The University of Texas at El Paso—Department of Sociology and Anthropology Spring 2020 Special Topics course: Sociology of Science Fiction SOCI 3341-26563/ ANTH 4370-26572 Online – BlackBoard Instructor - Todd Reiser, MA Contact information : [email protected] . Please send all emails through the Blackboard system. Office Hours : I am available for in-person meetings if necessary. Email me so that we can setup an appointment to meet on campus, all meetings, if necessary will be held in Old Main. ~ 1. Course description : This course is an examination of Science Fiction as a vehicle of sociological observation. Science Fiction, as a form of popular culture, cannot help but utilize themes such as privilege, race, status, and class that arise from our social environment. This course will use Science Fiction as a medium to analyze and understand our world through the sociological perspective. 2. Required Course Materials : This course will require students to read two novels throughout the duration of the semester. These novels are to be selected by the student from a list provided. Students are expected to purchase the novels selected in order to complete this course. • All Weekly Sociological material such as articles and journal readings that pertain to theory and social science will be provided by the Instructor through BlackBoard. • All Weekly Science Fiction material, such as short stories, videos, episodes, and films will be shared via a link in the syllabus and through BlackBoard. Students will be responsible for viewing or reading the material, please have a back-up device or connection to view the material. The most common platforms used will be YouTube, Google Books, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. Contact the instructor through BlackBoard email if you have difficulty accessing the material. Make sure you have a device or browser capable of video playback and the ability to read PDF, RTF, JPEG, and DOC file types. Additional readings relevant to topics under discussion will be available through Blackboard. 3. Course Assignments: Always use APA Guidelines and standards for all written work I would also recommend consulting the Writing Center if you have questions about format and content Reflection Papers - • What : A total of 14 Reflection Papers (RP’s) will be written during the semester (10pts. each). • Why : RP’s will allow you to think about how the fictional and Sociological material provided relates to each other and the social world. • When : RP’s are due by Friday at 11:59pm of each week. All RP’s will be submitted using the Reflection Paper link found in the Weekly folder. Late assignments will not be accepted without a University Approved Excuse. 2 Points will be deducted for every day an RP is late. • How I grade them : 1. Response Papers should not be a summary of the material read or viewed. Instead RP’s should include an analysis of the Social theories presented along with examples or instances found in the Fiction that display them. In other words students should find commonalities 1 among the Sociological material and the Sci-Fi material to discuss. An example of a good RP would be to discuss 2-4 facts or theories from a Sociological reading and how the story/film uses or presents the theory or fact, or vice versa. 2. RP’s will always be at least 500 words. Always include the word count in the heading of the paper. 3. RP’s will be graded on length and if the content relates to the material shared. I will not grade RP’s on whether or not I agree with your opinion. Discussion Questions and Responses - • What: A Total of 14 Discussion Questions (DQ’s) will be submitted by each student during the semester (10 pts each). Part 1: DQ’s will be created and posted by each student once a week to the Discussion Board of BlackBoard. DQ’s consist of a question created by the student regarding the readings for the week; these questions can be on the Soc Reading or the Sci-Fi reading/film, or can be a mixture of both. The question can be as lengthy as necessary, but no more than a few sentences (5pts.) Part 2: Each Student will Respond to 3 DQ’s posted by fellow students . These responses and answers must be at least 50 to 100 words in length (5pts.). You must respond to three DQ’s to get credit – responding to only 2 or 1 will give you a zero out of 5pts. • Why: DQ’s simulate the student interaction that would normally take place in a classroom. • When: Discussion Questions are due by Thursday at 11:59pm of each week . Student Responses, 3 in total, will be due Saturday at 11:59pm of each week . Students can post DQ’s and Responses anytime during the week up until the due date and time. No Late Discussion Questions or Responses will be accepted. Any that are posted to the Discussion Board after the due date and time will receive a ‘0’. • How I grade them: 1. DQ’s must demonstrate knowledge of the material. Yes and No DQ’s will earn a ‘0’. 2. Responses to DQ’s will be 50 – 100 words in length, and must show interaction and engagement with the material . Use of examples from the text is highly recommended. 3. Rude and Abusive language in DQ’s or Responses will earn you a ‘0’ for both the DQ and the Response. 4. Avoid repeating the Responses of others. Reading through all of the DQ’s prior to posting a Response may help you to bring a new perspective to a conversation. You will not get credit for blatantly repeating the Responses of others or for creating DQ’s that are very similar. Midterm and Final Papers – There are no Exams in this course. Instead students will write two 6-8 page Papers (6-8 pages of text and a bibliography with at least 4 sources). The first Paper will take the place of a Mid-term test, the second will be in place of a Final test. Each Paper will be written using two forms of references: 1. A novel selected from the ‘Novel List*’ provided (or another that has been approved) 2. The Sociological Readings used and discussed in class up to that point in the Semester and any outside research done for class. There is no need to use any source or sources other than those shared in class, but others can be used. Students will be asked to use 2-4 Sociological theories or themes discussed in class to analyze the Sci-Fi novel read. This is not a summary of the novel ; instead students will use the novel as a Social Artifact to highlight events, characters, interactions, or ideas that relate to Sociological Readings used in class. Though I have compiled a list of Novels that are well established as examples of Social Science Fiction, students may read a Science Fiction novel of their choosing – this novel must be approved by the instructor prior to beginning work on the Papers. 2 No late Midterm or Final Papers will be accepted 4. Grade Rubric and Scale: Syllabus Questionnaire: 10 points x1 = 10 Points Reflection Papers: 10 points x14 = 140 Points Discussion Questions: 5 points x14 = 70 Points Responses: 5 points x14 = 70 Points Essays: 100 points x2 = 200 Points Total Available Points = 490 Points A = 441 – 490 Points B = 392 – 440 Points C = 343 – 391 Points D = 294 – 342 Points F = 341 Points and Below 5. Course Policies : Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated . Any work you do must be your own and if it is not your own it must be properly cited. Any Plagiarism found will be immediately referred to the UTEP Dean of Students and you will receive an ‘F’ on the material submitted and possibly the course. Please review the following material: UTEP’s Academic Honesty Policy – https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/osccr/student-conduct/academic-integrity.html How to avoid Plagiarism – https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/osccr/_Files/docs/Avoiding-Plagiarism.pdf Online Etiquette - This class is conducted online, therefore it is vital that you maintain high standards of etiquette towards all students and participants. • Be respectful of all posts and do not respond in rude or insulting ways. • Harassment will not be tolerated. No Trolling, this is not Twitter. • Always post in English and make an attempt to write grammatically correct. • Treat online responses as though you are face-to-face in a classroom, having a conversation with a fellow student. • Avoid repeating the responses of others. Reading through all of the DQ’s prior to posting a Response may help you to bring a new perspective to a conversation. You will not get credit for blatantly repeating the Responses of others. ADA policy The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you have a disability and need accommodations, please contact The Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148, or by email to [email protected], or visit their office located in UTEP Union East, Room 106. For additional 3 information, please visit the CASS website at www.sa.utep.edu/cass. CASS’ Staff are the only individuals who can validate and if need be, authorize accommodations for students with disabilities. Course and Academic Deadlines: It is the students’ responsibility to be aware of UTEP’s Academic Calendar.