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English 212, section 16 -- Topics in Critical Writing--Bablyon 5: Envisioning the Future

Are you interested in the future? Are you curious about how science fiction depicts the future? This course covers the television series, Babylon 5, and the novel, Patternmaster.

Our look at the future will be in various modes. We will do some research on the future, watch shows that depict the future, read about the future, and envision the future as presented by what we have read, seen, and imagined about it.

NOTE: This syllabus may change as class needs dictate.

If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number [for example, using my name the subject line would be: Dallas, English 212-16] to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam. Please ensure that you use your SVSU e-mail account for a reply within 24 hours, otherwise a reply may take up to 96 hours.

English 212 -- B5 Assignments, Attendance, Absence & Policies Grading & T.M.E. (the minimum effort)

Shhh! Charlene is trying to nap!

ENGL212: Emphasizes processes of critical reading and writing, as applied to several modes of communication. Frequent writing assignments for different audiences, with attention to disciplinary conventions and rhetorical strategies for argument in academic discourse. Workshop approaches. Includes work in developing research questions and using library and electronic resources. Refines abilities to analyze both student and professional texts. Specific content for reading may be organized by theme. Sample topics: Introduction of Rhetoric, Reading Media, Writing About the Holocaust, Writing in Cyberspace. (Cross-listed with ENGL 285.) Prerequisite: ENGL 111

Overview and Objectives :: Homework & Schedule :: Assignments & Grading

Overview:
How do you envision the future? We will be reading a book, Patternmaster, examining articles, online commentary, and the television series Babylon 5 to analyze how the future is depicted. In-class and online discussions, written papers, and visual critiques or interpretations will be components of this course. These documents will be critical reflections and responses to Babylon 5 as a utopic or dystopic society. VSpace will supplement this syllabus as a place for online discussion and analysis of visual representations. A visual project and analysis paper will be submitted that presents the student's concept of the future, or offers a critique on one of the Babylon 5 episodes, or offers a critique of Patternmaster. The visual project will consist of a short movie and the analysis paper will be two to three pages. The movie and a critical analysis on its composition and purpose will be a part of the B5 project portfolio.

Course objectives are designed to enable students to:

• develop strategies for for critical reading and analysis of visual texts [technology profile, syllabus response, commentaries]
• write effective, researched academic texts in English [analysis paper]
• create a visual project that formulates a critical response to class discussions and readings [visual project].

If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam.

NOTE: All responses and work for the course (B5 course portfolio) will be burned to CD and turned in at the final examination period.

Required Texts:

John Fiske and John Hartley, Reading Television, 2nd ed, Taylor & Francis, 2003, ISBN 0415323533

Octavia Butler, Patternmaster, Aspect, 1995, ISBN: 0446362816
-or- Octavia Butler, Seed to Harvest, Warner Books, 2007, ISBN: 0446698903

Other resources

• Student Technology Center, 2nd Floor, Zahnow Library here
• The Writing Center, 3rd Floor, Zahnow Library here
• Research assistance at SVSU Zahnow Library here
• Information Technology Services @ SVSU here
• English Department grading rubric here
• Your local public library *elsewhere*

Course weekly schedule:
Activities are DUE on the date indicated by the course schedule. Please review to plan your time wisely.
Class days: T = Tuesday; R=Thursday
Assignments: indicated by bold text
Episodes: listed as B5.1, which means Babylon 5, episode 1

Format for assignments and responses:
Each response paper will be typed, single-spaced, with one-inch margins. Use Arial 12 point, Bookman Old Style12 point, or Century Gothic 11 point fonts. The top of the paper should be formatted as such:

[your name]
English 212-16
Dr. Dallas
[date]

Then skip a line and center the following: [title of B5 episode or chapters of Patternmaster]. Skip another line and begin your paper. Your paper should be at least one page, but not more than one page. For each day (or portion thereof) that your assignment is late, two (2) points will be deducted.

