Course Goals and Overview

"The most powerful works of SF don't describe the future - they change it." - Annalee Newitz, io9

This dynamic course examines science fiction across a range of media forms including film, television, literature, fanfic, comics, gaming, and more, seeking to answer these questions:

How do various media forms engage with the themes, tropes, and narratives of science fiction?
Why has SF long been the dominant genre, mode, and thematic approach in the popular media?
Will this trend continue to grow, or will it fade as our world becomes ever-more SFnal?

Using readings, shows, and other multimedia and interactive experiences, we'll survey this dynamic genre's history and follow its development through multiple media as new generations of artists, writers, and other creatives take advantage of emerging narrative tools to respond to changing social conditions. We'll trace the effects SF continues to have on today's expression of what it means to be human living through ever-accelerating change. Award-winning science-fiction author, editor, and scholar Chris McKitterick leads the course.

You'll write weekly responses after reading a diversity of materials, viewing films and other multimedia expressions, and participate in live online and asynchronous text-based discussions. You'll explore your unique understanding and interpretation of the genre, and then create and share personal visions through multimedia responses. Finally, you'll answer the course's core question in a final project and group presentation. Prepare in advance to rent, stream, borrow, or otherwise access about one feature-length movie or other media per week outside of class beyond a number of mostly short readings and other materials to ensure you have access. 

To empower you to earn your best grade, practice research and participation skills that'll help your scholarly and professional careers, and get the most out of this course, you'll have endless opportunities to earn bonus (Level Up) points using an additive (rather than the typical deductive) grading system. You'll find lots of suggestions for additional related research, events, and media throughout the syllabus as well as via Blackboard announcements and in-class discussion. Take full advantage of these opportunities - and exceed minimum writing and participation expectations - to Level Up your grade!

Note: Because we interact with a diversity of multimedia, you'll occasionally encounter adult situations, colorful language, violence, and nudity - especially in comics and movies. If this is a problem, please contact me to discuss alternative materials. I'll do my best to give a heads-up about particularly problematic pieces.

Starting in 2022, this course is now exclusively offered for professionalization through the Ad Astra Institute for Science Fiction & the Speculative Imagination for educators, science-fiction authors, and readers looking to deepen their understanding of the genre. For those enrolling not-for-credit, you can ignore mentions of grading (I've left these in for other educators looking for syllabus-building ideas).

Diversity and Accessibility

Everyone enjoys equal access to enjoy my offerings, and I actively encourage students and scholars from diverse backgrounds to participate. All my courses are also available to be taken not-for-credit for professionalization purposes by community members (if space is available). Click here to see my diversity statement.

KU's Academic Achievement and Access Center coordinates accommodations and services for all eligible KU students. If you have a disability for which you wish to request accommodation and have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible. Their office is located in 22 Strong Hall; their phone number is (785)864-4064 (V/TTY), or email them at achieve@ku.edu  Feel free to contact me privately about your needs in this course.

Readings and Other Media

You won't need to buy many books (unless you want to). Most of what you'll read, watch, and otherwise interact with is online, either as excerpts in Blackboard or linked through the weekly schedule below.

Here's one short graphic novel you do need to buy or borrow: We3 (no excerpt would do it justice, and it's very short). Get it in time for when we discuss Animal Uplift.

Because this course is heavily media-oriented, you are responsible for tracking down movies, TV shows, and so forth. Unless you have a huge video collection of your own, in order to view all the required materials you'll need access to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Hulu, FMovies, Disney+, or so forth, or get a rental account at one of the local video-rental places such as Liberty Hall. Free alternative sources for many media items include the KU Libraries, the EGARC media services on Wescoe Hall's 4th floor, and the Lawrence Public Library. If this is a hardship, please let me know ASAP so we can work out alternatives, or make plans for viewings with your classmates.

Free alternatives for some of these media materials:

• KU's EGARC multimedia service center has a huge SF film collection: If you're a KU student (or staff or faculty), check it out (literally!).
• The KU Libraries offer a massive amount of media materials KU folks can borrow for free.
• The Lawrence Public Library also offers a huge media collection you can borrow from for free (with a rental account).

Make sure to prepare access to media in advance so you don't miss something!

Your Instructor

Christopher McKitterick is an award-winning science-fiction author and scholar, founded and directs the new Ad Astra Institute for Science Fiction and the Speculative Imagination (launch announcement here), directed and co-led James Gunn's original Center for the Study of Science Fiction from 1995-2022, teaches SF and creative writing at KU and elsewhere, and offers workshops and masterclasses around the world. He's been a professional writer and editor for decades, managed documentation teams, freelanced for a variety of publishers, worked in the gaming industry, and is a popular public speaker. He writes not just stories, novels, and poetry, but also nonfiction such as astronomy articles, technical documents, game supplements, journalism... just about every writing genre. He's also edited books and magazines, developed websites since the 1990s, run an observatory and planetarium, served as card-game "gunslinger," and lots of other stuff.

McKitterick's novella, "Ashes of Exploding Suns, Monuments to Dust," won the 2019 Analytical Laboratories Reader's Award. His debut novel, Transcendence, is now in its second edition. He recently finished a far-future novel, Empire Ship the first book of the young-adult series, The Galactic Adventures of Jack & Stella, and has several other projects on the burners.

Feel free to mine his experience for tips and advice about writing and editing in general, as well as about science-fiction fandom and the field.

Want to learn more? Check out McKitterick's author bio or his work bio. Or maybe you want to see his C.V.? Here it is (pdf).

- syllabi for his other courses (more coming soon!) -

Contact Information

If you have questions, need assistance, or just want to chat about SF, drop me a note any time or arrange to meet. (I'm unlikely to spend a lot of time in my offices while the pandemic still rages.) I might take a little time to respond if I'm out of town or in the middle of a project, so don't wait until the last minute!

Office: Moving right now - contact me for more info (office is also my lending library)
Email: cmckit.SF@gmail.com
(please use "SF Media Course" and something about your question in subject line for clarity and quickest response)

Other contact info:

Academia.edu
Ad Astra Institute for Science Fiction & the Speculative Imagination
Christopher-McKitterick.com
Facebook
Goodreads
Instagram
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database
LinkedIn
SFWA Speaker's Bureau
Patreon
Pillowfort
Tumblr (lots of relevant Science Fiction tags listed throughout syllabus; writers, check out my various Writing Tips tags)
Twitter
YouTube (lots of SF-related playlists listed throughout syllabus to Level Up your SFnal experience!)
Wikipedia

Weekly Schedule

Syllabus last updated May 5, 2022 - contact McKitterick for details.
Syllabus will change as I add or identify new readings and more extra credit opportunities.

