2014-15 AM Speculative Fiction

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• Time: Thu, 10:00 - 12:00
• Venue: A01 0-010 b
• Course: 3.02.140
• Lecturer: Anna Auguscik
• Modul: ang614 Genres: Cultural, Historical and Theoretical Perspectives

• Course Description:

What is speculative fiction? Is it a synonym for science fiction or does it function as an umbrella term for sci-fi and fantasy? Does it only apply to future scenarios or could it also be applied to fictional representations of alternative histories? The term was first mentioned in an 1889 review in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine but was only defined and put to use by writer Robert A. Heinlein half a century later. Recently, 'speculative fiction' has had a comeback in literary debates about the relationship between 'literary' and 'genre' fiction - not least due to Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam trilogy (2003, 2009, 2013).

In this seminar we will track the different meanings of speculative fiction, its history, its proponents and contestants. We will read two novels which were (controversially) discussed as speculative fiction in journalistic and academic criticism - Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. In the fifth week of the seminar we will attend a reading by and conversation with philosopher and novelist Rebecca Goldstein in Bremen. In addition, we will have a guest lecturer from Canada, Professor Janine Rogers, who will not only join our discussion of Oryx and Crake but who will also offer a workshop on teaching 'literature and science' - a thriving field of research and education which will be of core interest to any current/future educator.

Please, make sure to purchase and read the two novels in advance (both will be made available at the CvO bookshop). Your reading of them is prerequisite to the course.

• Margaret Atwood. Oryx & Crake (2003). London: Virago, 2013.
• Kazuo Ishiguro. Never Let Me Go [2005]. London: Faber and Faber, 2010.

• Additional materials for preparation, as well as the detailed syllabus, will be made available here.

• Course Requirements

• Requirements for 6 KP: regular attendance and a written/oral contribution in the form of a project, with a term paper of ca. 10-12 pp. based on the topic of the project.
• As part of the "Aktive Teilnahme" regulation:

    Die aktive Teilnahme besteht aus folgenden Komponenten
    - regelmäßige Anwesenheit: max. 2 Abwesenheiten und gegebenenfalls Nacharbeit
    - Vor- und Nachbereitung des Seminarstoffs (Gruppenprojekte, Vorbereitung/Lektüre von Texten) 
    - Entwicklung einer wissenschaftlichen Fragestellung aus dem Problembereich des Seminars, durch:
      *Übernahme von Ergebnispräsentationen und 
      *(nur falls Seminararbeit angestrebt, verschriftlicht, ansonsten als Teil der Präsentation) 
       Entwicklung einer Research Paper Outline im Laufe des Semesters (die Zeitangaben verstehen sich als Empfehlungen): 
       Wahl eines Themenbereichs (bis ...),
       Abstract mit Fragestellung inkl. Forschungsbibliographie (RPO) (bis ...), 
       Vorstellung der Fragestellung in der letzten Semestersitzung.

Part I:

Session 1 Thu, 23 Oct

• Introduction

Session 2 Thu, 30 Oct

• Genre and Speculative Fiction

Session 3 Thu, 6 Nov

• Atwood

Session 4 Thu, 13 Nov

• Atwood with Janine Rogers

Session 5 Wed, 19 Nov

• Rebecca Goldstein

Session 6 Thu, 27 Nov

• Ishiguro

Session 7 Thu, 4 Dec

• Ishiguro

   [Specify research interest until ...]

Session 10 Thu, 8 Jan

 [Hand in RPOs until ...]

Session 11 Thu, 15 Jan

• evaluation

Materials

Bibliography

Tools

• Handout: Traditions in our discourse about literature
• Handout: Narratology