lot of different ideas about how high intelligence would affect one's moral behavior. One is that it would make you cold, unfeeling, even amoral, e.g. the cliché of the mad scientist. Another is that it would make you kind and altruistic, e.g. the cliché of the benevolent, super-intelligent alien race. I don't believe there's a correlation in either direction. I think superintelligent people would, if anything, vary more than ordinary people in their behavior; after all, humans probably have a broader range of behavior than, say, dogs.

"One could claim that enhanced intelligence implies an increased moral obligation ('with great power comes great responsibility,' ála Spiderman). This certainly sounds plausible, but I'd need to hear more argument to be convinced of its truth. Where is the line between the obligatory (what we must do) and the supererogatory (what is above and beyond the call of duty)? I don't know."

My life with Science Fiction

Hello everyone, my name is Julia Gardial. I'm a Junior majoring in Public Relations. My first experience with science fiction, as I shared in class, was through the t.v. show Alias. It's a truly fantastic work, and I highly recommend it for everyone. Growing up, my parents loved to read and passed that passion down to me and my sister. While I was also encouraged to read "serious" literature, my parents understood that enlightenment can be found in many mediums. I have fond memories of my pre-Alias life reading the great elementary works like The B.F.G and Harry Potter. While I have strayed into mainly academic books and British literature, I do enjoy many different forms of fantasy and sci-fi, but don't have the time or motivation to really get into them. I'm hoping that this class helps me to broaden my writing style and allow me the time to sit down and read for a while.

About Me

My name is Joanna Hachtel and I am a senior psychology/criminal justice double major from Winchester, VA. I've never been a huge science fiction fan, but I've managed to get into some of the more mainstream works. I started with Ray Bradbury when I was younger. I dropped out of the science fiction world for a while before reading Michael Crichton's Prey last year. After finishing my hometown library's small science fiction collection, I started watching the series Dollhouse and became more interested in the science part of science fiction. Also, I watched Moon earlier this year and it was great! I'm excited to learn more about the genre and discover new authors to read.

My Experience with SciFi

I have to admit that coming into this class I didn't think I had very much sci-fi experience. After spending some time thinking about it, I realized that a lot of my book preferences and some of my favorite TV shows fall into that category. I LOVED the Ender's Game series. It got me hooked on all of Orson Scott Card. I was really interested in different versions of fairy tales for a while, which might technically count as fantasy. I mentioned in class that Dollhouse is one of my favorite shows, and I watched Lost for a while too. I enjoy books/TV/movies that make you think or wonder a little bit about the real-life possibilities. However I am not, nor have I ever been, a Trekkie. I don't think I've even seen a full episode. Not that I wouldn't give it a shot, but my family was just never much into it. Maybe I'll be a convert!

Jedi training

What could be more cliche than saying I started getting into sci-fi when I started watching Star Wars? It was something my dad and I would do together so I was going to pretend to like it whether I really did or not. Being the giant nerd that I am, I really did love it. I loved Star Wars so much so that when my cousin would come over she would run me through Jedi boot camp. She gave me a Jedi name (winter something), and I had a lightsaber that I could never drop while I did various stunts. I really haven't had much experience with science fiction beyond the cliche Star Wars, Star Trek, X-files and everything I've watched has been because Dad was watching it at the time. I am more of a fantasy person: werewolves, magic, and dragons. I am really excited to be introduced to all the writings in this class. Last semester's dark fantastic class was so interesting that I know this one will be too.

Live Long and Prosper

Hey all, this is Mary Grace. I'm a history major from right here in Tuscaloosa. I feel like I'm just copying Haley here, but the fact is, I, too, was raised by a Trekkie. I have fought this long and hard, but in the past few years have learned that resistance is futile. I am hard wired to like Star Trek and other shows of it's kind (my mom even has a life sized cardboard cut-out of Captain Kirk, who is also the best of the captains). My parents' love of Star Trek also lead us to watch shows such as Babylon 5, which was of a similar principle as Star Trek Deep Space Nine, only better.