Note: Syllabus will see lots of additional suggested material (plus fixed links as sites move stuff around).
Watch this space for regular, ongoing updates!

Revision History

Jan 2022 - present: Updating to fix moved links and add new links, images, and Level Up suggestions.
This course is now exclusively offered for professionalization through the Ad Astra Institute for Science Fiction & the Speculative Imagination for educators, science-fiction authors, and readers looking to deepen their understanding of the genre. For those enrolling not-for-credit, you can ignore mentions of grading (I've left these in for other educators looking for syllabus-building ideas).

Quick overview
We'll meet face-to-face in our classroom unless otherwise specified here and via Blackboard:

Stay tuned for my next offering of this course!

Week 1:   Introductions & Class Logistics. What is Science Fiction? What is Media? January 20
Week 2:   Mythology & the Roots of Narrative & Story, January 27
Week 3:   Space Opera & Science Fantasy. The Golden Age of SF, February 3
Week 4:   Comics & Static Art. Superheroes, February 10
Week 5:   Music, Radio, & Other Non-Visual Storytelling, February 24
Week 6:   Exploring the Unknown... and Finding Aliens. SF Movies, March 3
Week 7:   Frontiers & Space Westerns. SF Television, March 10
Week 8:   Gaming in SF. Animal Uplift, March 24
Week 9:   Alien Invasions & Horror from Beyond the Stars, March 31
Week 10: Out of Time: Dinosaurs & Ancient History, Alternate History... April 7
Week 11: AI & Robots, Biotech & Cyborgs, Biopunk & Cyberpunk, April 14
Week 12: Dystopias & Social Science Fiction, April 21
Week 13: Fandom & Transformative Works, April 28
Week 14: Interactive & Blurred Media. What's the Future of SF Storytelling? May 5
Week 15: Group Presentations! May 5
      (Info on the Presentation Project here.)

The links below take you to individual pages listing the multimedia works we'll discuss each day. Read, watch, or otherwise interact with all the items marked "Assigned Multimedia." You'll see a lot of "or" options: This gives you more freedom to choose and allows the class as a whole to show up with more-diverse experience to discuss. Choose more than one item to Level Up that week's score! You can earn bonus Level Up points by writing about more relevant items; lots of suggestions in the right column.

Each class after the first, two or three students help lead the discussions, bringing enough good questions to keep a lively discussion going for the entire class period; aim for at least a dozen (total) questions or discussion prompts. If we end up holding class online (or to Level Up your grade), please also share these in the appropriate weekly Discussion Board thread. (Your instructor also brings lots of his own prompts and notes, so you're not alone.) Discussion leaders also seek relevant information about the assignments' creators, how the works influenced the science fiction and multimedia that follows, and so forth, and share these things in live sessions (and our Blackboard discussion forums). You must lead the weekly discussion at least twice, but may serve more often if you want to Level Up! This is a major part of your grade and an important learning opportunity. (Contact me if you need accommodation for anxiety or otherwise cannot help lead discussions.)

Note¹: As new SF media is constantly appearing, I'm likely make edits to the scheduled materials, including adding links, embedding multimedia, and altering some content with more-relevant pieces. I'll put a note in the "Revision History" (above) if I've made such an edit. I'll definitely add more Level Up opportunities throughout the semester. If you have suggestions, let me know!

Note²: Check regularly for embedded materials - usually on the bottom of each day's section - and Level Up suggestions - I'll keep adding more of both throughout the semester as I and the discussion leaders find more great stuff!

 Course Requirements

To successfully complete the course and get out of it all you can, you are required to:

• Participate in class, which means being involved in every week's discussion.
• Help lead at least a couple class discussions with partners.
• Engage with all the required readings and multimedia.
• Write insightful weekly responses to those materials.
• Write a formal mid-term research paper.
• Participate in a live group presentation on one of the final days of class.
• Create a final project, due at the end of the semester.

To earn top scores and get a great final grade, be sure to Level Up whenever possible!

 Class Periods

Each week we'll discuss a variety of SF works, their creators, the science fiction genre, multimedia tools and delivery means, and the ever-changing content and context of our cybernetic world. Occasionally, we might have guest speakers or participants. Class periods revolve largely around discussion, with some lecture and audio-visual presentations.

Be civil: These are discussions about ideas, not arguments! Civility and respect for the opinions of others are vital for a free exchange of ideas. You might not agree with everything I or others say in the classroom, but I expect respectful behavior and interaction all times. When you disagree with someone, make a distinction between criticizing an idea and criticizing the person. Similarly, try to remember that discussions can become heated, so if someone seems to be attacking you, keep in mind they take issue with your idea, not who you are, and respond appropriately. Expressions or actions that disparage a person's age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation - or their marital, parental, or veteran status - are contrary to the mission of this course and will not be tolerated. If we all strive to be decent human beings, we'll all get the most out of this course!

Related: Violence and harassment based on sex and gender are Civil Rights offenses subject to the same kinds of accountability and support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, and so on. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted and you want to speak in confidence to a trained counselor, contact the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Center (785-843-8985 or support@stacarecenter.org). You might also want to contact Lawrence Memorial Hospital Emergency Room (785-505-6162). To pursue disciplinary action or criminal charges against the perpetrator, contact the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access (785-864-6414; instructions on how to file a complaint here), the KU Police (785-864-5900), or the Lawrence Police (785-832-7509).

Attendance and Class Participation

This is a discussion-based course, so class participation is weighed heavily. Coming to class and getting involved in the discussions each session is necessary not only for getting a good grade, but also for getting the most value from the course. The discussions aren't just explication of plot or concept, though we will discuss those; I expect you to exercise your critical-reading skills. That is, don't just go through the material for pleasure, don't just accept reviews or scholarship as canon, and don't feel the need to agree with your classmates' ideas - no one scholar can tell you the True Nature of Science Fiction Media.

By the end of this course you will possess a broad understanding of the science fiction genre and the weekly topics. During the discussions, I want to witness your growing understanding of the genre and media tools based on the required "readings," your outside discoveries and viewings, and your own experience with SF and the media over the years. Of course, be polite and diplomatic. Avoid dominating discussions, mindlessly blathering, talking over others, or speaking even when someone shyer than you has already raised their hand; doing so frequently can negate possible bonuses. Exercise your socialization: If you're normally shy, here's your chance to talk about something you love! If you're normally domineering, tone it down.

