UGS 303 '19 Syllabus
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/slavic/ Spring Semester 2019 UNDERGRADUATE SIGNATURE COURSE “A World Apart: Russian Sci-Fi in Literature and Film” UGS 303 COURSE SYLLABUS Instructor: Prof. Thomas j. Garza Office: Burdine BUR 458 (mailbox in BUR 452) Phone: 232-9126 or 471-3607 Email: [email protected] Office hours: T 11:00-12:30, W 2:00-3:30 (BUR 458) and any other time by appointment Class time: MW 1:00-2:00 in FAC 21 Friday meeting time/place by section Required texts: • We, Evgeny Zamyatin, [Natasha Randall, trans.] New York: Modern Library, 2006. • Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy. Alexander Levitsky, New York, NY: Overlook Press, 2008. [available on Canvas Modules] • Heart of a Dog, Mikhail Bulgakov, [Mirra Ginsburg, trans.] New York: Grove Press, 1968. [available on Canvas Modules] • Prisoners of Power, Strugatsky Brothers, Moscow, 1971. [excerpt on Canvas Modules] • S.N.U.F.F. Victor Pelevin, Moscow, 2011. [excerpt on Canvas Modules] • Course Packet (CP) [available on Canvas Modules] • Top Hat app [Go to app.tophat.com, click on “Sign Up,” and follow the instructions for “Student.” Our course code is: 158439] Films: [excerpted in class, most available in full versions online or on Netflix/Amazon] • Aelita Queen of Mars, «Аэлита», jakov Protozanov, dir. (1924). • Space Flight, «Космический рейс», Vasily Zhuravlev, dir. (1935). • Planet of Storms, «Планета бурь», Pavel Klushantsev, dir. (1961). • His Name Was Robert, «Его звали Роберт», Ilya Olshvanger, dir. (1967). • Soliaris, «Солярис», Andrei Tarkovsky, dir. (1972). • Stalker, «Сталкер», Andrei Tarkovsky, dir. (1979). • The Heart of a Dog, «Собачье сердце», Vladimir Bortko, dir. (1988). • The Fatal Eggs, «Роковые яйца», Sergei Lomkin, dir. (1995). • Night Watch, «Ночной дозор», Timur Bekmambetov, dir. (2004). Spring 2019 UGS 303 Syllabus page 2 • Day Watch, «Дневной дозор», Timur Bekmambetov, dir. (2006). • The Inhabited Island, «Обитаемый остров», Fyodor Bondarchuk, dir. (2008). • It’s Hard to Be a God, «Трудно быть богом», Aleksandr Mel’nik, dir. (2013). • Attraction, «Притяжение», Fyodor Bondarchuk, dir. (2017). • A Rough Draft, «Черновик», Sergei Mokritskii,dir. (2018) Music: [played in class, available on Canvas] • Various artists. • A Signal from Space «Сигнал из космоса», Splеаn, Moscow: Mir muzyki, 2009. I. GENERAL Signature Course Mission And EssentiAls Signature Courses at the University of Texas at Austin connect new students with distinguished faculty members in unique learning environments. By way of this rigorous intellectual experience, students develop college-level skills in research, writing, speaking, and discussion through an approach that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, experiential, and contemporary. This course addresses the Signature Course essentials in the following ways: • Information Literacy (e.g., verifying validity of Internet resources) • University Gems (e.g., Humanities Research Center’s Sci-Fi Collection) • Writing (as practiced in Friday sessions) Our Course The country that brought us Sputnik and reinvented the robot also created some of the world's best creations of science fiction and fantasy. From the classic works of Russian writers (Pushkin, Lermontov, and Gogol), to the harsh images of Soviet-era utopias (Zamyatin’s We and Bulgakov’s Fatal Eggs and The Heart of a Dog), to the films of the 20th century (Tarkovsky’s Soliaris and Stalker), and current post-Soviet works (such as the apocalyptic vampire thrillers Night Watch and Day Watch, the post-colonial adventure Inhabited Island, and the post-apocalyptic S.N.U.F.F.), we'll explore the remarkable world of Russian sci-fi through a variety of media. Whether you're already a sci-fi fan, or a newcomer to the genre, prepare to discover a brave new world of Russian science fiction and fantasy! This course carries a GlobAl Cultures flag. The Global Cultures requirement increases your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States by exploring the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present and by reflecting on your own experiences within a global context, in our case, Russia and the former Soviet Union. Course Requirements Writing: This course is designed to provide students with experience and training in writing in an academic context. In this class, and especially in Friday sessions, you can expect to complete two brief writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructors to help you improve your writing. In your Friday section, you will also have the opportunity to revise your film/reading review assignments, and to read and discuss your peers' work. Spring 2019 UGS 303 Syllabus page 3 In addition to your section TA and the course instructor, the University Writing Center offers free, individualized help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. The UWC’s generalist consultants can help any UT student with any piece of writing at any stage. Please schedule consultations with UWC generalist consultants through the UWC’s online scheduling system: uwc.utexas.edu/appointments. They work with students from every department on campus, for both academic and non-academic writing. This service is not just for writing with "problems." Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. The UWC consultants are trained to work with you on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work and help you become a stronger, more independent writer. Remember: you MUST appropriately attribute and cite any words, thoughts, or ideas that are not you own, no matter how obtained (hard copy, lecture, website, etc.). Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, and will result in failure of the assignment, and possible failure in the course and/or referral of the case to Student Judicial Services. Attendance and Participation: You are expected to attend all class meetings regularly [both MW lecture sessions, and your Friday discussion / writing sections], do all assigned readings and film viewings in advance of the relevant class meeting, and prepare all written and oral assignments. Routine questions regarding the material covered in the readings and/or viewings will be delivered using the Top Hat app in class and your score will count toward the Participation grade for the course. Because the readings and films covered in this course are chronological and cumulative in design, your regular attendance is required. Students missing more than five (5) class sessions – regardless of reason (“excused” or “unexcused”) – will lose points toward their final grade, based on the total number of classes missed. In extreme and extenuating circumstances (e.g., severe illness or injury, death in the immediate family), the instructor may excuse absences beyond the permitted five. Observance of religious holy days does not count as an absence. In any of these exceptional cases, the instructor or TA must be notified regarding absence from class sessions. The course uses the Lectures Online recording system. This system records the audio and video material presented in class for you to review after class. Links for the recordings will appear in the Lectures Online tab on the Canvas page for this class along the left side navigation menu. To review a recording, simply click on the Lectures Online navigation tab and follow the instructions on the page. http://sites.la.utexas.edu/lecturesonline/. Attendance and reading in this course will be monitored using the Top Hat app. The application can be used on laptops or any handheld devices, which should be brought to class. It is your responsibility to ensure that your participation and attendance are being recorded on the Top Hat app. If you experience any difficulties with the app or its performance, Top Hat has an excellent service record. Contact them immediately with any problems you experience with their service. Go to [email protected], or call toll free 1- 888-663-5491 with any questions. Participants who do not complete all five of the following required components of the syllabus may not pass the course. 1) Reaction Paper: A brief (3-4 pages) reaction paper to one of the readings or media presentations covered in class is due on Canvas by 1:00pm Wednesday, February 27. While this essay is not research based, it may contain references or support from external sources, if desired. Spring 2019 UGS 303 Syllabus page 4 2) Film Review: A two-page critical popular review of any one of the Russian-language films treated in the syllabus will be due no later than March 1. This review will be the basis for your in-class oral presentation during your section (See below). 3) Film Review Panel: Your TA will group you into “Review Panels” of two or three students to present your critical commentaries orally in your Friday section. Each of you will be responsible for presenting your review and answering any questions or respond to any comments from your peers in class. The written review may then be revised and rewritten before submitting for final grading. 4) Midterm Exam: A written exam (50 minutes) covering readings, films, slides, lectures from the first half of the course -- will be given on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. 5) Final Video Project: A video project of 4-5 minutes, demonstrating your group’s (3-4 participants) reimagining of one of the texts or a scene from a film in the second half of the course. This project must be uploaded to Canvas before the start of the last class session on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. There is no scheduled final exam for this course. Special Accommodations: Any student with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from Services for Students with Disabilities at 512-471-6259. Any necessary accommodations should be presented to the instructor in written form from the SSD at the beginning of the course.