LIT 3311.

06M Science Fiction

Summer 2006, MW, 1:00-5:00pm, SOM 2.722
NOTE: All matters associated with this course are subject to change at the instructor's discretion. Any
changes will be communicated to students.

Instructor Contact Information

Course Professor Office Telephone Email Office Hours
Dr. John F. Barber JO 4.128 972-883-2038 jfbarber@utdallas.edu MW 11-1 PM

Course Description
Explores selected Science Fiction themes and genres within the context of graphic novels. Readings
include: Orbiter, Superman: Secret Identity, Watchmen, Ghost in the Shell, Barefoot Gen (Vol. 1), The
Probability Broach, Terminal City, and Red Rocket 7. Course structure involves substantial weekly
readings and informed and engaged discussion of the assigned texts and the larger issues raised by
these readings. Final grades are determined from quizzes during each class meeting, attendance, and
participation. Missed quizzes may not be made up, nor may some other activity substitute for them.
No other alternatives for credit are available. Previous enrollment in another version of LIT 3311 is not
required.

Course Texts
Orbiter Superman: Secret Identity
Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen
Vertigo ISBN 1-40120-268-3 DC Comics ISBN 1-4012-0451-1

Watchmen Ghost in the Shell

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Masamune Shirow
DC Comics ISBN 0-930289-23-4 Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-081-3

Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1 Terminal City

Keiji Nakazawa Dean Motter
Last Gasp ISBN 0-86719-602-5 Vertigo ISBN 1-56389-391-6

Red Rocket 7 The Probability Broach

Mike Allred L. Neil Smith and Scott Bieser
Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-351-0 Big Head Press ISBN 0-9743814-1-1

Additional Resources
• Gravett, Paul. Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know. New York: HaperCollins, 2005.
ISBN 0-06-082425-5
• McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1993.
ISBN 0-06-097625-X
• Preiss, Bryon and Howard Zimmerman, eds. The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics, and
Manga. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2005. ISBN 0-312-34326-4; Available in UTD Library
• Rollins, Prentis. The Making of a Graphic Novel. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2006.
Printed as a flip book with an original science fiction graphic novel, The Resonator.
• Weiner, Stephen. The Rise of the Graphic Novel. New York: Nantier, Beal, Minoustchine, 2003.
ISBN 1-5613-368-2
• ImageTexT
A web-based journal committed to advancing the academic study of comic books,
comic strips, and animated cartoons
www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/

Grading
Final grades are determined by quiz grades and the instructor's evaluation of your participation. The
instructor is the final authority in all matters related to grades.
Quiz Grades
Quizzes may be given during any class meeting and will focus on assigned readings, past and/or
present. Quizzes may not be taken early. Missed quizzes may not be made up. There are no
opportunities to earn course grades through papers, reports, extra credit, and/or make-up work.

Participation
Full or partial points may be added or deducted in the calculation of final grades based on the
instructor's evaluation of individual student engagement with course expectations, requirements, and
activities.

Final Grades
Final grades will be determined from the following scale of 30 potential total earned points:
A = 26 > B = 20-25 C = 12-19 D = 6-11 F = 0-5

All required course work must be completed satisfactorily in order to pass this course. Incomplete
grades will not be granted. "+" and "-" grades will be used at the instructor's discretion and only in
special situations. Otherwise, all final grades will be "A-F."

Assignments and Academic Calendar

Week 1—Course Introduction and Overview

1. Wed. June 21, 2006
• Course introduction, discussion of requirements and expectations
• Graphic novels introduction

Week 2—Orbiter and Superman: Secret Identity (3 points)

2. Mon. June 26, 2006
Orbiter
Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran
Vertigo ISBN 1-40120-268-3

Additional Readings:
Ministry of Space, Warren Ellis
Alternative history; United Kingdom becomes the world leader in space exploration

Astronauts in Trouble: Live from the Moon, Larry Young, Matt Smith, and Charlie Adlord
The world's richest man returns to the moon. Journalists follow