Since then, I have always gravitated towards shows that have a SciFi or fantasy element, chiefly Lost, but also Fringe, The 4400, of course all of the Star Treks except The Next Generation and Enterprise (which doesn't even count anyway) and many others which I cannot think of right now. I'll add a comment to this once I have actually gone through the long list of shows I consider SciFi

Greetings

My name is Allen Head and I am a junior business major from the Birmingham area. My introduction to science fiction occurred when my uncle (who was babysitting a four year old me) let me watch Star Wars. My mom hated him for this because it was pretty much the only thing this curly haired, spectacled nerd cared to take interest in over the next few years. I read every SW book I could get my hands on and play just about every SW N64 and computer game. My interest in science fiction cooled during high school when things like sports and girls got in the way, but I still ran through some of Crichton's easy reads and stayed up to date on games like Fallout and Mass Effect. I also watched the many version of Blade Runner, which I would recommend if anyone hasn't seen it. Its as good as any neo-noir sci-fi movie out there. These days, I spend most of my time at some form of drum line rehearsal or enjoying the many offerings of Tuscaloosa.

My Experiences with Science Fiction

Hi everyone, I am Blake Dunn and I am from Birmingham. I am majoring in computer science and thinking about double majoring in mathematics. I have always been more of a person who watches sci-fi movies or plays video games instead of reading it. While I haven't read any sci-fi lately I have always been a huge fan and my fascination with things I have seen and read helped in my decision to major in computer science. After I graduate I would really like to go into game development and be able to make my own sci-fi stories for others to play. One of my favorite series is the Ender series, I started reading them in eighth grade. While I haven't read many much lately; I would recommend anyone who plays video games to check out the Portal series and the Mass Effect series. Both have great stories and in my opinion some of the best science fiction game ever made. Wwll that is a quick summary of my experiences with science fiction; I look forward to reading so much of it this semester and finding new favorites.

Sucker Punch

Hey everyone, this is Caleb. You know, the long-haired kid that was fervently advocating the movie Sucker Punch in class last week. For those of you that haven't seen it, I urge you to do so! I can guarantee it's not as bad as you might think, and certainly a better use of your time than most of the other movies that have come out lately. Don't go into it expecting the most incredible dialogue, or a captivating and unique plot (although the plot was stronger than I anticipated going into the movie). Instead, expect the movie to be exactly what it promises: every awesome niche of sci-fi and gaming action rolled into one movie. The action scenes will blow you away!

I would say I don't "have much experience" with sci-fi, but as we discussed that's not entirely accurate. I haven't read any sci-fi in a while, and I don't watch much TV, but I love video games and movies, so I can't say that sci-fi doesn't impact my day-to-day life.

TL;DR: Sucker Punch is an awesome movie.

Fight or Flight?

Hello all, my name is Andrew Bersson and I am majoring in biology. Once I graduate, I plan on becoming a high school teacher. My passion for all thing relating to science fiction goes all the way back to my childhood. From a young age, i was obsessed with the Sci-Fi television show "The Dead Zone." The idea of gaining supernatural abilities upon waking from a coma seemed infinitely fascinating to me. Sci-Fi also introduced me to supernatural horror films. I quickly fell in love with any and all of Alfred Hitchcock's movies. I even went as far as to conduct a study on reactions to this type of movie that i entitled "Fight of Flight." I was young when i conducted the study so the reactions observed were inherently dramatic; this only further interested me in science fiction. Marvel Comics also always satisfied my hunger for science fiction. Fantastic stories of superheroes that could never exist in our world always drew curiosity from me. Among my favorite superheroes are Captain America, Spider-man and of course Iron Man. Lately, these fictitious characters have been given a lot of media attention. This is exactly what i have been wanting to see! As far as books go, my favorite authors are Stephen King and Michael Crichton. Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes is filled with many tales of the supernatural. I have read this book countless times, and it only seems to get more interesting every time. I am always open to new science fiction media and i am excited to be introduced to some of it through this class!

Where are my fellow Browncoats?

I'm Jerilyn from Huntsville majoring in Biology. I owe my love for science fiction to my daddy. After Saturday morning swim practice, I would come home to my dad watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. I would always join him and laugh at the jokes I didn't fully understand. As I grew older my dad introduced me to comic books. (DC is better than Marvel!) We always had intense discussions and tried to keep up with the intertwining plots. Then Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game was introduced to my life. I think I was 12, around Ender's age, when I first read it. I fell in love with him, and I cried with him. I read it every year, and I still feel the same way. My love for science fiction grew even more when my family discovered the genius of Joss Whedon. My first exposure to Joss was Firefly, and I became a browncoat. I have the shirt and everything. My dad decided to explore other shows created by Joss and got the first season of Buffy. I scoffed at the title and didn't give the show much of a chance. Then I saw "The Pack," where Xander is possessed by a hyena spirit. I still had some misgivings about the show, but I gave it a shot after that. I'm really glad I did. Now my family goes to DragonCon to see our family friend who is a fantasy artist. We take pictures of the amazing costumes and try to get to the discussions of our favorites in SciFi.