Syllabus response -- 5 points:
Read over the three webpages to the online syllabus and formulate a response (see above specifics) in the following format:
~ Structure--one page, one image, and at least 300 words covering the Content and Question sections below:

Technology profile -- 5 points:
Design/write a paper based on the following Structure and Content:
Structure--One page; One image; and At least 300 words.
Content--This class takes a look at the future through science fiction. What do you think about the future? How will the future shape itself? What problem will persist in the future? What problem will be solved in the future?

Babylon 5 episode commentaries: Watching the future -- six commentaries of 5 points each for a total of 30 points:
The Babylon 5 television series takes a look at telepaths and mental telepathy. This is one aspect that can be addressed in your response papers. These papers are designed to be critical responses to watching the future as depicted in Babylon 5, the television series, using the critiques from the Reading Television text. Babylon 5 begins with a voice-over:

It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. It's goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call, a home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs and wanderers: humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace.This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations.The year is 2258.

The name of the place is Babylon 5.

Weekly critical analysis papers (commentaries) will examine some aspect of the episodes for the week and discuss those issues. In order to keep details handy, students will receive a "notes sheet" which will have a brief synopsis of the episode for that day. They can jot down important points, or questions that they may have. We can discuss these in class. The weekly critical analysis papers will discuss an aspect of the episode in more detail. You may choose to use the Reading Television assignment as a focus for your comments, compare aspects of Patternmaster, and make connections with contemporary issues. For each day your response is late, two points are deducted.

References:
Killick, J. (1997). Babylon 5 season by season: Signs and portents. New York: DelRey.
Lane, A. (1997). The Babylon file: The definitive unauthorised guide to J . Michael Straczynski’s TV series Babylon 5. London, Virgin.

Patternmaster commentaries: Reading about the future -- two commentaries of 5 points each for a total of 10 points: Octavia Butler's Patternmaster, a novel first written in 1976, has some interesting commentary on telepaths and mental telepathy. Two responses will cover the prologue and chapters 1 through 5, and then chapters 6 through 9 of the book. Summarize the chapters, discussing an aspect of Patternmaster that you think is important, comparing aspects of Babylon 5 as necessary. No response paper turned in translates into a "zero."

Analysis paper and visual project: Envisioning the future -- paper is 20 points, project is 10 points for a total of 30 points:
One major outcome of this course will be to fashion our version of the future. Students will consider the various viewpoints we have studied on the future, and generate their response through a a two- to three-page analysis paper that critiques a perspective of the future. Accompanying this paper will be a three- to five-minute Windows Movie Maker movie, or a Mac iMovie that visually depicts their concept of the future.

The analysis paper will examine and analyze the future from the perspective of NASA (historical overview) to what Babylon 5 and Patternmaster offer as the future. A two- to three-page, single-spaced critical analysis paper will be due that compares how an aspect of the future is examined in the novel and Babylon 5. This paper will cite at least five references or outside sources--four print and one electronic--in addition to the texts and series episodes (taking notes should help you determine which specific episodes reference your chosen topic. A one-page, single-spaced rough draft is due 3/27/08. The draft is worth 5 points, and the final version (with references) is worth 15 points.

You will do some library research on an area of interest that is triggered by Babylon 5 or Patternmaster.

As a visual project guide to this movie short, we will generate a storyboard to help plan the images, the music, and the voice-overs in the creation of this project. The visual project is worth 10 points.

The first step to creating a movie about the future is to plan it. Having a focus or guideline gives the project structure. Using the storyboard process makes this easier. First, think about what you want to say. Then draw rough pictures of each frame of thought, adding comments as dialog or music background. Think about the transitions that you want to have when moving from scene to scene. Having these ideas in mind and plans on paper BEFORE you start composing them on the computer will save you hours of frustration.

B5 Portfolio -- 10 points:
Your syllabus response, technology profile, Babylon 5 episode/Patternmaster responses, research paper, and visual project will be burned to CD. Your responses should be saved as .RTF files. This item is due at the final exam period.

Final exam -- 10 points:
The final exam details will be provided during the examination period.