General Honors 101: Cyborgs and Literature

Spring 2010

Dr. Christopher L. Morrow

Office: 213 Simpkins Hall Office Hours: Tues. 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Phone: 298-1633 (office) Wed. 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

298-1103 (department) Thurs. 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Email: cl-morrow@wiu.edu and by appointment.

Course Websites: http://faculty.wiu.edu/CL-Morrow/gh101/

http://gh101.wordpress.com/

Course Goals and Objectives

This course, which fulfills the requirements for ENG 180 (or ENG 280), is a primary writing course which utilizes the theme of cyborgs in literature. While our topic will explore questions of cyborgs, humanity, and technology, this course is fundamentally a writing course. Writing is essential to your success in academic life and this course will help you develop strategies for critical reading and effective, clear, and critical writing -- building blocks in the writing process which you can apply throughout your collegiate and professional career.

As such we will write numerous essays focusing on cyborgs. Cyborgs – short for cybernetic organisms or living entities comprised of organic and synthetic components – have long been a mainstay of science fiction literature and film. While science fiction cyborgs may be depicted at an extreme, utilizing technologies that seem distant, cyborgs are much closer to us than we might initially think and can include individuals with pacemakers, internal medication delivery systems, and cochlear implants and are currently being extended into enhancements in computers, sports, and the military.

Through our reading and writing assignments, we will explore issues concerning cyborgs in science fiction literature and our everyday life, engaging questions regarding how these fictional cyborgs impact our understanding of and relationships between humanity, technology, and culture. Be warned; we will do a heavy amount of reading and writing in this course.

Required Texts

Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Del Rey/Ballantine, 1996.

Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. Fifth edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2008 or similar style manual

McCaffrey, Anne. The Ship Who Sang. New York: Del Rey Books, 1969.

Morrison, Grant and Frank Quitely. WE3. New York: Vertigo (DC Comics), 2005.

Piercy, Marge. He, She, and It. New York: Fawcett Crest Books, 1991.

Pohl, Frederik. Man Plus. New York: Random House, 1976.

Scalzi, John. The Ghost Brigades. New York: Tor, 2006.

Wachowski, Larry and Andy. The Matrix Comics. Brooklyn, NY: Burlyman Entertainment, 2003.

Course Requirements & Assignments

ENG 280 Credit: Those students seeking ENG 280 credit will be asked to do additional work appropriate for that course on multiple assignments.

Participation (100 pts): This course will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. I expect students to come to class having carefully read the assignment. Students are required to participate regularly through contributions to class discussions. Students should come to each class with at least one question or critical comment about the reading. I reserve the right to collect these periodically. In-class participation will be evaluated using the following general criteria:

A: Student contributes daily and significantly and always actively focuses on class discussion.

B: Student contributes regularly and always actively focuses on class discussion.

C: Student contributes occasionally and/or always actively focuses on class discussion.

D: Student contributes sporadically and/or frequently does not stay actively focused on the discussion.

F: Student contributes rarely and/or does not stay actively focused on the discussion.

I do not expect or require students to have the “right” answer or to provide ground-breaking analysis but merely to engage in the process of discussing and analyzing the literature. Remember that quality is better than quantity but quantity is better than no quantity.

Weblog (100 pts): This class will utilize a weblog to serve as an additional forum to continue discussion and communicate as a class. Your first assignment is to sign up for a free Wordpress account (http://en.wordpress.com/signup/) and email me with your chosen username and the email address you gave to Wordpress. During the semester, each student will be responsible for posting discussion questions for one day’s readings 24 hours in advance of that particular class meeting. Students will also be expected to contribute a significant entry to the weblog on a weekly basis – either by responding to posted questions or writing an additional post which raises other relevant questions or issues. However, that is the minimum. Students are encouraged to post, answer questions, discuss the works, etc as much as they want.

ENG 280: Students will sign up for two discussion question postings and will be expected to make connections to the secondary readings in their questions.

Summary Papers (30 pts, 50 pts, 70 pts; 150 total): Students will write 3 short summary papers throughout the semester. The first will summarize a section of a work literature (1-2 pages), the second will summarize a critical secondary article (1-2 pages), and the third (2-3 pages) will summarize and analyze a critical article.

Essays: In addition to the short summary papers, there will be 4 major writing assignments. Each essay will be typed, double-spaced and conform to MLA guidelines for format and in-text citation. Papers are due at the beginning of class on their due date, after which they will be late. Late papers incur a 10% penalty for every calendar day. Additionally, each of these papers will include a number of pre-writing exercises and short assignments, including writing assignments, rough drafts, peer editing, invention and research exercises. Failure to complete these exercises will significantly affect your final essay grade.