During discussions, do not expose yourself or others to distractions such as checking email, Twitter, or so forth. If you're looking up relevant multimedia content, do so in a way that doesn't distract you or your classmates. Obviously, turn off your phone's ringer/buzzer. I know it's sometimes a challenge to focus during extended discussion, but recent studies show that the human mind cannot pay attention to more than one thing at a time, and fracturing your attention means you're not getting everything possible out of each discussion. Even worse, monkeying around online also interrupts your neighbors' attention.

Feel free to take notes on your computer or portable device - for pulling up your notes or looking for content to share - if you choose, just stay away from distractions. It's difficult to remain engaged in discussions if your mind is elsewhere, and doing so also bumps down your overall grade. On the other hand, actively participating in class discussions bumps up your overall grade.

I'm sure you have heard this before, but it's as true as ever: You get out of any activity only what you put into it. The more effort and creativity you apply to your projects and to class discussions, the more you will learn and the better the class will be for everyone else, as well. If you do not regularly attend class or do not participate in discussions, you'll miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as a person. 

Be sure to show up and get involved!

Base value: 3 per class session x 13 classes = 39 points base score.

Level Up

• Never miss a class: +4.
• Great participants in the weekly discussions can earn up to +13 points or more over the course of the semester!

Penalty

Missing class is the surest way to lose points here: -3 points per missed week (after the first).

If you know you are going to miss a class for an academic event, illness, or other excusable reason, contact me as soon as possible to see if we can work out something so it does not negatively affect your overall grade too much. If appropriate, I can mitigate this loss so your attendance percentage remains unaffected. If you need to leave in the middle of class due to personal emergency or you sense a threat, please let me know later so I can take that into account.

Discussion Leaders

Your instructor will likely open each day with some background on science fiction or media forms, particularly the topics and genre movements relevant to the day's discussions. After that, two or more students lead (not monopolize) the discussion. (Your instructor also brings his own prompts and notes, so you're not alone.) Everyone is required to help lead discussions for at least two sessions during the semester. If you have special needs and cannot perform this task, let me know early.

Discussants perform additional research prior to class (further readings or multimedia content related to the day's themes, and so forth) and come prepared with at least 4-6 questions and discussion prompts each to stimulate discussion among your peers about the day's topic and content, in addition to your personal response notes. Turn in your discussion questions and plans as part (or most) of your response for that day (in addition to your response paper). Also post your discussion questions to that week's text-based discussion board, and check in after class (by Friday night) to see if the discussion could use your input.

I expect all students to participate in discussions, and also that discussion leaders avoid talking too much or talking over others. These are discussions about ideas, not arguments or lectures!

If you would like to suggest relevant content (stories, comics, game narratives, shows, movies, or so forth) for the week you're leading discussion, by all means drop me an email with links to the materials! Due to the nature of the popular media, new stuff is always appearing, and you might know of something great. This is a cooperative course! I'm happy to add links (or even replace less-important content) with your suggestions, given enough time for the rest of the class to read or otherwise study it. For sure share your suggestions in the discussion boards!

You can split up the tasks among your fellow discussant(s) based on content, topics, themes, media forms, or however you see fit. I expect everyone to serve equally.

Base value: 5 x 2 sessions = 10 base points.

Level Up

• Lead more than two sessions (if needed): +3 per extra session.
• Discussion leaders who facilitate particularly excellent class sessions: +1 for each Discussion Day of Awesome.
• Discussion leaders whose preparation is really stand-out (lots of extra research, extra discussion prompts, multimedia use in class, sharing resources with the class, and so on): +1 for each Discussion Day of Awesome.
• Discussion leaders whose suggested content makes it onto the weekly pages (you must submit links at least two weeks in advance): +1 for each week's new content.
• Possibly more ways to get bonuses - be a kick-butt discussion leader!

If you suffer from social anxiety, please talk to me so we can work out an alternative to leading discussions.

Projects

In addition to good in-class participation, much of your grade depends on the short response papers you write on a weekly basis, plus your longer and more in-depth Final Project. If you use non-standard software to create your projects, save them in standard formats (I prefer .doc format files, but I'll accept .docx .html, .rtf, and .pdf formats as needed). Turn in papers via Blackboard before class begins on the due date or by end of day when we don't meet for class. Turn in papers via Blackboard before class begins on the due date or by end of day on days when we don't meet for class. They will be graded and returned via Blackboard in a reasonable time.

Want to enhance your literary-criticism chops and Level Up by incorporating traditional (or novel) lit-crit approaches into your papers? Check out this overview page about "Literary-Criticism Approaches to Studying Science Fiction." Let me know if you have suggestions on ways to enhance that page.

Want to improve your writing? I strongly encourage you to contact the KU Writing Center. There you can talk about your writing with trained tutors and consult reference materials in a comfortable working environment. You may ask for feedback on your papers, advice and tips on writing (for all your courses), or guidance on special writing tasks. Check their website for current locations and hours. The Writing Center welcomes both drop-ins and appointments, and they don't charge for their services. For more information, call (785)864-2399 or email writing@ku.edu The website is loaded with helpful information about writing, so even if you consider yourself a good writer, check it out!

 Response Papers

Prior to each class, write a very short (300 words or more, about one page) response paper and turn it in via Blackboard in the "Week [x]: [topic] Response Paper" slot. To see good examples of response papers, check the Blackboard Course Documents folder. Along with participation in each day's discussion, these papers are an important measure of your engagement with the topics. You'll write one for every week of the semester, so keep up with your readings and responses! I've heard from former students that they find these very useful for future reference, so hang on to them.

This paper is a brief but thoughtful response to all of the materials for that day. (If you go a little long, that's better than too short, but be kind to your teacher!) Provide your thoughts on the assigned works in terms of theme, ideas, character, story, setting, artistic qualities, position in the SF canon, influence on other works, use of the various media forms, comparisons to the original print texts (if appropriate), and so forth.

Don't just provide a plot summary. I'm looking for insightful, critical, and thoughtful reflections on all the required works. Articulate how the various storytelling media affect the pieces under consideration - artistically, narratively, visually, in the social context, and so on - and how the affect your understanding of SF and the various media forms.

Consider each of these as outlining exercises for potential future projects, such as your Mid-Term and Final projects for this course, or for your undergraduate thesis, or a deep-dive post for your blog or podcast, or so forth.

