09:30A-10:45A TR (30) 3 cr.
SPECULUM MUNDI: WOMEN'S SCIENCE FICTION AS A MODEL OF SOCIAL CHANGE
Writers have always used contra-factual narratives to examine and challenge the received truths of their societies. Earlier these narratives might have taken the form of allegory (The Fairy Queen or Pilgrim's Progress ) or satire (Gulliver's Travels); in our time the major form is science fiction, or, as it is now better termed, speculative fiction. In this course we will read works by a variety of women authors who, whatever their particular vision, use their fiction as a mirror for our cultures and societies in order to test or protest things as they are or might be. Given the rapidity with which mass-market tradebooks go in and out of print, the precise reading list cannot be established at this time, but you will be able to get the reading list from me by early December. In any case, the reading list will draw from the works of writers such as Ursula LeGuin, Vonda McIntire, Joanna Russ, Shirley Tepper, Margaret Atwood, Suzette Haden Elgin, Joan Slonczewski, Joan Vinge, Kate Wilhelm, Melissa Scott, Nancy Kress, and Olivia Butler, among others.
You can expect to read about ten to twelve books (approximately one per week). In general, the class will be in discussion format and each of you will have the opportunity to lead the class in the discussions. A variety of viewpoints is anticipated and welcomed; there is no particular ideology (feminist or otherwise) that will be encountered, let alone enforced, nor will there be any expectation that any of you will have read speculative/science fiction before. (In previous semesters the students ranged in the political spectrum from self-described "anti-feminists" to virtual "separatists," and the literary spectrum included senior English majors as well as students who had completed only the basic freshman sequence of L141-142.) This diversity has always elicited lively--and therefore rewarding--perspectives on the literature.
Regular attendance and participation will naturally be expected. In addition, you take two or three examinations and will write two or three 4-5 page papers. Because improvement in writing skills requires practice, you will be encouraged to revise and resubmit your papers throughout the semester. Finally, if you have works by women in mind that you think would fit the theme of the course and that you would like to discuss in the class, please suggest titles by email (HUNTSMAN@INDIANA.EDU) or by snail-mail (English, BH 442).