New Who

Doubtless all you Doctor Who fans already know that the "midseason premiere" episode, "Let's Kill Hitler," premieres on BBC America tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Central.

Given the title, it may be relevant to our Wednesday discussion of Inglourious Basterds.  World War II and the Civil War are the most common (and, arguably, most cliched) backdrops of the alternate-history subgenre.  Doctor Who has had several World War II episodes in recent years.

My Life in Science Fiction

I'm Sean Gillooly, a sophomore from New Jersey majoring in physics. My lifelong interest in all things scientific certainly contributes to my interest in science fiction, but I like to think that it all started with a box of my father's old books that he found in the attic. It was around the time that I was first starting to read on my own, so he showed me a few of the shorter books, among them The Time Machine, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I was immediately hooked, and started plunging myself into new worlds through every science fiction book I could get my hands on. I found more to read as I got older, with Douglas Adams taking up much of my free time in middle school, and the stories of Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, and Isaac Asimov accompanying me through high school. I tried branching out into Sci-Fi television, and was rewarded with Firefly, Dollhouse, and eventually Doctor Who, which quickly became and still remains my absolute favorite show. I'm looking forward to reading everything this class has in store, as well as having a chance to look at what I've already enjoyed in more detail.

How My Father Semi-Endangered My Life For Star Trek: TNG

This blog post is supposed to be about my experience with science fiction up to this point. Therefore, I'll tell you a little about my very first experience with science fiction. And when I say "very first," I mean that literally.

It was June of 1991. My mom, who is pregnant with me at this point, and my dad are just hanging out at home. Nothing spectacular. Dad, of course, was intently watching the episode of TNG playing on the TV. As I said, nothing spectacular. Though I wasn't due until August, my mother's water broke (gross, I know, but bear with me here), and she knew she had to get to the hospital. Considering I had already caused some problems in the first seven months of my existence, I like to think it was a pretty urgent matter. So, she tells my dad, "John, I've got to go to the hospital." And you know what he says? "Can't we just wait until this episode of NexGen is over?" And THEY WAITED. He endangered my poor, innocent, infant life for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart himself. Unbelievable, I know. It's surprising I didn't grow up with an innate hatred for all that is TNG... oh, wait.

Editor's note: Clearly, I turned out fine after this experience. Yes, I was born two months early, but no, nothing bad happened to me due to a late arrival at the hospital. :)

Ted Chiang's awards history

Awards are imperfect mechanisms, to say the least, but I invite you to look at this list of sf awards that Ted Chiang has won or been nominated for.

When this list is updated, it will include one more Hugo Award -- Chiang's fourth -- for The Lifecycle of Software Objects, announced this month at the World Science Fiction Convention in Reno.

If nothing else, this demonstrates the high regard, approaching veneration, that people in the sf field have for Chiang's stories. His first published story, "Tower of Babylon," won a Nebula Award, and since then, each new Chiang story is an event.

Thanks, as always, to Mark R. Kelly for his invaluable Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards.

Story volunteers for Aug. 31

Correct me, please, if I wrote these down wrong.

• Haley Herfurth, "Tower of Babylon"
• Jerilyn Griffin, "Understand"
• Mary Grace Cassity, "Division by Zero"
• Julia Gardial, "Story of Your Life"
• Sean Gillooly, "Seventy-Two Letters"

If you had a hand up and I missed you, don't worry.  You'll all get your chance soon enough.

As I said in class, each volunteer simply will start us talking about the story: what you found interesting or confusing or unexpected or problematic or marvelous, and what questions you have for your classmates about it.

Any context you might be able to share would be helpful, too, especially if you have some expertise or personal experience in the stuff being written about.  Material from your other classes is welcome. 

Note also that a number of interviews with Ted Chiang are linked from the right-hand column of this blog.  Those would good to mine for insights.

