ENGL 2010 is also called Intermediate Academic Writing. At Southern Utah University we organize our various sections of this course by themes that we think will be interesting and will allow you to engage a topic academically.
Writing About Science Fiction is exactly what it sounds like. We're going to learn to write by learning to write about the cultural and philosophical issues found in science fiction texts. The writers of science fiction often make important commentary on arguable points of culture, which is why it makes such good fodder for academic essays. As a primarily popular form of literature, science fiction also makes for an interesting bridge from the "regular world" and the world of the university.
The course is divided into three major in-class activities and four major out-of-class essays. The in-class activities are as follows:
- Writing lectures
- Seminar on selected science fiction texts
- Guided Practice.
The essays increase in length and complexity as the semester moves on. The essays are breifly described below.
- Defining Science Fiction
- Analysis of the graphic novel Hulk: Grey
- Analysis of the film The Day the Earth Stood Still
- Synthesis Essay from Class Reading + Research
This course will involve a lot of library research, computer use, and of course a lot of reading and writing. 1-2 hours of work outside of class for every day in class should be expected.