CLS3080

Science Fiction: From Monsters to Cyborgs (6 points)

(ARTS)

Leader: Andrew Milner

Offered:
Clayton First semester 2005 (Day)

Synopsis:

Objectives: At the conclusion of the unit, students should be able: 1. To demonstrate a knowledge both of various theoretical approaches to the analysis of science fiction and of the historical development of the genre from the Gothic through to Cyberpunk. 2. To demonstrate a critical understanding both of the debates over the genre's social role, whether as a source for the stabilisation or for the subversion of social norms, and of a number of science fiction texts, drawn from the novel, film and television. 3. To understand, feel comfortable with and be able to articulate the analytical skills, theoretical vocabularies and conceptual apparatuses studied. 4. To demonstrate a sense of their own personal and cultural reflexivity as they observe and interpret the theories, concepts and texts analysed in the unit. 5. To write clear, grammatically and syntactically appropriate, independent essays on the various topics provided or chosen for assessment.

Assessment: Essay (2500 words): 50% + Examination (2 hours): 50% + Third-year students will be expected to read more complex critical texts and to write a less descriptive and more self-reflexive essay

Contact Hours: 2 hours (1 x 2 hour seminar) per week

Prerequisites: A first-sequence in English, Literary Studies or Cultural Studies or permission

Prohibitions: CLS2080