You also can start blogging your reactions to these stories at any time.  You needn't wait for Wednesday's class, and you needn't be one of those volunteers listed above to wade in on any of these points.

A Little About Myself

I am Levi Crawford, originally from Portland, Oregon by way of Hawaii, Germany, Virginia, and Georgia. I'm a military brat, a history major/buff, a senior, and I want to go to law school or BUDS School to become a Navy SEAL. As a kid, I began reading the essays of Isaac Asimov for no other reason than I thought it would impress my mom. I was genuinely obsessed with a manned mission to Mars and so I read up on a lot of non-fiction related to space travel and other worlds. I saw Star Wars and some of the old Star Trek episodes as a young teenager, then my aunt got me into Star Trek: Next Generation. I started watching Lost In Space with my family as well. Most recently, my roommate got me hooked on the new Doctor Who series of which I am now a devoted fan.

A Little About Me

My name is Amber Brewer and I am from Birmingham, AL. I am a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. I want to practice Civil Law when I graduate. Ever since I was a child, I have been interested in Science Fiction movies and television shows. As "nerdy" as it sounds, I always wished that I had super powers or that something in my life would change and I would be transported into some crazy alternate universe. This is what drew me to movies like Star Wars and X-Men. Even now I continue to enjoy television shows such as Dollhouse, Misfits, and Heroes. I have also grown to appreciate novels like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and George Orwell's 1984. My goal for this class is to be able to analyze these works and gain knowledge and further appreciation for Science Fiction.

Getting to Know Each Other

Hey y'all, I'm Billy Schieffer a sophomore out of Katy, Texas (about 30 miles west of Houston). I'm a Secondary Mathematics Education major which basically gives me a double major in education and mathematics. Also a little side note about myself, I don't have a Facebook, so I guess all my communication will take place through this blog or e-mail. I'm pretty new to science fiction as far as literature goes, and I've seen most of the well known movies. I would have to say my friends back home got me into SciFi around freshman year of high school, or at least that is when I first saw Star Wars.. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with it, but lately it has been something to interest me. So hello to everyone and Roll Tide.

Worldcon memories

A sense of what Worldcon is like can be gleaned from this page of anecdotes solicited by the Renovation staff. One is from Cory Doctorow: "We immediately began to discuss whether the conversion of matter to computronium was zero-sum, and therefore whether the first nano-scale AI would immediately set about turning the universe into grey goo before another could do it."

Hugo winners

Locus Online reports on the winners of this year's Hugo Awards, announced last night at Renovation, the World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, Nev.

Our syllabus is best represented in the novella category. Ted Chiang's The Lifecycle of Software Objects is the winner, and runners-up include Elizabeth Hand's "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon" and Geoffrey A. Landis's "The Sultan of the Clouds."

Novelette runners-up include James Patrick Kelly's "Plus or Minus," and short-story runners-up include Peter Watts's "The Things" -- which already won a Shirley Jackson Award, earlier this summer; I was a member of that jury.

Another Hugo novella runner-up, my former Clarion West student Rachel Swirsky's "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen's Window," is in our Jonathan Strahan anthology, though not on our sf syllabus this semester. I'm saving it for the fantasy class in the spring.  I think Rachel is my first former student to be a Hugo nominee for fiction; if I'm wrong about that, one of my online cronies will correct me soon enough.

Congratulations to all!

Bulwer-Lytton winners

This year's winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest --  which "challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" --  have been announced.  This year's "sci fi" winner is Greg Homer of Placerville, Calif., with this:

Morgan "Bamboo" Barnes, Star Pilot of the Galaxia (flagship of the Solar Brigade), accepted an hors d’oeuvre from the triangular-shaped platter offered to him from the Princess Qwillia—lavender-skinned she was and busty, with two of her four eyes what Barnes called "bedroom eyes"—and marveled at how on her planet, Chlamydia-5, these snacks were called "Hi-Dee-Hoes" but on Earth they were simply called Ritz Crackers with Velveeta.

The runner-up is Elizabeth Muenster of Columbia, Pa., with this:

Sterben counted calcium bars in the storage chamber, wondering why women back on Earth paid him little attention, but up here they seem to adore him, in fact, six fraichemaidens had already shown him their blinka.

I quelled the urge to correct Muenster's comma splice, assuming it was part of the intentional badness.

