Schedule

Schedule
All reading and writing assignments are due on the days listed.

Except for some films, all texts not available through the College Bookstore will be provided in-class or on our OpenLab course site (including readings on writing process/strategies to accompany our in-class writing workshops and help you with your assignments). It is your responsibility to print out these texts and bring them to class with you (you can print for free at the college’s computer labs). It is mandatory to have the assigned texts printed and in class when we are discussing them. If you don’t, you will be considered absent for the day.

Additional texts may be added throughout the semester to supplement the texts listed here.

You will notice that some days are devoted entirely to discussing reading, some days are devoted entirely to discussing writing, and some days we will discuss both reading and writing. Some classes require a heavy amount of reading and/or writing, so I encourage you to plan ahead.

*Always consult this dynamic schedule on our OpenLab site for the most up-to-date version of the schedule, access to readings, and more detail about assignments

 

Date Focus Reading/Writing (Due on Date Listed)
Th 1/29 Introduction to Course, and OpenLab, and Science Fiction

Writing Workshop: blogging (posting, categorizing, commenting, adding links & media)

Class Notes: Chris

Read/Watch

Blog/Due

  • Blog: Introductions (due Su 2/1)
  • Register for OpenLab account, join our course site, and   familiarize yourself with its content and navigation (look at OpenLab Help to get started blogging)
  • Review Syllabus & OpenLab Composing

 

Th 2/5 Writing Workshop: active reading (vocabulary; identifying claims and evidence); summary, paraphrase, quotation, citation

Class Notes: Louis

Read/Watch

Blog/Due

  • Response #1 (due Tu 2/3) – make sure to actively read/watch the texts (looking up words you don’t know, taking notes, asking questions, etc.) & to use specifics from the texts in your response, citing the short story by p. # & the movie by time (minute/seconds).
Th 2/12 NO CLASS (Lincoln’s Birthday – College Closed) Read/Watch

  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick), chapters 1-5
  • Catch up on all reading/viewing from beginning of semester

Blog/Due

  • Response #2 (due Tu 2/10), categorize appropriately
Th 2/19 Writing Workshop: making claims and supporting them with evidence

Class Notes: JC

Read/Watch

  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick), chapters 6-15

*Shown/discussed in class:

Blog/Due

  • Response #3 (due Tu 2/17), categorize appropriately
Th 2/26 Writing Workshop: paragraph structure and development (topic sentences, transitions, claims, evidence)

Class Notes: Randy

Read/Watch

  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick), chapters 16-22

Blog/Due

  • Response #4 (due Tu 2/24), categorize appropriately. Don’t forget to use textual evidence (quotes/specifics from the text) and to cite that evidence in MLA format using in-text citations
  • By Su 2/22, pick “People’s Choice” blogs for first three response blogs & leave comments on them (comment on at least 3 people’s posts)
  • By W 2/25, pick “People’s Choice” blog for this week’s post (on the final section of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) & leave comments on them (comment on at least 3 people’s posts)

*Presenters/Discussion Facilitators for Today’s Class

  • Summary/Synthesis of Blog Posts
    • ch. 1-5: Nicholai
    • ch. 6-15: Karl
    • ch. 16-22: Zak
  • Reading Presenters
    • ch. 1-5: Surge
    • ch. 6-15: Pete
    • ch. 16-22: John

 

Th 3/5 Writing Workshop: quotations, analysis, citation

Class Notes: Eugene

Read/Watch

Blog/Due

  • Response #5, to Blade Runner (due Tu 3/3), categorize appropriately
  • Response #6, to MoMA exhibit (due W 3/4), with connection to the texts we’ve read
  • By W 3/4, pick “People’s Choice” blog for this week’s post (on Blade Runner) & leave comments on them (comment on at least 3 people’s posts)
  • By Th 3/5 by noon (12pm), pick “People’s Choice” blog for MoMA exhibit post (& leave comments)
  • Class Discussion of Crowdsourcing what constitute the “human” and the “authentic (initial comments by Su 3/1, additional comments by Tu 3/3)

*Presenters/Discussion Facilitators

  • Summary/Synthesis of Blog Posts
    • Blade Runner: Randy
    • Class Discussion (+ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? graphic novel presentation): Eugene
  • Reading Presenters
    • Blade Runner: Chris 
    • Metropolis: JC
    • MoMA exhibit: Andrew, Joel
Th 3/12 Writing Workshop: peer review (how to respond to others’ writing); strategies for revision (reverse outlining, color-coding)

Class Notes: Danny

Read/Watch

*Optional/recommended texts

Blog/Due

**If you haven’t seen the exhibit/blogged yet, you have until Su 3/8 to still do so for credit!

  • Class Discussion: Blade Runner, since the snow day (who knew?!) cut our in-class discussion short 🙂 ((initial comments by Su 3/8, additional comments by Tu 3/10). To receive credit, you must provide specifics/cite!
  • Response #7, to “There Will Come Soft Rains” texts, (due Tu 3/10, categorize appropriately) – consider the concept of “adaptation” (for different media/contexts/purposes/audiences).