The Invisible Frontier, Vols. 1 and 2

Francois Schuiten and Benoit Peeters

Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction, Paul Nahin
Physics, philosophy, and history of time travel including 60-page list of time travel stories and papers
American Institute of Physics, 2001. ISBN 0387985719

3. Wed. June 28, 2006 (3 points; 6 points total to date)

Superman: Secret Identity
Kurt Busiek, Stuart Immonen
DC Comics ISBN 1-4012-0451-1
We all have a secret identity, a metaphor for our inner selves, the real "me" we share with only a few
others across our lifetime. The difference between how the world sees us and who we think we are,
and how we manage this secret, makes for an interesting story. This poignant story focuses on how
Clark Kent manages his secret identity of Superman.

Additional Reading(s):
"Kurk Busiek's Superman: Secret Identity—Q & A"
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/news/107336388417774.htm

Superman Red Son

Mark Miller, Dave Johnson
DC Comics ISBN 1-4012-0191-1
The great American icon reimagined as a Soviet Hero

"Red Son" by Mark Miller

The story behind the creation of Superman Red Son," told by its creator.
<http://theages.superman.ws/History/redson/>

The Marvels
Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross
Marvel Comics, 1994
ISBN 1-4012-0451-1
Examines the Marvel Universe and its superheroes from the street-level, ordinary, everyday-life
perspective of an Everyman, news photographer Phil Sheldon.

Top Ten (Books 1 and 2)

Allan Moore and Gene Ha. Wildstorm, 2001 and 2003.<br />
Book 1, 2001, ISBN 1-56389-668-0; Book 2, 2003, ISBN 1-56389-966-3
The sometimes soap-operatic story of the members of Top 10, the police station of futuristic Neopolis,
a city where everyone has super powers and/or a secret identity.

Top Ten: Forty-Niners

Allan Moore and Gene Ha. Wildstorm, 2005.
ISBN 1-56389-757-1
The prequel to Top Ten. The early days of Neopolis' Police Department's efforts to bring order to
newly-created city for "science heroes" from both sides of World War II.

Gladiator
Philip Wylie. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 2004.
ISBN 0-8032-9840-4
The inspiration for Superman. A father experiments on his son, hoping to give him super powers. Once
he does, how does the son live with the knowledge and the responsibilities of his abilities?

The Great Comic Book Heroes

Jules Feiffer. Seattle: Fantagraphic Books, 2003.
ISBN 1-56097-501-6
Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Captain America, The Spirit: the comic heroes that inspired
Feiffer as a youth to become one of today's most renowned cartoonists.

Week 3—Watchmen
4. Mon. July 3, 2006 (3 points; 9 points total to date)
Watchmen
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
DC Comics ISBN 0-930289-23-4
Who watches the watchers? And what happens when we no longer need, or want, superheroes?
Annotations here:
http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Annotations/Alan%20Moore/Watchmen/watchmen%20index.htm

5. Wed. July 5, 2006 (3 points; 12 points total to date)

Watchmen
Week 4—Ghost in the Shell
6. Mon. July 10, 2006 (3 points; 15 points total to date)
Ghost in the Shell
Masamune Shirow
Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-081-3
Cyborgs and the post-human condition

7. Wed. July 12, 2006 (3 points; 18 points total to date)

Ghost in the Shell

Week 5—Barefoot Gen and The Probability Broach

8. Mon. July 17, 2006 (2 points; 21 points total to date)
Barefoot Gen, Vol. 1
Keiji Nakazawa
Last Gasp ISBN 0-86719-602-5
A true life account by a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack

Additional Reading(s):
Hiroshima, John Hershey
When the Wind Blows, Raymond Briggs
Alas, Babylon, Pat Frank
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
"There Will Come Soft Rains" Ray Bradbury,
<http://home.earthlink.net/~hiflyer/APbradbury/twcsr.htm>

9. Wed. July 19, 2006 (3 points; 24 points total to date)

The Probability Broach
L. Neil Smith and Scott Bieser
Big Head Press ISBN 0-9743814-1-1
A tale of alternate history and two-fisted action