As in the discussions, exercise your critical-reading, -listening, and -viewing skills when writing these responses; that is, don't just read the fiction, watch the movies, or otherwise interact with the content simply for pleasure - and don't just accept everything that scholars and critics have written about them as canon. I want to hear how you synthesize new ideas from the assigned materials, your additional readings and other interactions, and your own experiences. The best way to do a good job here is to take notes as you're reading or watching or listening, then expand upon those notes for the papers you turn in.

Regarding format: Many people use bullets for discussion points, bold the titles of the works you're discussing, or use the titles as headings. Some people write responses that resemble essays, citing the works in tandem, while others merely respond to each individually. However you prefer to handle it is fine, but what's most important is that you've thought through all the works for each day and their relationship to one another as well as to the overall SF genre. (Also, if you write it in a non-standard word processor, save it as .doc or .docx so I can read it. No .wps, .pages, or so forth.)

Tip: Even if you aren't leading the week's discussion, feel free to include at least a couple of questions to pose to the class or points to stimulate discussion. I suggest bringing your response to class - especially your questions - to help formulate ideas during discussion. (Also be sure to turn them in via Blackboard in advance of class.) They are usually scored in Blackboard by the following week.

Weekly Paper Scoring

Base value: 2 points x 14 = 28 total.

Here is how I score the papers you turn in each week:

    0: No paper, or poor one turned in late.
    1: At least convinces me you completed some of the reading, viewing, or so forth.
    2: Convinces me you completed most of the required materials, or provides interesting insights on some of them. Discussion leaders: Providing your list of discussion questions on the required materials earns you this score.
    3: Convinces me you completed all of the required materials, or provides interesting insights on most of them. Discussion leaders: Providing your list of discussion questions on the required materials, plus offering some indication that you completed all of them, earns you this score.
    4 - Level Up: References all the required materials, and shares thoughtful responses or interesting insights to everything, or does a good job with those plus discusses your thoughts on additional relevant materials to the week's content (+1). Discussion leaders: Providing your list of discussion questions plus insightful responses to all the materials, earns you this score.
    5 - Level Up: All of above, plus discusses your thoughts on additional relevant materials to the week's content or in-class discussions (+2). Discussion leaders: Providing your list of discussion questions on all the required and additional materials, plus your brilliant insights, plus additional materials relevant*, earns you this score.

That means you could possibly earn a 75% bonus over the base score for your reading responses by Leveling Up every time! Up to +42 - wow!

Level Up-only Responses

If you create a separate response that's just for Level Up bonus points (for example, you attend a relevant talk or watch a relevant movie on a week when we're focusing on something else), you can turn in your bonus response paper in the general Level Up or Movies Assignment slots on Blackboard. You'll earn bonus points for each of those, too! Point value varies widely, from +1 (for some references to additional materials relevant to the assigned materials) to +2 (for a thorough discussion of the Level Up materials), or even more to reward a significant amount of effort to expand your understanding of SF and the various media (a big example might be attending a conference and writing up a thoughtful response and sharing your insights gained; a small one could be a relevant talk, TV show, movie, concert, game session, or so forth).

If the Level Up content is relevant to a particular week's assigned materials or subject focus, you can turn it in to that Assignment slot, instead - just be sure to drop a note in the "Comment" field that this document is for Level Up only, not your regular response... or, better yet, just include it on the bottom of your regular submission (and title it as Level Up) to earn those bonus points.

* Some examples of additional materials to cover in your response paper include a short story, an episode of a show, a comic (issue of a printed comic or multi-page online comic), an SF event (convention, book-club gathering, book release or reading, significant fan event, or so on), a movie, relevant website interaction (for example, articles or actively reading and responding on a fan-site), game-time long enough to experience significant story narrative, browsing through (with intent, using your critical skills) a large series of art pieces (such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, and the like), or so forth. You can also count something that you actively create and share with others, such as fanfiction, fan-art, thoughtful blogging, or so forth. This is something that should take the average person at least an hour or two to fully appreciate, consider, and respond to (yes, I have a pretty solid gauge for this). If you've created something that's posted online, just turn in a direct link to it. Please use standard file formats; don't make me have to buy or download software just to see it, or set up an account just to read it.

* You may include a response to Monday's discussion in the Wednesday response
 - but if you want to earn a Level Up bonus for responding to Thursday's discussion after you've already turned in your Thursday response, feel free to make a second submission with your revised response by the end of each weekend. I'll wait to score Thursday responses until Monday, in order to give you time to do so.

Penalty

Late papers get -1 point each if turned in after the relevant class session begins. (Level Up bonus responses are never penalized, but please don't wait until the last week to turn those in.) Turn them in on time! Missing response papers are due ASAP, at the very latest during Finals Week.

 Mid-Term Project

Choose either a set of materials from the syllabus or an equivalent level of research using other materials, perform additional research beyond the required materials for that topic, and write a short, formal paper about them or their themes. Additionally, cover at least three more short pieces or at least one book- or movie-length piece; these may be fiction, nonfiction, multimedia, or other sources that support or illustrate your themes. If you'd like, think of this project as an extended reading response with additional support and a bibliography and other references as appropriate (Wikipedia is not a source, but is often a good place to find sources), or a formal paper that uses those works to make an argument or provide interesting insights.

You can choose to write this as a traditional paper or a multimedia project; see the sub-sections below for details.

Your topic can be anything relevant to the course: See the "Course Goals" section of the syllabus for some guidance, but basically I want to see you pursue whatever most excites you about SF and its narrative expression through various media forms. Talk to me if you still have any questions!

Some resources you might find useful:

• Critical approaches to SF lit - a list with, some questions each lit-crit approach asks, and some background.
• Writing a Research Paper, on the Purdue OWL writing-resource site.
• Spencer Research Library's Special SF Collection:
  • Here's a presentation with great images of the SF resources (.pdf).
  • Here's an overview of their resources (.pdf).
• Materials about SF and literature - which includes the essay, "Towards an Aesthetic of Science Fiction," by Joanna Russ.
• Tons more research resources here.
• And check the sample mid-terms in our Blackboard Course Documents section.

Base value: 40 points

Level Up

• Work with a classmate to peer-review one another's projects.
  • See this page for how to successfully do a peer critique, which also describes what I'm looking for in what you turn in for your Level Up assignment.
  • Not only does performing a peer-review earn you bonus points, but it will also improve both of your papers!
  • Bonus points you can earn here can vary widely based on how much effort you put into your review: up to +10.
• Include an annotated bibliography (regular bibliography is required, and neither counts toward total word-count): +4. 
• Meet all the requirements, above, but also deliver your project in a functional multimedia form that works with text (website, comic, or so forth): up to +4. 
• Teach me something new, make and support an original or thoughtful argument, or so forth: up to +4.
• Turn in your project early and earn more bonus points: 1 week early = up to +4, 2 weeks = up to +6.
• Possibly more ways to get bonuses. Write a kick-butt paper!

