The course explores how women have used speculative art forms—especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror—to stake claims for themselves in the past, present, and future imaginary for well over two hundred years. In the first half of each unit, will explore the deep history of women’s contributions to one specific form of speculative fiction, then in the second half of each unit, we will explore the breadth of contemporary women’s contributions to the ongoing evolution of their chosen genres.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this class, students will be able to:
- Use the specialized terminology of speculative fiction studies to explain how individual texts contribute to established and emergent artistic traditions in a precise and professional manner;
- Demonstrate how speculative fiction can be a powerful metaphor for examining and revealing our own cultural biases, expectations, and potential.
- Gather and convey information about speculative fiction accurately using Georgia Tech library services and other professional resources specific to literary and especially science fiction studies, rather than relying on general knowledge or web searches.
Class Textbook
The textbook for this class is comprised of the five in-class lectures for this course. As with any textbook, these lectures will provide students with all of the relevant disciplinary terminology and historical background that they need to succeed in this class. Students can find lecture outlines and lists of lecture terminology in the "Files" section of the course Canvas site.
Other Required Texts
After each lecture, students will have several days to apply what they have learned to assigned essays and stories as listed in the detailed course syllabus. Students will be able to access all stories either by using the syllabus links or by going directly to the class Canvas folder of stories.
Students will complete three analytic essays or creative projects for this class. All assignment instructions are posted on the class Canvas site, in the Assignments folder. The following are the percentages for each assignment:
- Project 1: 30%
- Project 2: 30%
- Project 3: 30%
- Participation: 10%
Please note that this course is graded on a 1000-point grading scale, as follows:
- A: 1000-900 points
- B: 899-800 points
- C: 799-700 points
- D: 699-650 points
- F: 649-0 points
All students will have ample time to discuss assignments with the instructor, their peers, and tutors in the Comm Lab before each assignment is due; thus, all grades are final and not subject to debate.
Please note that all assignments must be turned in on time to receive full credit. If a student anticipates that they will not be able to turn in an assignment on the due date, that student must email the professor with a request for an extension at least 24 hours before the due date. If a student turns in an assignment late without a written extension from the professor, that student will lose one participation point for each day the assignment is late.
Finally, please note that all assignments that are turned in on time will be returned to students within two weeks with detailed feedback. Assignments that are turned in late--whether they are excused or not--are excluded from the two-week rule and will be graded and returned as the professor has time to do so before the end of the semester.
Students must show up to class on time on a regular basis. Students are allowed three unexcused absences. Beginning with the fourth unexcused absence, a students' overall final grade will be lowered by 50 points for each absence. For example, a 920 (A) would become an 870 (B) if a student had four unexcused absences.
The professor will pass around a sign-in sheet at the beginning of each class. Students must sign in each day or they will be marked absent. If a student comes in late and does not sign the sheet for the day, it is their responsibility to provide the professor with proof that they were in class that day to receive credit for attendance. That proof must be in the form of class notes from the day in question.
If a student misses six or more classes, they may fail the course as a whole. If a student misses a class for any reason, it is their responsibility to find out what they missed from the professor before the next class meeting.
There are two kinds of absences that will NOT be counted against a student's final grade as long as the student provides appropriate documentation within one week of the absence:
- An institute approved activity for which the student provides a note from a coach or advisor
- A medical or family emergency for which the student provides a note from the proper authority (such as a doctor or the Dean of Students)
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.
* As per the University System of Georgia, 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 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