Week 6—Terminal City and Red Rocket 7

10. Mon. July 24, 2006 (3 points; 27 points total to date)
Terminal City
Dean Motter
Vertigo ISBN 1-56389-391-6
Retro Noir Futuristic character-rich city with lots and lots of pictures

Additional Reading(s):
by Dean Motter
• Terminal City: Aerial Graffiti
Continues the adventures
• Mister X, Vol. 1 and 2
Story about the architect who built, and then tries to destroy The Shining City
• Electropolis
Menlo Park, robot detective, solves the murder of his partner
Metropolis, Thea Von Harbou
The classic novel of the city of the future; The basis for the movie Metropolis; Inspiration for others

11. Wed. July 26, 2006 (3 points; 30 points total to date)

Red Rocket 7
Mike Allred
Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-351-0
Aliens, Clones, Rock and Roll
Personal Communication Device Policy
Turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other personal communication devices before the start of class.
Their sounding/signaling and/or use during class will result in your banishment.

Student Conduct and Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for
the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each
student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations that govern student conduct
and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD
publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year. The
University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on
Student Services and Activities of the university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these
rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602,
972/883-6391). A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents' Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal
penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for
that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or
her scholastic work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions
related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's own
work or material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected
of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings. Plagiarism, especially from the web,
from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt
with under the university's policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use
the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90%
effective. NOTE: THE FINDING OF ANY FAILURE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY will result in immediate
course failure and possible further sanctions under standing University policies.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student's U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD
student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of
all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each
student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel.
The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their
U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures
must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class.
In other words, the instructor cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper
paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to
attend the class once you are enrolled.
Student Grievance Procedures
Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. In attempting to resolve any student grievance
regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of
the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor,
administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the
matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent
with a copy of the respondent's School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the
grievance is not resolved by the School Dean's decision, the student may make a written appeal to the
Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties. Copies of these rules and regulations are
available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to
assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester's end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required
work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified
deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F. NOTE: FOR THIS CLASS
incomplete grades will not be allowed.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union.
Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The contact information for the Office of Disability
Services is:
The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to
remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for
students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a
research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled
students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or
university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility
assistance. It is the student's responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to
verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the
travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt
from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated. The student is encouraged
to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in
advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence,
up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam
or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment. If a
student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the
instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her
designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or
designee.

Course Learning Objectives

1. Students will acquire knowledge about various genres of Science Fiction literature in the
context of graphic novels through reading and analyzing selected works
2. Students will understand themes and purpose of Science Fiction and their implications for the
larger, non-fiction world
3. Students will develop abstract conceptual and thinking skills through evaluating and critiquing
works of Science Fiction literature comprised of juxtaposed text and graphics

Specific Assessments
1. Students will express command and analysis of readings through informed and engaged class
discussions and quizzes focusing on assigned reading(s)
2. Students will collaboratively explore themes, purposes, and implication(s) highlighted by
assigned readings through class discussion and quizzes
3. Students will make connections between concepts in assigned readings as well as construct
bridges between collaborative ideas developed in class discussions and their larger lives

Criterion for Success

1. For each assigned reading, 75% of students will demonstrate knowledge of reading(s) through
logical, informed discussions regarding their content and purpose, as well as successfully
completing appropriate quizzes
2. For each assigned reading, 75% of students will collaboratively conduct discussions focusing
on theme, purpose, and implication of each assigned reading, as well as successfully
completing appropriate quizzes
3. For each assigned reading, 75% of students will demonstrate their ability to apply concepts
uncovered in assigned readings to larger cultural, social, political, or economic issues beyond
those readings, as well as successfully completing appropriate quizzes

LIT 3311 Science Fiction

Summer 2006

I was given a copy of the syllabus associated with this course, LIT 3311, Science Fiction. Course
details, as well as expectations and requirements, were explained to me and I was given the
opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification. I accept the course structure and policies as
explained but understand that the dynamic nature of teaching and learning may require changes as
the course progresses. Furthermore, I accept my responsibilities associated with this course and agree
to the process(es) for assessing and determining my final grade.

Date:

Print name:

Secret Code (four digits):