Significant World Writers
Course Guidelines

"I can't profess to explain what happened in my mind. No doubt it could
all be traced directly or indirectly to the curious physical
conditions under which I was living” (116).
H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon (1901)


the basics / course goals / path 1 / path 2 / miscellany

THE BASICS

English 459: Transatlantic and World Literature
thematic touchstone: The Architecture of Dystopia
class time & location: T/R 9-11 a.m. (bldng 26, rm 221)
instructor: Dr. Paul Marchbanks
email: pmarchba@calpoly.edu
office: 805-756-2159 / building 47 (the "maze"), hallway 35, office A / available hours
home: 805-593-0192 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

The terrestrial utopia is a chimaera, an illusory, constructed vision inflected by frustrated desire and lofty hopes.  No ideal society has ever existed outside a past romanticized by distance, or that visionary future infused with possibility.  Dystopia, on the other hand, has always been with us, variously perceived by the individual aware of their own oppression.  Material realities, variable social hierarchies, and singular trauma combine with temperamental singularities to forge the grievances of the disenfranchised in every culture throughout history.  The term dystopia, from the Greek dus (hard) and topos (place), may have only a few years behind it (John Stuart Mill first used "dys-topians," sarcastically, during a 1968 Parliamentary meeting about religious equality in Ireland), but the experience of shared injustices and trauma is perennial.

This course's collection of dystopic fictions provides a sort of practical survival manual in the face of global catastrophe. In addition to illustrating how local and federal governments on both sides of the Atlantic might recalibrate following cataclysmic events, these novels examine the microcosms of familial and communal relationships and consider the various ways they respond to prolonged strain. They also analyze the stress points in the individual mind and body, exploring how sustained tension can exploit fissures in our identities and values.

Whether we actually face a nuclear holocaust or germ warfare in our lifetimes, the issues asked by this course's texts will prompt meaningful reflection and--like all good literature--help prepare us for some of the overwhelming stressors life inevitably brings. Prepare yourself for some gnarly scenarios, and substantial reading.

COURSE GOALS

• to encourage introspection
• to promote close reading and analysis
• to develop visual as well as text-based literacies
• to augment student recognition of tone and voice
• to deepen students' comfort with public speaking through class discussion, small group exercises, and an oral presentation
• to hone critical thinking, writing, and argumentation skills without any use of generative A.I. My proscription against A.I. accords with reasons articulated by Meghan O'Rourke, David Brooks, and Frank Bruni.
• to cull ideas from and analytical methods inspired by other fields (e.g. psychology, sociology, architecture, civil engineering, philosophy) and apply them to literary analysis
• to reexamine a genre often dismissed as fantasy, and consider whether it offers practical, helpful observations about human nature and social systems

PATH 1: In-Class Discussion and Exams

Materials (purchase these editions)

• Mary Shelley's The Last Man (1826). Oxford Univ. Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0199552351
• H. G. Wells's The Time Machine (1895). Dover, 1995. ISBN: 978-0486284729
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland. 1915. Dover, 1998. ISBN: 978-0486404295
• Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. 1932. Harper, 2006.  ISBN: 978-0060850524
• C. S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man (1943). HarperOne, 2015. ISBN: 978-0060652944
• Doris Lessing's The Memoirs of a Survivor (1974). Vintage, 1988. ISBN: 978-0394757599
• P. D. James's The Children of Men (1992). Vintage, 2006. ISBN: 978-0307275431
• Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower (1993). Grand Central, 2000. ISBN: 978-1538732182
• Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake (2003). Vintage, 2004. ISBN: 978-0385721677
• Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) / required film screening at The Palm on Mon., Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. / $10 for ticket
• [Brian K. Vaughan's and Pia Guerra's Y: The Last Man (2003). Vertigo, 2014. ISBN: 978-1401251512

