BIS 487 (LN 2064)

Topics in American Literature:

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

Office: UW1-137

Office hours: Mondays 1:15-2:45 p.m.;
Wednesdays 4:00-5:30 p.m.; and by appt.

I strongly recommend that students take BIS 300 before enrolling in this course.  Previous coursework in textual analysis (cinema or literature, for example) is helpful.

Course texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for a patronage refund] and in library reserve/reference). Note: Click here <http://tinyurl.com/6pamk> to order books online. Click on the link for the appropriate quarter, then enter the line number (LN) shown at the top of this page for "UW SLN Code" (leave other spaces blank) and hit 'enter.' All items have been ordered; contact the bookstore if some materials are not listed.

• Gibson, William. Neuromancer. 1984. New York: Ace, 2000. (ISBN 0441007465)
• Jeter, K. W. Noir. 1998. New York: Spectra, 1999. (ISBN 0553762869)
• Stephenson, Neil. Snow Crash. 1992. New York: Spectra, 2000. (ISBN 0553380958)

Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated when ready):

Essay (1000-1250 words, due in midquarter learning portfolio on Apr. 27 ; final version due in final learning portfolio on May 30)	40%
Group discussion leadership (dates to be assigned)	15%
Learning portfolio (including a reflective paper of 600-1000 words, due May 30)	10%
In-class and online contribution	35%
TOTAL	100%

A note about grades: I know that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations. I never second-guess students' priorities, and I never think less of students who choose to devote more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept the consequences of those decisions. Also, remember that your grade is based solely on my professional assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort or on my opinion of you as an individual.

For an explanation of the University of Washington grading system, see <http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html>.  Your weighted grades on assignments will be converted to grade points according to the course grade scale in the "Course Documents" area of Blackboard.

Schedule:

Reserves list (except as noted, online at <http://eres.bothell.washington.edu/courseindex.asp>; password required [announced in class]):

• Associated Students of UWB. "Maintaining Academic Integrity." Online at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. ONLINE ONLY. NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• Bethke, Bruce. "Cyberpunk." Online at <http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/cpunk.htm>. ONLINE ONLY. NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• Cadigan, Pat. "Introduction: Not a Manifesto." The Ultimate Cyberpunk. Ed. Pat Cadigan. New York: iBooks, 2002. vii-xiv.
• ---. "Rock On." Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology. Ed. Bruce Sterling. New York: Ace, 1988. 34-42.
• Dick, Philip K. "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." The Ultimate Cyberpunk. Ed. Pat Cadigan. New York: iBooks, 2002. 46-73.
• Heuser, Sabine. "A Cyberpunk Time Line." Virtual Geographies: Cyberpunk at the Intersection of the Postmodern and Science Fiction. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2003. 231-34.
• ---. "Introducing Cyberpunk." Virtual Geographies: Cyberpunk at the Intersection of the Postmodern and Science Fiction. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2003. 3-42.
• ---. "Neal Stephenson's Metaspace." Virtual Geographies: Cyberpunk at the Intersection of the Postmodern and Science Fiction. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2003. 171-89.
• ---. "Pat Cadigan's Virtual Mindscapes." Virtual Geographies: Cyberpunk at the Intersection of the Postmodern and Science Fiction. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2003. 127-70.
• ---. "William Gibson's Construction of Cyberspace." Virtual Geographies: Cyberpunk at the Intersection of the Postmodern and Science Fiction. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2003. 99-125.
• Rucker, Rudy. "The 57th Franz Kafka." The Ultimate Cyberpunk. Ed. Pat Cadigan. New York: iBooks, 2002. 121-26.
• Shirley, John. "Freezone." The Ultimate Cyberpunk. Ed. Pat Cadigan. New York: iBooks, 2002. 200-48.
• Tiptree, James, Jr. "The Girl Who Was Plugged In." The Ultimate Cyberpunk. Ed. Pat Cadigan. New York: iBooks, 2002. 74-120.

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS487Syl.html> for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. This course has no final examination.

Keep a copy of all submitted work. No extra credit or paper re-writes will be permitted except as noted, but I will gladly assist you with your work. In-class exercises cannot be made up for any reason because the group interaction is irreproducible. (See below for information on contribution.) Keep all graded materials; Interdisciplinary Studies majors will need them for their senior seminar portfolio.

In accordance with University policy, I give Incompletes only if you are passing the course and attending class to within two weeks of the end of the quarter, and then only in extenuating circumstances that can be proven.

I will do my best to accommodate all documented disabilities (physical, learning, cognitive, or other). See <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/students/dss/index.html> for information.

I am very strict about deadlines, for two reasons: (1) I have very limited grading time, and late papers make it hard for me to return graded papers in a timely manner; and (2) I want everyone to have exactly the same amount of work time for the sake of fairness. Please do not put me in the position of trying to decide arbitrarily how late is "late." Take responsibility for submitting work when it is due, not ten minutes, two hours, or a day later. (Note that many assignments are due electronically on days and at times when we are not meeting in class.) Rest assured that everyone is being treated equally. Late assignments will be accepted only in extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated, and only as specified; disincentives will apply as specified.

IMPORTANT: I insist on academic integrity. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity. Breaches of academic integrity, including but not limited to cheating (e.g., copying another person's work or obtaining examination answers in a dishonest manner) and plagiarism (i.e., using another person's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment), whether intentional or accidental, will result in a zero for the assignment or examination; additional sanctions may be imposed by the University administration. Note that American rules regarding plagiarism might differ markedly from those in other countries. You can find more information in the University Handbook and in the document, "Avoiding Academic Misconduct" <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. I will help you any way I can so you can succeed while maintaining academic integrity. I truly want you to do well. Visit my office hours often!

About class communication:

Please carefully read the "Class Communication" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Communication.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

About contribution:

Please carefully read the "Class Contribution" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

Be considerate of your instructors and classmates. Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and watch alarms before entering a classroom. Also, be aware that entering a classroom after class has started distracts your instructor and your classmates. If you must do it, please try to enter through a back door, if possible. That probably will distract your instructor (for which you should later apologize), but at least it will reduce the disruption you cause your classmates.

If you need to drop: You and I both invest a significant amount of time and effort having you in this course, so it is unfortunate when students do not complete a course that they began, especially a course, like this one, in which other students were denied entry. Sometimes, however, students need to drop a course for good reasons. If that should become the case, I ask, as a favor, that you send me an e-mail message notifying me that you are dropping the course. Of course, I hope everyone who starts the course can complete it, so your work and time and mine are put to good use!

Welcome to the course!

This page last updated April 18, 2005.

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