Penalty

A late Mid-Term Paper loses -2 points per day late for the first five days late (that's -10 after a week), then -2 points per day late after that. "Late" is after the due day. Turn them in on time! Missing papers are due ASAP, at the very latest during Finals Week (at a deduction).

Traditional Paper

I grade formal papers on the quality and diversity of research (both fictional and non-fictional), the writing (including grammar and spelling), the quality of thesis and argument, the quality and diversity of research, and how interesting you make it. What I most want is for you to demonstrate what you've learned from the course readings, your outside readings, and in-class discussions, and how you express this synthesis: Demonstrate your understanding of science fiction narratives in the various media.

We'll spend as much time in class discussing what goes into writing successful papers as we need, because I want you to feel confident when you embark on this project and successful with your finished product. For additional guidance into how to write great research papers, check out this page on the highly respected Purdue OWL writing site: "Writing a Research Paper," where you'll find tons of great tips and guidance.

If you haven't yet done so, check out the "Sample response and mid-term papers, scoring rubrics" items in the Course Documents section of our Blackboard site. In addition to containing a handy reference on how to make your paper the best it can be, you'll also find sample response papers and mid-term papers.

If you are writing a traditional essay, this paper must be at least 1000 words, up to a max of 3000 words (longer might be okay, just consider how much your teacher must read). References, bibliographies, artist's statements, and endnote pages do not count toward your word-count.

Format your bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for much of the Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides).

This is not something that you can successfully complete at the last minute. The research paper represents a deep investigation of topics that interest you. Turn in this project via Blackboard.

Multimedia or Creative Project

If you think another form - and your skill and experience with it - can answer the question better, you may create a project in another media format: extended comic (not just a strip), short film or documentary, music, podcast, collection of artworks or photographs, website or app, creative nonfiction, extended and believable fan-response that offers alternative takes, or so forth. Multimedia projects must demonstrate a similar or greater level of effort as the traditional paper, and clearly answer the question, as well. We'll discuss this more in class.

A creative work of this kind must seriously address ideas and themes. If fictional, you must create believable, interesting characters living in a convincing, fully realized world, dealing with science-fictional concerns in addition to revealing substantial understanding of science fiction and the media form you're using.

If this is a written document, use the same word-count requirements as the traditional paper... unless it's multimedia, in which case art or other elements can help display equivalent effort at a shorter word-count.

For the purposes of this course, also include an annotated bibliography (not often included in such works). This is particularly important if you pursue the multimedia option, because I want to see the diversity of references that inspired you (and how), and those that helped you develop your work (both fictional and non-fictional). Show me your research through a good annotated bibliography, demonstrate your understanding of science fiction, and make your creative work stand on its own. An annotated bibliography is a set of references that provide a summary of your readings and research, to give me an idea of where you got your inspiration, scientific or technical resources, and so forth. List your sources alphabetically and include a brief summary or annotation for each work that you quote in the paper or that you use as a reference (or inspiration). Format your annotated bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for much of the Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides).

To be crystal-clear in defining how your creative work displays your understanding of SF and multimedia narratives, please also include an "artist's statement," as it very much helps me in evaluating creative work. Write this either as an appendix to your document (but doesn't count toward a word-count) or as a stand-alone .doc file that you also turn in to Blackboard.

Be aware that this option is more challenging - especially if you haven't taken creative-writing, film-making, or visual-arts courses - because this course isn't about teaching how to write a great story or make a great movie, only examining them. Click here for some useful creative-writing resources. 

Turn in this project via Blackboard. Many who create such projects post them to an appropriate media host; give me a link to where your project lives, and upload to Blackboard your annotated bibliography and artist's statement, as well.

Group Presentation

For many, this is the final project you'll create, so put your all into it! The two last weeks of the course are reserved for student multimedia presentations. Sometime during mid-semester, pitch your great idea for the in-class presentation project, build teams, chat, and otherwise prep for the last class sessions. Your job is to share your understanding of SF and popular media forms through a live or multimedia presentation to your classmates. You can create your own vision or present about particular SF works, genre movements, films, TV shows, graphic novels, games, or other topics - it's up to you!

What's the "big picture" you've taken away about science fiction and the various media forms we've examined this semester? How have you come to understand how SF reflects human beings experiencing change, and how does your chosen form (or that of the works you examine) especially reflect the nature of change and technological opportunity? Especially strive to elucidate what SF means to you, how it informs the future, and how the various media forms change SF. And be sure to share your insights into the future of speculative fiction, either by example or discussion.

The form of the presentation is open: Feel free to make it a panel discussion, debate, movie, live game, quiz-show, radio play, skit, guided interactive activity, or other form. Let your imagination run free! This is a great opportunity to express yourself and your understanding of science fiction and its delivery forms, as well as its future shape, its creators and creative side, ideas and inspirations, and so forth.

Form up with a group of students (3-5 is optimal), and present for a total of about 5 minutes per group member; that is, a 4-person group presents for 20 minutes, while a 5-person group presents for about 25 minutes. If you're showing a short (5-20 minute) film or other finished project that you created, bring discussion prompts for afterward. Your group chooses a topic that illustrates or dramatizes what you all feel is important about science fiction and popular media forms, works together to develop the idea into a shape suitable for sharing with others, then presents it to the class. Be polite: Don't run over your time limit! We'll have a little extra time after each presentation for a short Q&A session.

Every group member provides an equal level of participation overall, including research, preparation, and presentation. You may decide if one member is more of a script-writer or video-editor than actor or presenter, for example, as long as everyone's work is balanced - just let me know how you divided the work in the Submission notes section of the Blackboard assignment slot. You may divide your total number of minutes among the presenters however you see fit, but be sure to let me know how each participated in the project if you're not dividing your live-presentation time equally. Each individual within the group is graded on the clarity and organization of the presentation, the quality of the analysis, the appropriate use of reference material, and individual contribution. If you feel someone in your group deserves extra credit (or less credit than the others), let me know this as well: What percentage of the project's awesomeness would you give to everyone? Discuss this, come to agreement, and turn in your estimation. Be fair! Also be honest. Most of all, do your best so everyone wants me to recognize your kick-butt efforts.

Turn this in via Blackboard if possible, or a link to where the project lives online if not. The majority of how I score this project comes from experiencing your live presentation.