Assignments & Assessment

• class performance (51%, 17 daily grades of 3 pts each). Daily performance grades are determined by quiz grades and participation. Daily performance grades measure students' familiarity with the assigned texts each step along the way. To succeed, read closely, refer to the points for reflection as you go, and generate marginal comments in your books. Do not use a laptop or cell phone.
  • quizzes: each quiz (15 questions) will usually be worth up to 2 points. These quizzes will measure how closely you read, so do not wait till exhausted to crack your book, and definitely do not rely on summaries generated by A.I., etc. Objective quizzes will contain questions you will answer in 7-10 minutes. Quizzes may draw from the current day's readings, as well as the previous class session's readings and discussion.
  • participation: on a day governed by class discussion (there will be many), students will actively demonstrate their knowledge of assigned texts by the quality and frequency of their contributions:
    • half a point may be earned by students who show up for class with appropriate texts in hand, stay for the entire class session, and participate minimally.
    • one point may be earned by a student who also shares 1-3 appropriate, specific observations bolstered by textual evidence--complete with page numbers.
    • one and a half points may be earned by a student who also draws insightful connections among various assigned texts and/or various student observations.
  • share the floor with others to spread participation credit around . . .
  • I will assign participation grades immediately after class ends, then post these and quiz grades the following day. A student who performs well on a particular quiz and also contributes significantly to class discussion will max out at 3.2 points on a given day. (Accumulating the extra .2 points across fifteen class sessions could replace an entire, missed day of class.)
• impassioned pleas (10%, 5 pts each): students will post two 125-150 word responses on Digging in the Dirt, comments generated by each student (not A.I.) that respond to:
  • A.I. Ate My Homework: some musings on A.I.'s impact on education, video arriving in Sept. / DUE by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23
  • a pre-screening primer on Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) / DUE before class on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
• required film screening (4%): Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) at The Palm movie theater in downtown SLO on Mon., Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. / $10 / Those not attending can write a 500-600 word essay during a 60-minute office hour to earn some of the 4 pts.
• midterm exam (15%): a closed-book, in-class essay exam. Bring an unsigned blue book; we will mix and redistribute them.
• term project (20%): a two-part creative writing project that will culminate in submission on Wednesday, Dec. 10 (9 a.m.) and a three-hour session during the slot allotted for this course's final exam. During this extended time together, each student will deliver a 10-minute oral presentation of their project for the rest of the class (Thursday, Dec. 11, 10:10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)
• extra credit: I will screen a dystopic or apocalyptic film at 6:30 p.m. on two Thursday evenings in the Community Room of Trinity Presbyterian downtown (1301 Osos St.). Engaging in the discussion following a screening will add 1-2 points to your final course average, depending on your contributions. Students may attend one or both film screenings for a combined total not to exceed 3 extra points. Students may instead take one hour (no less) during my office hours--the same week of the screening--to write a 500-600 word response to a prompt I provide about one of the films.
  • Thurs., Oct. 16 / Thurs., Albert Hughes's & Allen Hughes's The Book of Eli (2010)
  • Thurs., Nov. 13 / 6:30 p.m. / Alfonso Cuarón's The Children of Men (2006)
    

MISCELLANY

Grading

Contact

Take advantage of my frequent availability throughout the week. Go here to find an open slot, then email me to reserve that time for an office visit. The fastest way to contact me if you have a quick question is via email. You can also reach me in my office at 805-756-2159.

Writing Lab Center

Experienced writers at the University Writing & Rhetoric Center offer free assistance with writing assignments for any course. Using this service will improve even the best writer’s output. Visit their website to schedule an appointment in advance of your desired date.

Plagiarism and the Honor Code

I encourage you to improve your writing with the help of peers, instructors, and myself. Remember, however, that all work you submit must be your own. (I will occasionally vet student work to verify authorship.) Any paper containing borrowed but undocumented thoughts or words will receive a failing grade (this includes material created by generative A.I.), and, in such instances, I will dock 10 points from your final grade. I am obligated to report all instances of plagiarism to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Let me know if you have further questions concerning this important issue.



Raphaelesque Head Exploding (1951)
Salvador Dalí

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu