jan 9-11

Intro to course works, focus, questions, and logistics. Sign up for discussants.

16-18

Don Delillo, White Noise

“The Postnatural Novel: Toxic Consciousness in Fiction in the 1980’s,” Cynthia Deitering.  See also the sections in this article on the “Literature of Place” about Delillo’s novel. And selection from Buell, Writing for an Endangered World.

23-25

William Gibson, Neuromancer

Gray and Mentor, “The Cyborg Body Politic and the New World Order”; Haraway, "Cyborg Manifesto"

30-feb1

Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  

6-8

View film, Blade Runner (see also,  Westworld, 1973; The Stepford Wives, 1975;  The Terminator, 1984; Robocop, 1987; Terminator II, 1991)

13-15

Ursula Le Guin, The Dispossessed

See also, "Is Gender Necessary, Redux"

20-22

Octavia Butler, The Parable of the Sower

See chapter on Butler in Westling, Louise. The Green Breast of the New World.  

27-mar 1

Work on short papers

6-8

Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake

See master’s thesis last year by Angela Townley.

13-15

Spring break 

20-22

The Road, Cormac McCarthy

27-29

Galapagos, Kurt Vonnegut

Apr 3-5

Call for papers

10-12

State of Fear, Michael Crichton

17-19

Mini-conference with Dr. Cubbison’s class at Selu.

24-26

Summary and comments. Other films? Children of Men? An Inconvenient Truth?