*Note: if you don’t provide specifics/concrete discussion in your post along with correctly formatted in-text citations, your post will receive no credit.

*Note: for this week, in additional to your discussion, you must include one outside example (with relevant link/citation) to add to the conversation (it can be anything–an article, TV show, film, blog post, current event, etc.–as long as you clearly relate it back to this week’s reading)

  • Vote for this week’s “People’s Choice” posts (on W 3/11, after all posts are submitted by Tu 3/10) & comment on blogs along the way.

*Don’t forget to put your name in the (second) name boxes, and the person’s name you’re voting for in the big (first) text box (in the same space as your rationale).

Th 3/19 In-Class Peer Review of Project #1, First Drafts

*Professor Belli away at conference; class will be held; Professor Lovegreen covering class

Read/Watch

Blog/Due

Th 3/26 Midterm Review

Class Notes: Donovan

Read/Watch

Blog/Due

Th 4/2 In-Class Midterm Exam

*Mid-semester grades distributed this week (please see Professor Belli if you need to discuss your work/status in the course)

Read/Watch

  • Review for Midterm
  • Begin reading Woman on the Edge of Time (long sections for the next few weeks)
Th 4/9 NO CLASS (Spring Break) Read/Watch

  • Woman on the Edge of Time (Marge Piercy), chapters 1-4

Blog/Due

  • Response #8 (due: Th 4/9 – thanks to Donovan’s request 🙂 )
  • Vote for this week’s People’s Choice Post (due Sa 4/11) after all posts are submitted (Th 4/9) & comment on blogs along the way.

*Don’t forget to put your name in the (second) name boxes, and the person’s name you’re voting for in the big (first) text box (in the same space as your rationale).

Th 4/16 Class Notes: Andrew Read/Watch

  • Woman on the Edge of Time (Marge Piercy), chapters 5-9
  • Science Fiction: A Short Introduction (chapter 4: “Utopias and dystopias” & chapter 5: “Fictions of time”)

Blog/Due

*This week we’re back to normal deadlines: blogs due Tuesday nights and People’s Choice votes/comments by Wednesday nights)

  • Response #9 (back to normal d
  • Vote for People’s Choice Post
Th 4/23 Class Notes: Surge

*Individual conferences with Professor Belli this Week to Discuss Project #1 / Midterm Exam & Project #2 Ideas

Read/Watch

  • Woman on the Edge of Time (Marge Piercy), chapters 10-14

Blog/Due

*Vote for People’s Choice Post (from Responses #8 & 9) & comment on posts by Su 4/19

  • Participate in OpenLab “Class Discussion” on Woman on the Edge of Time
  • Response #10
  • Vote for People’s Choice Post & comment on posts by W 4/22
Th 4/30  Class Notes: Joel Read/Watch

  • Woman on the Edge of Time (Marge Piercy), chapters 15-20

Blog/Due

  • Project #2 Proposals (by F 4/24)
  • Response #11
  • Vote for People’s Choice Post & comment on posts by W 4/29
Th 5/7 *In-Class “Lab Day” for Project #2 (bring laptops, tablets, sources, drafts, etc. to class to work / get feedback)

Class Notes: Leo

Read/Watch

  • Science Fiction: A Short Introduction (Chapter 6: The field of science fiction)

Blog/Due

  • Project #2, Drafts
Th 5/14 *Class will be held this week at Singularity & Co., NYC’s only Vintage SciFi, Fantasy, & Pulp Bookstore. We will meet there. Please arrive no later than 2:30pm, as we will get a brief overview / tour of the store then.

In-Class Student Presentations (Leo, Donovan, Aaron, Jonathan S., John, Danny, Zac)

Class Notes: Aaron, Zac, Pete, Karl

Blog/Due

Th 5/21 *Finals Week
In-Class Student PresentationsClass Notes: Jonathan S., John, & Nicholai
Blog/Due