#1) Theme/Issue/Literary Element Paper (150 pts): This 3-4 page paper will identify a major theme, issue, or literary element (such as a specific metaphor or image) in one of the works of literature and then demonstrate and discuss the significance of that theme/issue/literary element in 3 distinct areas of the test, also discussing how this element evolves across the passages. DUE: March 4th

#2) Comparison/Contrast (200 pts): This 3-4 page paper will select a theme or issue that appears in more than one work and compare and contrast how these two works deal with this theme or issue. DUE: April 8th

#3) Literary Argument (250 pts): This 5-7 page paper will present a literary argument focusing on one or more texts read in the course and will be supported by secondary scholarly research. This paper can be an argumentative revision of either of your previous two shorter papers. DUE: May 6th

In-Class Presentation: Each student will give a 10-15 minute presentation on literal or fictional cyborgs NOT discussed in class. These cyborgs can appear movies, books, television, or science and technology. The presentation will introduce these previously un-discussed cyborgs and discuss how they comment on previously discussed issues relevant to cyborgs and literature. It should also be accompanied by a 2-3 page handout – which should consist of visual and textual information. ENG 280: Presentation must also include at least one scholarly secondary source.

Distribution and Grading Scale

Participation 100 pts A 900-1000 pts

Weblog 100 pts B 800-899

Summary Papers (30, 50, & 70 pts) 150 pts C 700-799

Essay #1 150 pts D 600-699

Essay #2 200 pts F 599 and below

Essay #3 250 pts

In-Class Presentation 50 pts

Course Policies

Attendance: Regular attendance is not only mandatory but essential for success in this course. Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis and will be held accountable for any material covered in class, including class discussion, announcements and any changes to reading schedule and assignments. Each student is allowed four absences total. I do not expect or require students to explain nor document these absences. After four, each subsequent absence will reduce the final grade by 50 pts. Allowances may be made in extreme circumstances (i.e. prolonged illness). These circumstances will need to be documented and the student must contact me as soon as possible.

· Failure to bring the relevant book to class will count as an absence and the student may be asked to leave.

· Students who have more than 8 total absences will receive an automatic F for the course.

Tardiness: I am not bothered by individuals who are occasionally late for class or must occasionally leave class early. However, if you anticipate that you must consistently arrive late or leave early, or that you will be unable to remain awake during this class—you need to replace this course with another.

If you arrive after I take roll, it is your responsibility to speak with me after class to insure I record your attendance. Otherwise, you will be counted absent. If you miss more than half of the class due to tardiness, it will count as an absence.

Scholastic Dishonesty: Scholastic dishonesty of any kind on any assignment undermines the quality of education at WIU and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This includes cheating, fabrication, falsification, multiple submissions, and plagiarism. Scholastic dishonesty of any kind will result in an F in the course. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes scholastic dishonesty. If you have any questions about this subject, please see the University policy at http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php. I will also be happy to answer any questions you may have.

University Writing Center: The UWC is also available to assist you with general and specific questions on any of the writing assignments for this course. Consultants can add another voice to your writing at any stage in the writing process from brainstorming to polishing the final product.  Please call for an appointment (298–2815) and be sure to bring a copy of your assignment to your session. A visit to the UWC should be a supplement to rather than a replacement for talking about your paper with me.

Americans with Disabilities Act: “In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s), you must obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through the Disability Support Services and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor’s attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Support Services at 298-2512 for additional services.”

Classroom Behavior: Students are expected to behave with respect toward the course, their fellow students, and the instructor. We will be reading a variety of pieces which contain sexual and violent content. I expect students to be able to read and discuss this material as adults. Private conversations and other disruptive behavior – such as texting -- that interferes with teaching and/or learning will not be tolerated and can result in an assigned classroom seat or expulsion from the class. Continued disruptive behavior on the part of a student can result in a penalty to your final grade in the course.

For information on Students’ Rights and Responsibilities, visit www.wiu.edu/provost/students/

Office Hours: Students are encouraged to visit during office hours. They are available to use without setting an appointment. Additionally, if I am in my office, feel free to poke your head in to see if I am available to meet. If you are not able to meet during office hours, please email me, and we can set an appointment.

I always enjoy speaking with students about their writing, the readings for the course or literature in general. If you are working on your paper and have questions or would like feedback, I am happy to meet with and provide feedback to you at any stage of the writing process.