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The FA 48L Science Fiction Film course, taught by Tuba AY, examines cultural, social, and political anxieties reflected in the science fiction genre, focusing on the theme of 'the Other' through various cinematic examples. Attendance, participation, and timely submission of assignments are crucial, with strict policies on absences, late submissions, and plagiarism. The course includes a grading system based on two papers and a final exam, alongside a detailed weekly schedule of films and readings.

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Öykü Berrak Uslu
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3 views

fa_48l_syllabus_2024_fall

The FA 48L Science Fiction Film course, taught by Tuba AY, examines cultural, social, and political anxieties reflected in the science fiction genre, focusing on the theme of 'the Other' through various cinematic examples. Attendance, participation, and timely submission of assignments are crucial, with strict policies on absences, late submissions, and plagiarism. The course includes a grading system based on two papers and a final exam, alongside a detailed weekly schedule of films and readings.

Uploaded by

Öykü Berrak Uslu
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FA 48L

SCIENCE FICTION FILM


Instructor: Tuba AY
Contact e-mail: [email protected]
Lectures: Thursdays 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm at JF 108
Office Hours: By appointment

Course Description:
Under the guise of 'pure entertainment' with spectacular special effects and mise-en-scene, science fiction
has always been a film genre that reflects deep-rooted cultural, social and political fears and anxieties. The aim of this
course is to decipher these fears regarding the body, identity, race and gender, by concentrating on the various
figures of 'the Other' (biological other like the alien, or artificial other like the cyborg, the robot, the android etc.)
portrayed as the unfamiliar, the outsider, or the uncanny in various films. With cinematic examples from different
decades, this course also intends to explore the evolution of the ever-existent theme of 'the Other' in science fiction
through time due to the effects of modernity and postmodernity.

Policies:
 Attendance is strictly required and failure to attend lectures more than 5 times will result in a final
grade of F. Excused absences are those that have been discussed with me ahead of time or for which you
can provide reasonable documentation. In addition, class participation and excellent attendance can make a
difference if student is hovering between two grades. Mind that coming in late is disruptive, so please be on
time.

 Before class meetings, you are required to watch the selected film of the week on your own. If you can’t find
the movie please contact me earlier.
 You are required to read the material assigned on the syllabus in order to fully understand the weekly lecture
and to prepare for the class discussions. Check the Moodle course page often as there may be additional
resources to read or to watch.
 Paper deadlines are stated in your syllabus and late submissions will not be tolerated.

 Make-up exams are only possible for medical reasons and will be administered when a proper medical
documentation is submitted by the student in order to justify his/her absence. Do not demand to take a
make-up exam just because your grades are low.
 Plagiarism is a serious offense, which can result in a failing grade for the class. Acknowledge all reading and
research sources in your bibliography section and use quotation marks for your citations in your text as the
guide in your paper handout indicates. Otherwise, the paper you submitted will not be graded.
 If you want to get in touch with me, best way is by e-mail. If you need to discuss something with me at greater
length, you can meet with me by appointment.

Assigned Texts:
You can find your readings on the Moodle course page aligned according to the major topics listed below, within the
weekly schedule.

Grading System:
Paper 1 %30
Paper 2 %30
Final Exam %40

In order to qualify for full credit, papers should be submitted at their designated due dates. Papers received later than
due date will be penalized one letter grade per day. Late submissions after two days of its due will not be
accepted. You will be given a detailed handout regarding the subject of your paper along with some important rules of
citation that will prevent you from being condemned of plagiarism by the Turnitin system. Details about the papers will
be notified later.

Week 1 Introduction: Generic Distinctions and Characteristics of Science Fiction


Week 2 Film: Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) Restored Version

XENOPHOBIA AND THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL OTHER


Week 3 Film: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956)
M. Keith Booker, 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and
American Culture, pp. 59-73.
Cindy Hendershot, 'The Invaded Body: Paranoia and Radiation Anxiety in Invaders from Mars, It Came
from Outer Space, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Extrapolation, vol. 39, no.1, 1998, pp. 26-39.
Week 4 Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951)
M. Keith Booker, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and
American Culture, pp. 27-41.
Anne Cranny-Francis, 'Mapping Cultural Auracy: The Sonic Politics of The Day the Earth Stood Still',
Social Semiotics, vol. 17, no. 1, 2007, pp. 87-110.
Week 5 Film: The Men Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976)
Week 6 Film: District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)

ROBOTS, CYBORGS, AND ANDROIDS: THE ARTIFICIAL OTHERS


Week 7 Film: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) Director’s cut
M. Keith Booker, 'Blade Runner', Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture, pp.
171-186.
Daniel Dinello, 'Machines Out of Control: Artificial Intelligence and Androids', Technophobia!: Science
Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology, pp. 105-114.
Week 8 Film: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)
***Also view The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
Daniel Dinello, 'Rampaging Cyborgs: Bionics', Technophobia!: Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman
Technology, pp. 115-146.
Christine Cornea, 'The Masculine Subject of 1980's Blockbuster Era', Science Fiction Cinema:
Between Fantasy and Reality, pp. 111-130.
Week 9 Film: Bicentennial Man (Chris Columbus, 1999)
***Also view I, Robot (Alex Proyas, 2004)
Daniel Dinello, 'Cybernetic Slaves: Robotics', Technophobia!: Science Fiction Visions of Posthuman
Technology, pp. 58-86.
First Paper Due!

GENETIC DISCRIMINATION AND RACIAL CONTAMINATION: THE OTHER WITHIN AND AMONG US
Week 10 Film: The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
Adilifu Nama, 'Bad Blood: Fear of Racial Contamination', Black Space: Imagining Race in Science
Fiction Film, pp. 42-69.
Week 11 Film: Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)
David A. Kirby, 'The New Eugenics in Cinema: Genetic Determinism and Gene Therapy in GATTACA',
Science Fiction Studies, vol. 27, no. 2, July 2000, pp. 193-215.
Available on the web at: www.depauw.edu/sfs/essays/gattaca.htm
AI GONE AWRY: THE MACHINE AS THE OTHER
Week 12 Film: Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977)
***Also view The Matrix (Andy & Lana Warchowski, 1999)
Daniel Dinello, 'Machines Out of Control: Artificial Intelligence and Androids', Technophobia!: Science
Fiction Visions of Posthuman Technology, pp. 87-105.
Patricia Melzer, 'Our Bodies as Our Selves: Body, Subjectivity, and (Virtual) Reality in The Matrix',
Alien Constructions: Science Fiction and Feminist Thought , pp. 159-175.
Recommended Reading:
Stefan Herbrechter, 'The Posthuman Subject in The Matrix', The Matrix in Theory, Eds. Myriam
Diocaretz & Stefan Herbrechter, pp. 249- 289.

GENDER POLITICS IN SCI-FI: WOMAN AS THE OTHER


Week 13 Film: The Stepford Wives (Bryan Forbes, 1975) and Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
***Also view Alien Resurrection (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1995)
Christine Cornea, 'Gender Blending and the Feminine Subject in Science Fiction Film', Science Fiction
Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality, pp. 145-174.
Recommended Reading:
Patricia Melzer, 'Technoscience's Stepdaughter: The Feminist Cyborg in Alien Resurrection', Alien
Constructions: Science Fiction and Feminist Thought , pp. 108-148.
Second Paper Due!

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