One of the Miscellaneous Dishonorable Mentions is this, from Adrian McKinty, whose hometown isn't listed presumably for fear that James Cameron might find him:

"You're not in Kansas anymore, people!" the gruff Marine Captain bellowed as I wheeled myself along the tarmac of Planet Cliché, the only place in the Galaxy where you could mine Unobtainium, undergo the powerful Eywa ritual with a blue eight-foot-tall alien Princess, and discover a hunter-gatherer people who despite decades of human contact still hadn't developed the wheel, the composite bow, or toilet paper.

Another of the Miscellaneous Dishonorable Mentions is by one of my sf writer colleagues, Lawrence Person of Austin, Texas:

After five years as freelance writer, Greg finally managed to double his income, letting him add a processed cheese product slice to the baloney sandwiches he had for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lawrence's entry reminds me of an old sf-convention joke: What's the difference between a science fiction writer and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four.

Thanks to Gregory Frost for passing this along.

More journals of sf criticism

Another relatively new academic journal worth a look is Science Fiction Film and Television, published by the Liverpool University Press.

The latest issue includes such as articles as "The Crack of Doom: The Uncanny Echoes of Steven Moffat's Doctor Who," "Clarke and Kubrick's 2001: A Queer Odyssey," and "Race and Revenge Fantasies in Avatar, District 9 and Inglourious Basterds" -- that last one by John Rieder, whose article on steampunk I linked to below.

Liverpool University Press also is the new publisher of the pioneer journal of sf criticism, Extrapolation, continuously published since 1959, according to a July press release from LUP's Clare Hooper.

Yes, you have full access to Science Fiction Film and Television via the Gorgas Library databases.  You also have full access to Extrapolation back to 1974, though issues from 1974 to 1994 are paper only and are shelved in the annex.

The Futuro House

This site is dedicated to the Futuro House, designed in 1968 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. It never really caught on, but the surviving examples are treasured bits of Space Age kitsch. None is listed is Alabama, alas.

A new Brazilian sf journal

A number of academic journals specialize in science fiction, publishing papers that tackle the same topics you'll be writing papers about this semester.  One of the newest ones is Zanzala, "the first Brazilian academic journal, peer-reviewed, dedicated to the study and research of science fiction in multiple formats: literature, film, television, theater, music, games, etc."

In other words, there is a market for these papers outside this class.  If anyone's interested in revising a class paper to submit someplace, I'm happy to help.

Thanks to Rachel Haywood Ferreira of Iowa State -- a member of the Zanzala editorial board -- for passing this along.

Wired interview with comics writer Alan Moore

Here's a long interview with the great comics writer Alan Moore about his new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic, Century: 1969, once again in collaboration with artist Kevin O'Neill.

Moore's LXG and From Hell (with artist Eddie Campbell) are steampunk milestones.  Of course, Moore is known for much else: Promethea, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, Watchmen ...

Thanks to the extraordinary Sydney Duncan for passing this along.

Spock Is Not Impressed

Spock would not be impressed by this class.

Thanks to the always impressive Sydney Duncan for passing this along.

The not-so-secret history of steampunk

In "Secret Histories," a review of four steampunk anthologies, John Rieder of the University of Hawaii-Manoa traces "the transformation of steampunk from an obscure subgenre of science fiction into a growing, increasingly visible contemporary subculture." 

To Rieder, Ted Chiang's "Seventy Two Letters" (on our syllabus)

thinks through the science of a complex, densely realized alternate universe with breathtaking logical coherence. “Seventy Two Letters” is, nonetheless, also recognizably a version of that oldest of science fiction plots, the Frankenstein story, and the ethical and political issues it raises cannily and provocatively resemble those involved in cloning or genetic engineering.

Thanks to Rob Latham of UC-Riverside for passing this along.

Cory Doctorow's SIGGRAPH 2011 keynote

The SIGGRAPH 2011 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, "the premier international event on computer graphics and interactive techniques," had Cory Doctorow as its keynote speaker, doubtless in anticipation of his appearance on our syllabus. Here's a video of the talk.

Thanks to Michael Bishop for passing me the link, and thanks to Spider Robinson for passing it to Bishop.

Syllabus, schedule and course policies

UH 300-002

Strange New Worlds: 21^st-Century Science Fiction

Fall 2011

3-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Nott Hall basement computer-lab classroom (up the ramp)

Teacher: Andy Duncan

All students in this class must be enrolled in the University Honors Program.

