Pl 370O RU 01  Philosophy in Literature: Science Fiction  TR 10:50-12:05 MNH 135

Instructor: Tom Duggan  Carroll Hall 229 303-458-3512

Email: tduggan@regis.edu        

Office Hours: MW 2-3  TR 3:05-4:15 F 2-3 by appointment

Home: 5108 Beach Court, Denver, CO 80221 303-477-2131

Texts:

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: 25^th  Annual Collection, ed. by Gardner Dozois

Learning from Other Worlds, ed. by Patrick Parrinder

Course Description:

Science fiction is a genre of literature, more specifically of stories, most often looked upon as entertainment or amusement.  These stories pose a challenge to the conventional stories that we tell about ourselves and our world, because science fiction presents alternate universes and alternative conceptual schemes to which its readers are invited to respond affectively and morally.  The philosopher’s interest in science fiction springs from just this challenge to our conventional conceptual schemes.  The question raised is this: if science fiction both fascinates and alarms us by the stories it tells, in what way can both the fascination and the alarm be appeased philosophically?  That is, can we appeal to some non-storied veridical principle to adjudicate the questions raised by science fiction?  Or is it the case that these allegedly non-storied principles or conceptual schemes are really no more than stories in their own right to which we have become habituated?  The resolution of this issue has important consequences for our justificatory practices in deciding who we are, what the purpose and meaning of our life is, what we ought to do morally, socially, and politically, and how we can legitimate these decisions.

There is a tradition of wisdom passed down through the centuries concerning the questions raised above.  It is important to be aware of that tradition, because it has shaped the way that subsequent groups of people think about themselves and the justification for their institutions and practices.  The Parrinder text will assist us in identifying the epistemological, metaphysical, religious, social, and political assumption that are constitutive of the conventional stories that we tell.  The Dozois collection of science fiction stories contains stories that trade on these familiar principles at the same time that it challenges them.  It will be the task of this course to think through and write arguments concerning these issues in line with the goals of a liberal arts education: the achievement of free persons.

Course Expectations:

The instructor sees himself as a facilitator in this enterprise, an informed peer who can bring the background conversation and hidden assumptions into focus and make students aware of connections with other relevant pieces of discourse.  The point of the class interaction is to make instructor and student alike better readers and writers of their world, more critical authors of the conceptual schemes they commit themselves to.

The task on the part of the student, then, is to become as familiar as possible both with the classical tradition of philosophy and the challenges to that tradition from the science fiction genre.  To assist in that task, the instructor will identify a passage from a short story that the student will be expected to have some thoughts about.  The class period will afford all the opportunity to get clear about acceptable position on these issues.

Assignments:

1. Attendance and participation: Since philosophy comes about through immersion into a tradition of dialogical conversational practices, actual engagement in these practices in the classroom situation is the best assurance that one is mastering the practice.  Therefore, each student is expected to be present at each class and be prepared and willing to participate in the classroom activities.
2. A short response of a paragraph or so to the assigned passages will be expected either prior to each class period (entrance slip, typed) or before the period is finished (exit slip, longhand).
3. In addition, there will be three 2-3 page, single spaced papers due during the course.  All three papers will consist of an attempt to take a critical position on one of the major themes treated during the period, taking into account considerations from the classical tradition as well as alternative challenges to that tradition.

Schedule:

The schedule is flexible.  There are enough class periods and sufficient textual material to merit taking one short story and one essay from the Parrinder text per week.  The pace of the class discussion of the issues that emerge from the readings will determine the number and sequence of readings.

Grading:  The outside class papers will constitute the centerpiece and weightiest third of the student’s final grade.  The sum of the entrance and exit slips will constitute another, less weighty third, and attendance and participation will constitute the final third.  After two unexcused absences, the grade for this component will be reduced one letter mark for every subsequent absence. Eight such absences will result in a failing grade for the course. The instructor must be notified in advance if assignments will be handed in late.  Late assignments will be lowered one letter grade for each day the assignment is late.  If a student is not in class on the day when graded papers are handed back, the student may pick up her/his paper from the instructor’s office during office hours.  A request for a grade of “incomplete” must be cleared with the instructor ahead of time and then submitted in writing to the instructor.

Grading scale: score appearing at top or bottom of paper

6 (A++)  Not only fulfills assignment competently but is exceptionally well written and creatively insightful

5 (A) Fulfills assignment competently and intelligently such that reader can progress through paper smoothly

4 (B) Capable paper with a noticeable flaw either in clarifying major conceptions, supplying supporting evidence and exemplification, making inferences, or in failure to correct mechanical problems that hinder reader's progress through the paper.

3 (C) In the ballpark, but more than one major deficiency.

2 (D) Deficiencies outweigh mastery of material.

1 (F) Seriously flawed. Unacceptable.

Key to margin numbers:

1 good insight, distinction, clarity of definition

2 concept vague, distinction inappropriate, needs further clarification

3 connection with previous thought well made

4 connection not clear

5 concept well applied, supported, exemplified

6 concept not well supported, exemplified

7 good generalization or summary

8 generalization or summary weak or absent or needed

9 spelling and punctuation, misused word problem

10 grammar or sentence structure difficulties

Students with a documented disability should notify the instructor and contact Joie Williams, Regis’ director of Disability Services, located in Room 118B of the Life Directions Center.  On the basis of her suggestion, appropriate accommodations will be made for those students.

The Writing Center, Loyola 1, is recommended as a valuable resource for organizational, structural, and grammatical difficulties that a student may find with her/his paper.  The personnel there are student friendly and extremely helpful.  Please use this resource rather than relying on a friend or the word processor for advice.

Drop/Add ends Tues. Jan. 20

Last day to withdraw: Mar. 20