Base value: 40 points. Help make this project outstanding - and be a great individual contributor - to Level Up! (up to +8)

Final Project

For your Final Project, you can create a new project for maximum points, revise your Mid-Term project if you created one, or turn in a portfolio of your entire semester's projects revised to reflect your understanding of SF and how it interacts with the various forms of popular media.

Your Final Project answers the course's core questions:

How do various media forms engage with the themes, tropes, and narratives of science fiction?
Why has SF long been the dominant genre, mode, and thematic approach in the popular media?
Will this trend continue to grow, or will it fade over time?

Also consider:

How does the work you're analyzing or creating fit into the larger discussion that is science fiction? What does it add? What are its influences? What is it responding to? How does it extend what you think of as "science fiction"? Discuss as usual in a scholarly piece, or define in your creative piece's artist statement.

Some resources you might find useful:

• Critical approaches to SF lit - a list with, some questions each lit-crit approach asks, and some background.
• Writing a Research Paper, on the Purdue OWL writing-resource site.
• Spencer Research Library's Special SF Collection:
  • Here's a presentation with great images of the SF resources (.pdf).
  • Here's an overview of their resources (.pdf).
• Materials about SF and literature - plus the essay, "Towards an Aesthetic of Science Fiction," by Joanna Russ.
• Tons more research resources here.
• And check the sample mid-terms in our Blackboard Course Documents section.

This can be a traditional written paper or a project you create using another media format.

You must include an alphabetized Bibliography or Works Cited with a traditional paper, or an Annotated Bibliography with a creative or multimedia project (and an Artist's Statement). An annotated bibliography is a set of references that provide a summary of your readings and research, to give me an idea of where you got your inspiration, scientific or technical resources, and so forth. List your sources alphabetically and include a brief summary or annotation for each work that you quote in the paper or that you use as a reference (or inspiration). Format your bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for much of the Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides). Turn in this project via Blackboard.

Base value: 40

Level Up

Lots of ways to exceed the base points on this project!

• Throughout the semester, pay attention to what your classmates, teacher, and others say in class, take notes on great ideas or things you disagree with, and note the date and names of the speakers so you can cite them. Accurately cite in-class discussions that support your arguments, and list such materials in your bibliography. Also, cite and list diverse references, both in terms of quantity and media form. Up to +3. 
• Meet all the requirements, above, but also deliver your project in a functional multimedia form that works with text (website, comic, or so forth): up to +5. 
• Write a kick-butt paper! Teach me something new, make and support an original or thoughtful argument, or so forth: up to +10.
• Work with a classmate to peer-review one another's projects.
  • See this page for how to successfully do a peer critique, which also describes what I'm looking for in what you turn in for your Level Up assignment.
  • Not only does performing a peer-review earn you bonus points, but it will also improve both of your papers!
  • Bonus points you can earn here vary widely based on how much effort you put into your review or critique(s): up to +6 each.
• Possibly more ways to get bonuses!

Traditional Paper

I grade formal papers on the quality and diversity of research (both fictional and non-fictional), the writing (including grammar and spelling), and the strength of the topic and argument. What I most want is for you to demonstrate what you've learned from the course readings, your outside readings, and in-class discussions, and how you express this synthesis: Demonstrate your understanding of science fiction and media narratives.

If you are writing a traditional essay, it must be at least 2000 words, up to a max of 5000 words (again, longer might be okay, just consider how much your teacher must read), excluding your bibliography. References, bibliographies, artist's statements, and endnote pages do not count toward your word-count.

For additional guidance into how to write great research papers, check out this page on the highly respected Purdue OWL writing site: "Writing a Research Paper," where you'll find tons of great tips and guidance. Format your bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for much of the Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides).

This is not something that you can successfully complete at the last minute. The research paper represents a semester-long investigation of topics that interest you. Turn in this project via Blackboard.

Multimedia or Creative Project

If you think another form - and your skill and experience with it - can answer the question better, you may create a project in another media format: extended comic (not just a strip), short film or documentary, music, podcast, collection of artworks or photographs, website or app, creative nonfiction, extended and believable fan-response that offers alternative takes, or so forth. Multimedia projects must demonstrate a similar or greater level of effort as the traditional paper, and clearly answer the question, as well. We'll discuss this more in class.

A creative work of this kind must seriously address ideas and themes. If fictional, you must create believable, interesting characters living in a convincing, fully realized world, dealing with science-fictional concerns in addition to revealing substantial understanding of science fiction and the media form you're using.

If this is a written document, use the same word-count requirements as the traditional paper... unless it's multimedia, in which case art or other elements can help display equivalent effort at a shorter word-count.

For the purposes of this course, also include an annotated bibliography (not often included in such works). This is particularly important if you pursue the multimedia option, because I want to see the diversity of references that inspired you (and how), and those that helped you develop your work (both fictional and non-fictional). Show me your research through a good annotated bibliography, demonstrate your understanding of science fiction, and make your creative work stand on its own. An annotated bibliography is a set of references that provide a summary of your readings and research, to give me an idea of where you got your inspiration, scientific or technical resources, and so forth. List your sources alphabetically and include a brief summary or annotation for each work that you quote in the paper or that you use as a reference (or inspiration). Format your annotated bibliography as appropriate for your field of study (MLA for much of the Humanities, Chicago for most other fields, and so forth; here's a good list of style guides).

To be crystal-clear in defining how your creative work displays your understanding of SF and multimedia narratives, please also include an "artist's statement," as it very much helps me in evaluating creative work. Write this either as an appendix to your document (but doesn't count toward a word-count) or as a stand-alone .doc file that you also turn in to Blackboard.

Be aware that this option is more challenging - especially if you haven't taken creative-writing, film-making, or visual-arts courses - because this course isn't about teaching how to write a great story or make a great movie, only examining them. Click here for some useful creative-writing resources. 

Turn in this project via Blackboard. Many who create such projects post them to an appropriate media host; give me a link to where your project lives, and upload to Blackboard your annotated bibliography and artist's statement, as well.

Final Project Deadline

Your final project is due at the latest by 5:00pm on Friday, May 13, with bonus Level Up points available for turning it in early (see each week's section to see how many bonus points you can earn). Turn in your completed project via Blackboard.

If you've created multimedia content, posted a short film to the internet, or otherwise cannot upload the project directly to BB, provide a link (website URL) to where I can find the project online as your submission in the appropriate Blackboard Final Project assignment slot.

