This course examines the life, works, and career of pioneering Black science fiction author Octavia E. Buter within the historical and cultural context of the twentieth century. We also pay close attention to how Butler’s oeuvre charts the arc of American history from the Civil Rights Movement to the Iraq war and the significance of Butler’s prophetic warnings in the novels, short stories, and critical writings by and related to Butler’s canon.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Humanities area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help students master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Ethical Reasoning
- Information Literacy
- Intercultural Competence
By Octavia E. Butler
Kindred (both the original and graphic novel adaptation)
Wild Seed
Blood Child and Other Stories
Dawn
Parable of the Sower
Fledgling
Access to a dictionary, thesaurus, and Hulu
Other texts will be handouts and/or available online on our Canvas site: canvas.gatech.edu
Assignments
Participation - 20%
Critical Reflections – 40%
Midterm Essay and Presentation – 15%
Final Research Paper - 25%
About Grading
Remember, your performance determines your final grade. Keep in mind that hard work alone will not earn you an “A.” However, not working hard will almost certainly not earn you an “A.” Moreover, assignments and participation that simply meet minimum requirements or that are severely flawed will not earn grades higher than a “C.” A “B” clearly exceeds all minimum requirements. An “A” is a superbly executed assignment that is clearly well above average.
I do not discuss grades on the day you receive them, nor do I change grades during or at the end of the semester unless there has clearly been a mistake. However, I do welcome discussion on what is strong and what or how to improve performance during the course of the semester. Do not wait until the end of the semester to consult me about your grade. “Grade-grubbing” at the end of the semester will not raise your grade in this course. Do not even consider it.
Attendance is crucial. Your final participation grade will reflect your class attendance. You are permitted three unexcused absences per semester. Consider these absences your “PTO.” After three unexcused absences, I will deduct five points per absence from your participation grade. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences.
If you are absent for one of the excused reasons listed in the University catalog please discuss your absence and, if appropriate, bring your written excuse to me on the first day you return to class. Some examples of excused absences include illness, medical emergencies, job interviews, religious observances, and approved Institute activities, such as professional conferences and athletic events. You have one (1) week (from the date of the absence) to turn in any make-up work unless we have arranged otherwise. Anything submitted after that point will not be accepted.
Coming to class on time is also crucial. I consider you tardy after five minutes; I consider you absent after ten minutes. Please note that three tardies are equal to one unexcused absence. Leaving early from class without permission will also result in a deduction of participation points.
Please note that in-class writing assignments, such as quizzes and certain writing reflections, cannot be made up in the case of unexcused absence and/or tardiness.
I do not accept late work without prior permission. If you think you need an extension for an assignment, please be sure to ask me at least 24 hours in advance of the assignment’s due date. If you do not submit your work by the deadline, you will receive zero credit.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
This class strictly enforces the Georgia Tech Honor Code. Do not submit work that is not your own. When direct quotations are used, they should be indicated, and when the ideas of another are incorporated into a paper, they must be appropriately acknowledged.
This course is meant in part to improve and evaluate your writing ability. For this reason, for the purposes of this class, any student found to have used AI technologies or programs (e.g. Chat GPT) to compose part or all of any submitted work will face the same penalties as a student who submits plagiarized work (i.e. a failing grade in the course).
For more details, see GT’s Academic Honor Code.