Texts:

• Paolo Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl (2009; Night Shade Books, 2010)
• Ted Chiang, Stories of Your Life and Others (2002; Small Beer Press, 2010)
• Ted Chiang, “Exhalation” (2008; at NightShadeBooks.com)
• Ted Chiang, The Lifecycle of Software Objects (Subterranean, 2010)
• Tom De Haven, It’s Superman!: A Novel (2005; Del Rey, 2011) and Our Hero: Superman on Earth (Yale University Press, 2010)
• Cory Doctorow, Little Brother (2008; Tor Teen, 2010; also a free Creative Commons download here)
• Doctor Who, “The Girl in the Fireplace,” written by Steven Moffat, directed by Euros Lyn (2006; Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series, BBC Video, 2007)
• Doctor Who, “Blink,” written by Steven Moffat, directed by Hettie MacDonald (2007; Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series, BBC Video, 2007)
• Duncan Jones, Moon (2009; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2009)
• Cherie Priest, Boneshaker (Tor, 2009) and Dreadnought (Tor, 2010)
• Jonathan Strahan, ed., The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 5 (Night Shade Books, 2011)
• Handouts, online materials or reserve-room materials as announced.

Course Description: Many of the tropes of science fiction -- computers, space travel, cloning, genetic engineering, cyberspace -- have become commonplaces of daily discourse and daily life. Yet science fiction persists and thrives as a literary genre, a sociological movement, a marketing category, an extrapolative and speculative way of thinking. This interdisciplinary seminar is designed to deepen your understanding of 21st-century science fiction in all its modes.

Course Objectives: By semester’s end, students will be more sophisticated consumers of science fiction wherever they encounter it, from the aisles of Barnes & Noble to the headlines on CNN. They will be better able to speak and write about it with depth and insight and to understand how science fiction engages with the world, and vice versa. No prior obsession with science fiction is required.

A Technology Note:  Your teacher lives in the mountains of western Maryland and interacts with the class in real time via webcam with the exception of one in-person visit per semester, generally for the final class meeting.  Student conferences during the rest of the semester are encouraged; they will take place via phone, e-mail, or Facebook, as the student prefers.

Attendance Policy:  Attendance and class participation (in class and online) are required.  After two absences, your final grade will be lowered one letter for each subsequent absence.  After five absences, you will receive an F for this course.  Arriving late or leaving early counts as half an absence.  In case of illness, injury or crisis, let your teacher know as soon as possible.  Don’t just vanish.

Papers:  You will write two non-fiction papers, each at least 2,000 words long, on topics of your choosing that are approved in advance by your teacher.  Papers should specifically illuminate one or more of the texts being discussed in this class, but they may extend their focus beyond those texts as well.  More detailed paper guidelines will be provided later in the semester.  You will lead a five-to-10-minute class discussion of each topic as you are working on it.  Papers handed in late will be docked one letter grade for each day they’re late.  Papers more than a week late will not be accepted and will receive a zero.  Format Requirements:  Both your papers will be handed in electronically.  E-mail them as PC-compatible Word attachments.  Papers must be in 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with ragged right margins and page numbers in the upper-right corners.  Papers that don’t fit this format will be returned unread for correction.

Blog:  Each of you will receive (and accept) an invitation to join Blogger and the class blog.  Here our class discussions will continue beyond Wednesday class meetings.  Participating on the blog – through original posts and replies to others’ posts – is an important part of your semester grade, so get in the habit of visiting daily and contributing frequently.  The minimum class requirement is three posts per week per student, at least one of which must start a new topic or thread, and at least one of which must be a response to a classmate’s post.  More frequent posts are highly encouraged.  Also chiming in from time to time may be invited guests from the world of science fiction publishing (as opposed to the science fiction world, which we all inhabit).

Other Assignments and Expectations:  You will keep up with all the reading and will participate in all class discussions, orally and online.  You will lead at least one class discussion of a text that has been assigned you.

Grade Formula:

• Two 2,000-word papers @ 20% each: 40%
• Two 5-to-10-minute informal presentations on paper topics @ 10% each: 20%
• Blog participation: 20%
• In-class participation: 20%

We will follow the UA guidelines for plus-minus grading.

