2019 Why Read Sci Fi

DIRECTIONS: Work on one person's paper at a time. Please answer in complete sentences and take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on your answers. You do not need to write down the questions. You should address all questions within a given section. Give the notes to the Paper Author when finished. They will hand it in to me next week at the beginning of class on the day your final paper is due, and you will both get credit for the assignment. 1)  Is the essay's thesis clear? Point out any areas where it could be clearer. Is it arguable? Is it well-qualified (specific)? Even if the thesis seems to be specific enough, suggest a way for the writer to make it even more specific and narrow (i.e. do they list the topics they plan to discuss in the body paragraphs?). Also note any awkward grammar or unclear word choice. (Note: the thesis should not just be a list of topics with no indication of why they matter and what ties them together). 2) Does the...

The book is titled The Stepford Wives, but it could also be titled The Stepford Husbands. What do you make of the husbands in the novel, and what are their goals?       How is this a book about domestic labor and the invisible work that housewives and mothers do? What are the forms of labor that they do that are uncompensated and often not seen or appreciated?    How do media and pornographic representations of women inform the men’s vision of the “perfect” Stepford Wives? The Disney animatronics play a role in the narrative, as the creator of the women robots is a Disney animatronics engineer. In addition to being known for their  cutting-edge  innovations, Disney has also long been a huge influencer in terms of the American imagination. How might Disney’s “worldview” have also influenced the men in the novel? Do you see any parallels between The S tepford  W ives  robots and early Disney princesses such as Snow Whi...

1) How does social media affect the relationship between the two romantic partners in the episode Be Right Back, before he dies? 2) How has the way we deal with grief changed due to social media? Consider for a moment Facebook's "Legacy Contact" option, which allows users to select a friend or family member to keep their account alive (think of a "digital" gravestone) after their death, or to elect to have ones account deleted upon their death. 3) How is this Facebook Legacy Contact option similar to the robot technology in the episode Be Right Back? If the technology in the episode were really possible, do you think it would be ethical to bring back someone back in this manner after they die? What are the potential consequences of doing so (consider what happens to the woman in the episode)? 4) What are some of the existential questions that AI and androids raise, in this episode and more generally? What do they have to teach us about what i...

Thursday, 2/28, bring two printed copies of your rough draft to class for workshop. While your final draft needs to be 4-5 full pages (so, that means, minimum four FULL pages), the rough draft may be as brief as 3 full pages. Just don't forget to make the final draft at least four FULL pages. Other requirements to the rough draft include: at least three outside sources, plus Kindred , must be used in the draft (not simply listed on the Works Cited page) and also listed on a separate Works Cited page. Make sure that the Works Cited page is its own page and note that it does not count toward the overall page requirement. Use 12 pt font, one inch  margins (no more), and double-space the draft.  Two thoughts to consider for your paper: 1) No matter which prompt you selected, you should have one to three topics you will cover in your paper. These should be listed in your thesis or first paragraph, and then your paper should focus on them and only them throughout. These ...

A lot of time travel narratives deal with what is called "The Grandfather Paradox." From Wikipedia: "The grandfather paradox is a paradox of time travel in which inconsistencies emerge through changing the past. The name comes from the paradox's common description as a person who travels to the past and kills their own grandfather, preventing the existence of their father or mother and therefore their own existence. Any inconsistency in past events may be regarded as a grandfather paradox." One of the things I asked you to think about with Kindred is how the past is already always alive in the present. One reason I asked you to think about this is because it necessarily points to how this novel is about a truth about past and present that goes deeper than The Grandfather Paradox, as the paradox is about linear time. In order to start understanding these distinctions, I'd like you, along with the person I paired you with, to create the bas...