 Grading

Because we're examining a wide diversity of ways to communicate, I've adopted a media-related method for tracking success (in the academic world, it's called "incentive-centered grading" or "gamification"). Everything you do in this course beyond the basics of the required elements earns you points toward "leveling up" your scores and, therefore, your grade, while giving you some freedom to choose between options. I want you to be in control of your scores as much as possible. Your final grade is up to you!

By simply completing all the readings and viewings, turning in excellent responses on time before each class, creating an well-written mid-term project, doing a good job in the group presentation, creating a good final project, attending every class plus engaging in active discussion while there, and partnering to lead at least two class sessions, you are pretty much guaranteed at least a C+ or better for your final grade.

Want to reach higher to earn a better grade? See the Level Up! section below, throughout the syllabus, and on each weekly page.

Level	Points Needed	Grade
Legend		A
Hero		A-
Master		B+
Guru		B
Expert		B-
Adept (base)		C+
Apprentice		C
Intern		C-
Trainee		D+
Novice		D
Beginner		D-
Conscript		F

So if you're comfortable rising no higher than the default "Adept" (a letter grade of C+), you need between x and y points. You'll easily earn those points by doing solid work on the required course components:

• Reading and viewing the assigned content, and turning in weekly response papers to those: 14 x 2 = 28 points possible (up to +42 or more Level Up possible).
• Attendance and class participation: 13 x 3 = 39 base points possible (up to +13 or more Level Up possible).
• Leading discussions: 2 x 5 = 10 base points possible (more Level Up possible).
• Mid-Term paper: 40 base points possible (lots more Level Up possible, even more with peer review).
• Presentation: 40 base points possible (lots more Level Up possible)...
• Final project: 40 base points, (lots more Level Up possible, and more with peer review).
  (+40 Level Up or more possible for doing the Final Project plus the Mid-Term Project, if you seek to become a Legend.)
• See each section for details on Level Ups and Penalties.
• TOTAL possible base-level points: 197.
• Add about 10% for each full grade.
• To earn an A, earn at least 237 points.

You have lots of opportunities to Level Up throughout the semester, making it easy to greatly grow your level. See each section for details on Level Ups and Penalties. See the next section, Chloe's Example Scenario, and every other section for more opportunities.

If you ever want to calculate your grade so far, go to the Blackboard "Weighted Total" to roughly determine your percentage of points earned and possible so far. If you haven't turned in some things, it won't be complete, but I hope this helps reduces grade anxiety.

Level Up

Paralleling how we study media narratives, we'll use the metaphor of Leveling Up in earning better grades - as in gaming systems. In place of the traditional deductive-only grade system (where you lose points by not turning in perfect work), our system uses additive grading (which is gaining a lot of pedagogical traction in education theory). You'll have a multitude of opportunities to earn bonus points by (for example) doing additional research, reporting on that added work, and sharing your discoveries in class. You can also Level Up for exceeding my expectations on every project and in every class period; that is, you get more points than the base value when you exceed "average effort" (traditionally graded as C work), thereby raising your grade incrementally toward a B or A. It's up to you!

So if you choose to simply meet all the basic requirements, show up most classes and participate in most of them, and do basically acceptable work on your projects, you'll end up with a grade around a C+. If you excel on the required projects, seek out additional materials and write insightful reports on them, attend relevant events, write a smokin' Final Project, and so forth, you have earned a higher grade!

I want you to be in control over your grade, using a familiar and empowering metaphor.

So, want to earn a higher grade in this course? Each section in this syllabus offers some options for Leveling Up! Possible bonuses abound: See each assignment section for details on more ways to earn bonus points. Here are some semester-long examples of how you can gain extra points:

• Attend outside events, write reports on them, and turn them in to the various Level Up Assignment slots you'll find in Blackboard. I'll mention in class and post announcements when I identify some cool opportunities, and I'll also add assignments there for you to turn in your bonus papers. But you don't have to just stick to my recommendations!
• Kick butt on your projects! See the descriptions in this syllabus for ideas. Basically, you have the opportunity to exceed my expectations - and Level Up - with every project!

Basically, be an epic student! You might just get bonus points in the end. 

Penalty

On the other hand, just like in many game-scoring systems, in this course you have a few ways to lose points, too:

• Miss a full week of class of class participation (both live and in the Discussion Board): -3 (per missed class after the first).
  Note: You're allowed one unexcused absence for the semester. Excused absences include medical and family emergencies, so if you encounter this, let me know. It's your responsibility to schedule employment, school, and other responsibilities around your classes, or accept the consequences. If you must miss class, please contact me ahead of time to make arrangements for catching up on missed material.
  
• If you attend but do not participate in class discussions (live or asynchronous), this also lowers your overall grade on a variable scale depending on engagement or lack thereof. If you have special needs (for example, you have social phobias or lack internet access), contact me in advance so we can work out alternatives. 
• Of course, not turning in projects or doing poor work can lose you points, leading to reduced grades. So do your best - and exceed my expectations to Level Up your learning experience instead!

More Good Stuff

Ready for more science fiction in your life? Check out these suggestions.

 Events and Activities

Want to hang out (at least virtually) with other SF folks? Sign up for the new Stars Our Destination discussion group and mailing list here, and check out the Lawrence Science Fiction Club on Facebook for informal club chat and get-togethers.

The Ad Astra Institute for Science Fiction & the Speculative Imagination will soon be sharing multimedia offerings online. For now, check out our existing YouTube channel.

FanCon (a local mini-comicon) takes place each spring and fall - for 2022, the spring date is April 2 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Benjamin Cartwright, former Volunteer Coordinator of AboutSF.org, ceated a wonderful podcast program. Check out the Podomatic site!

To learn about more stuff, more quickly, you can also find events and lots of SF-related chat with the Lawrence Science Fiction Club! Info, discussions, and (hopefully soon!) meeting times are regularly posted at their Facebook page. Know of something of interest to like-minded folks? Join and drop a note there!

Here's a cool event each Spring, right after Spring finals:

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live Show
Friday and Saturday, in mid-May
Also the Spectrum Awards Show
Grand Ballroom of Bartle Hall Convention Center
Kansas City, MO

What are you doing on Memorial Day Weekend? Why not attend the ConQuesT science fiction convention in Kansas City.

Want to take more speculative-fiction courses? Check out my growing list of offerings.

The KC fan community won the World Science Fiction Convention bid, so the world of SF came to the KC in 2016! Details at the MidAmeriCon II website. Yours truly was Academic Track program director, so let me know if you'd like to know how to get involved in such things or if you'd like to volunteer to serve as staff (for a significant reduction in membership cost) in future events. The Kansas City group appears set to win the 2023 World Fantasy Convention event bid, so stay tuned for that!