Disabilities:  In accordance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act, your teacher, the University Honors Program and the university are committed to providing appropriate support for students with disabilities, including learning disabilities.  Any student who wants to request disability accommodations need only contact UA’s office of disability services at 348-4285 and get the paperwork to me.

Academic Misconduct:  Academic misconduct includes all acts of academic dishonesty and any knowing attempt to help another student commit academic dishonesty.  Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:  (1) Cheating – using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids.  (2) Plagiarism – representing words, data, works or ideas as one’s own when they are not.  (3) Fabrication – presenting as genuine any invented or falsified evidence.  (4) Misrepresentation – falsifying, altering or misstating the contents of academic documents such as schedules, prerequisites and transcripts.  Cases of academic misconduct will be turned over to the University Honors Program for disciplinary action that could be as severe as suspension from the university.

Schedule of class meetings, reading assignments and due dates.  All texts will be discussed on the days listed.  This is a living document, subject to change.  Any changes will be announced in class and via the class blog.

Aug. 24: First class meeting.

Aug. 31: Chiang, Part 1: “Tower of Babylon,” “Understand,” “Division by Zero,” “Story of Your Life,” “Seventy Two Letters” (all in Stories). Last day to drop without a W grade.

Sept. 7: Chiang, Part 2: “The Evolution of Human Science,” “Hell Is the Absence of God,” “Liking What You See: A Documentary” (all in Stories), “Exhalation,” The Lifecycle of Software Objects.

Sept. 14: Doctorow, Little Brother. (Constitution Day is Sept. 16.)

Sept. 21: No class.

Sept. 28: De Haven, It’s Superman!: A Novel and Our Hero: Superman on Earth.

Oct. 5: Paper-topic discussion.

Oct. 12: Duncan Jones, Moon. First paper due by start of class.

Oct. 19: Strahan, Part 1: “Elegy for a Young Elk” (Rajaniemi), “Seven Sexy Cowboy Robots” (McDonald), “Under the Moons of Venus” (Broderick), “Alone” (Reed), “Names for Water” (Johnson).

Oct. 26: Strahan, Part 2: “Plus or Minus” (Kelly), “The Jammie Dodgers and the Adventure of the Leicester Square Screening” (Doctorow), “The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” (Hand), “The Taste of Night” (Cadigan), “The Exterminator’s Want-Ad” (Sterling), “The Naturalist” (McHugh).

Nov. 2: Strahan, Part 3: “Sins of the Father” (Genge), “The Sultan of the Clouds” (Landis), “Iteration” (Kessel), “The Night Train” (Tidhar), “The Things” (Watts), “The Zeppelin Conductors’ Society Annual Gentlemen’s Ball” (Valentine). Last day to withdraw with a W.

Nov. 9: Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl.

Nov. 16: Priest, Boneshaker and Dreadnought.

Nov. 23: No class. Thanksgiving Eve.

Nov. 30: Paper-topic discussion.

Dec. 7: Two Doctor Who episodes, “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink.” Course wrap-up.

No final exam.  Second paper due 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 -- the end of what would have been our final, had this been one of those classes.

About your teacher:  My new collection is The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories (PS Publishing, 2011), which includes a new novelette, “Close Encounters”; a new story, “Slow as a Bullet,” is in Eclipse Four, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books, 2011); another new story, “On 20468 Petercook,” is in press at Tor.com.  My first collection, Beluthahatchie and Other Stories (2000), won a World Fantasy Award, as did my story “The Pottawatomie Giant” (2000).  My novella “The Chief Designer” (2001) won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best science fiction story of the year.  My other books include The Night Cache, a novelette (PS Publishing, 2009); Alabama Curiosities, non-fiction (second edition, Globe Pequot Press, 2009); and Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic, an anthology co-edited with F. Brett Cox (Tor, 2004). I contributed essays to the Hugo Award-winning Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (2003) and the Stoker Award-winning Horror: Another 100 Best Books (2005).  A 1994 alum of the Clarion West writers’ workshop, I have taught at Clarion (2004) and Clarion West (2005).  I was on the 2010 Shirley Jackson Awards jury, and I chaired the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award jury.  I received my M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Alabama and was one of the first instructors recruited for the Honors College by founding Dean Bob Halli, who claims not to regret it yet.  By day, I am an assistant professor in the Department of English at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Md.