Spring 2017 (Jan 23rd – May 12th) ONLINE POLS 343

POLS 343

Inherent Futurities: 21st Century SF & Extrapolative Aesthetics

. Cinema allows us to explore the unknown, the intensified, the alien,

even the just plain weird, in such a way that calls attention to political and material conditions of the world we live in. Science fiction, in particular, offers visions of the world as it is, and maybe as it will be if certain political environments are exacerbated, destroyed, or changed. Steven Shaviro calls science fiction the genre of extrapolation; it doesn’t predict the future so much as gives us an avenue of exploring future potentials, or what Deleuze calls the virtual. It’s this inherent futurity that sees science fiction as applicable to social movements and aesthetic politicization. And yet, it’s also this inherent futurity that presents filmgoers with a skewed — either utopic or dystopic — imagination of the future, popularizing entertaining ideas with little thought for accuracy or possibility.

This class will focus on the extrapolative tendencies of SF cinema as both a positive and negative. By using critical genre theory, classic and modern philosophy, and current events, we’ll discuss SF cinema in terms of both its content and its ontological importance. Each film provides a niche vision of the future dependent on certain aspects of today intensified and accelerated. These allegories provide an opportunity to discuss both the modern condition, and what it means for films to present a certain vision of the future, despite its unpredictability.

Assignments: A Note On Participation: Since this is an upper division online course, rigorous in-classroom discussions will be replaced with online forum. Online courses require self-discipline and time management. The due dates listed in this syllabus are as much to give you a method of managing your assignments as it is for me to receive feedback on your understanding of the course and plan accordingly. Weekly Discussion Post: You will be responsible for one (1) original post in the Laulima discussion forum per week. This post should be 250 words and include analysis/ response to the leading question/theoretical concept I will ask in the weekly announcement. Weekly Discussion Post Responses: In addition to your original discussion post, you are responsible for responding to at least 3 other posts in the discussion with insightful comment, critiques, and tips. These responses should be 100 words or more. Reading Responses: Over the course the semester, you’ll be responsible for 3 reading response assignments. It’s up to you to choose which film and texts spark your interest enough for a short paper, but I’ll only accept responses during the week those concepts are discussed. So, if you want to write about Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, you can only turn in that response the Sunday after we discuss it in class. Guidelines:

• 350 – 500 words, double-spaced. Times New Roman (or easily read equivalent). MLA formatted with attached Works Cited. If you’re more comfortable with Chicago, I will also accept that; just make sure that, whichever citation format you choose, you’re consistent throughout the paper.

• You’re encouraged to use these readings to both further expound on what we talk about in class, and to tease out your own research interests.

• Turn in all reading responses by Sunday, midnight, via email (zvorsino@hawaii.edu).

Film Analysis: Pick a science fiction film (know that the definition of what a science fiction film actually is is open to speculation) we haven’t talk about in class. Use texts from class, as well as outside resources, to write 1500 – 2500 words, or a 6 – 12 page paper, analyzing it through a perspective of philosophy and politics. Specific instructions will be given closer to the project start date. Guidelines:

• MLA/Chicago formatted. Times New Roman. Double spaced. • 1500 – 2500 words. 6 – 12 pages.

• Email me prior to starting on the paper with your film and your topic at zvorsino@hawaii.edu.

MLA Formatting: Proper formatting and source citation is required for all assignments. While the most recent iteration of MLA does not require URLs, I DO. So please include them in your works cited. Failure to appropriately cite sources results in an automatic point deduction. Some suggestions to make citation easier: - Zotero: Application with accompanying browser extension. ★★★ - citationmachine.net - bibme.org Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that requires accommodation, please let me know via email AND contact the KOKUA Program at (808) 956 – 7511 or at hawaii.edu/kokua.

Laulima: This course will be conducted through Laulima. All required texts and films will be available via the resources section. If you are having trouble accessing or using Laulima, please email me so we can work out any issues. Tutorials are also available on laulima.hawaii.edu. Plagiarism: If you’re caught plagiarizing, you will be reported to the UH Office of Judicial Affairs and will receive a failing grade for this class. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

- The submission of any copied document from another individual without proper citation.

- The submission of the same document in more than one course without instructor permission.

- Neglecting to cite direct quotes using quotation marks. - Paraphrasing without proper citation.

Please review the UH Student Conduct Code for further information: http://studentaffairs.manoa.hawaii.edu/ Communication: I’ll attempt to answer all emails within 24 hours except for weekends (give me 48 hours for those). Please use proper email etiquette when writing and responding to any email correspondence — while emojis are useful, and often vastly more entertaining, they aren’t acceptable forms of academic writing. Emails should begin with a proper subject line that includes your class and a word or two describing your reason for writing (i.e.: POLS 343 Film Review Question or POLS 343 Help I Can’t Even).

COURSE SCHEDULE • Readings represent selected books from which excerpts/chapters/articles will be chosen.

PART ONE: Introduction to Class & SF Theory

- Frow, Genre - Altman, Genre/Film - Suvin, On The Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre

PART TWO: SF and Politics of Film

- Shaviro, No Speed Limit - Rieder, On Defining SF, or Not: Science Fiction, Genre Theory, & History

PART THREE: Snowpiercer

- Bong, Snowpiercer - Canavan, Necrofuturism - Srinicek & Williams, ACCELERATE - Bould, Routledge Companion to Science Fiction (Marxism)

PART FOUR: Elysium

- Blomkamp, Elysium - Deleuze, Postscript on Societies of Control

PART FIVE: Pandorum

- Pandorum (2009) - Roden, Posthuman Life - Latham, American Slipstream - Morton, Hyperobjects

PART SIX: Robocop

- Robocop (2014) - Malabou, What Do We Do With Our Brain?

PART SEVEN: Ex Machina

- Ex Machina (2015) - Bostrom, Doomsday Invention - Shaviro, The Erotic Life of Machines