Go here to see lots more science fiction resources.

 More Recommended Works

Want to read more SF? You've come to the right place!

Because this course is all about understanding SF as told through various media, we'll also adopt one of its modes for determining your grade: Everything you do earns you points toward "leveling up" your grade, giving you some freedom to choose between options to raise your score. In this way, your final grade is up to you! See the Level Up section for details. You'll find required and suggested materials to study in each week's syllabus section, but here are some more general resources:

My lending library holds many books, magazines, and more, so if you are local to Lawrence or are in town for our other summer programs, check with McKitterick to see if we can lend you a copy. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. I also have a course-specific lending library for the SF Literature course - which is primarily supplied by previous students donating copies after completing their course - so if you want to pass on the love to the next generation rather than keep your books, let your teacher know!

Want more? Check out the winners of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best SF novel of the year. To see even more great books, check out the recent finalists for the Campbell Memorial Award - most years, the majority of those works could have won the award if the jury had just a few different members.

For short fiction, check out the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short SF winners, and the recent Sturgeon Award finalists. As with the Campbell, you're likely to find something you'll love among the finalists - and many of them live online, and you'll find links to the stories from that page.

Want lots of free SF ebooks and e-zines? Check out Project Gutenberg's growing SF collection.

The Guardian asked some of SF's greatest living authors to share what they feel are the best books or authors in the genre, and what they came up with is a brilliant list.

Want even more recommendations? My and James Gunn's "Basic Science Fiction Library" is a go-to internet resource for building reading lists. It's organized by author.

I hold many books, so if you are local to Lawrence or are in town for our other summer programs, check with me to see if we can lend you a copy. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This lending library is primarily supplied by previous students donating copies after completing their courses, so if you want to pass on the love to the next generation rather than keep your books, let your teacher know!

Want to take more speculative-fiction courses? You're in luck! Check out our growing list of offerings.

Go here to see lots more resources.

If you like novels, or just want to prepare for next year's SF-novels version of this course, here you go:

• Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel [Amazon|Powell's]
• Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale [Amazon|Powell's]
• Iain M. Banks, Consider Phlebas [Amazon|Powell's]
• Greg Bear, Darwin's Radio [Amazon|Powell's]
• Gregory Benford, Timescape [Amazon|Powell's]
• Alfred Bester, The Demolished Man [Amazon|Powell's]
• John Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar [Amazon|Powell's]
• Octavia Butler, Dawn [Amazon|Powell's], book one of the Xenogenesis trilogy [Amazon|Powell's]
• Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End [Amazon|Powell's]
• Hal Clement, Mission of Gravity [Amazon|Powell's]
• Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle [Amazon|Powell's]
• William Gibson, Neuromancer [Amazon|Powell's]
• James Gunn, The Listeners [Amazon|Powell's]
• Robert A. Heinlein, The Puppet Masters [Amazon|Powell's]
• Frank Herbert, Dune [Amazon|Powell's]
• Ursula Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness [Amazon|Powell's]
• China Miéville, Perdido Street Station [Amazon|Powell's]
• Frederik Pohl, Gateway [Amazon|Powell's]
• Charles Stross, Accelerando (free download here) [Amazon|Powell's]
• Theodore Sturgeon, More than Human [Amazon|Powell's]
• Jack Vance, The Languages of Pao [Amazon|Powell's]
• Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan [Amazon|Powell's]
• A. E. van Vogt, The World of Null-A [Amazon|Powell's]
• H. G. Wells, The Time Machine [Amazon|Powell's]
• ___, The War of the Worlds [Amazon|Powell's]

And here are the books that we removed from the SF-novels version of this course - still important and recommended works for understanding the history of the SF novel, but we only have so much time to discuss:

• Brian W. Aldiss, Helliconia Spring [Amazon|Powell's]
• Isaac Asimov, The Foundation Trilogy [Amazon|Powell's]
• Samuel R. Delany, Babel-17 [Amazon|Powell's]
• Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants [Amazon|Powell's]
• Robert Silverberg, Dying Inside [Amazon|Powell's]
• Gene Wolfe, The Shadow of the Torturer [Amazon|Powell's]

McKitterick was on Minnesota Public Radio's "The Daily Circuit" show, a "summer reading" show dedicated to spec-fic and remembering Ray Bradbury. Great to see Public Radio continuing to cover SF after their "100 Best SF Novels" list. Here's what he added to the show's blog:

A great resource for finding wonderful SF is to check out the winners and finalists for the major awards. For example, here's a list of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award winners. And here's a list of recent finalists for the Award. Here's the list of the Nebula Award novel winners. And the Hugo Award winners, which has links to each year's finalists, as well. A couple of books I didn't get a chance to mention include Ray Bradbury's R Is for Rocket, which contains a story that turned me into an author: "The Rocket" (along with Heinlein's Rocketship Galileo and Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time). Bradbury's Dandelion Wine is another, along with books like Frank Herbert's Dune, Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Clifford Simak's City (a Minnesota native), SF anthologies like James Gunn's Road to Science Fiction and the DAW Annual Year's Best SF, and tons more. Personally, my favorite Bradbury short story is pretty much everything Bradbury every wrote. His writing is moving and evocative like Simak and Theodore Sturgeon's - probably why those three made such an impression on the young-me. But if I had to pick only one that most influenced me as a writer, it would probably be "The Rocket," a beautiful story about a junk-man who has to decide between his personal dreams of space and love of his family. It was adapted into a radio show for NBC's "Short Story" series (you can listen to the MP3 audio recording here).

He was on again when they did a story on "What did science fiction writers predict for 2012?" The other guest was a futurist - an interesting discussion!

Stay tuned for more to come!

* "'History of Science Fiction' is a graphic chronology that maps the literary genre from its nascent roots in mythology and fantastic stories to the somewhat calcified post-Star Wars space opera epics of today. The movement of years is from left to right, tracing the figure of a tentacled beast, derived from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds Martians. Science Fiction is seen as the offspring of the collision of the Enlightenment (providing science) and Romanticism, which birthed gothic fiction, source of not only SF, but crime novels, horror, westerns, and fantasy (all of which can be seen exiting through wormholes to their own diagrams, elsewhere). Science fiction progressed through a number of distinct periods, which are charted, citing hundreds of the most important works and authors. Film and television are covered as well."

- Ward Shelly discussing this excellent "History of Science Fiction" infographic - now available for purchase!