In this course we will explore the relationship between literary production and technological innovation during the past two centuries. Throughout the semester, we will address two central questions:
- how have specific technologies been treated as themes in prose fiction, poems, dramas, film, and other literary media?
- how have technologies such as print, cinema, hypertext, animation, and multimedia facilitated the development of both traditional and experimental literary forms and modes of distribution?
The issues we will discuss include the Industrial Revolution and its effect on social relations in England and the U.S. in the nineteenth century; the development of science fiction; the connection between technological change and the rise of literary modernism and postmodernism; technological utopias and dystopias; the ethical questions surrounding robots, cyborgs, and clones; and the current role of computers and the Internet in the creation and reception of new works of literature.
In addition to giving you insight into the many ways literature and technology intersect, this class is designed to build your skills in reading, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, and argumentative writing.
This class has a UHM Contemporary Ethical Issues (E) Focus designation.
Contemporary ethical issues are fully integrated into the main course material and will constitute at least 30% of the course content. At least 8 hours of class time will be spent discussing ethical issues. By way of the lectures, discussions and assignments, you will develop basic competency in recognizing and analyzing ethical issues, deliberating thoughtfully on ethical issues, and making ethically determined judgments. Many of your writing exercises will ask you address the ethical implications of human behavior regarding money as they are reflected in the assigned materials.
The class also has the UHM Written Communication (W) Focus designation.
The class uses writing to promote the learning of course materials. You will get feedback and support from the instructor and your classmates while you do the assigned writing. Your writing for this class will be substantial—a minimum of 4,000 words, or about 16 pages. Written assignments make up to 60% of your final course grade. You will turn in drafts of all your major writing assignments; I will make suggestions for improvement and you will have a chance to revise before turning in the work for a final grade.
Assignments
Your grade will be based on your performance in the following assignments:
- a proposal for a research paper (10%)
- a 2-page analysis of critical sources for your research paper (10%)
- a 5-page textual analysis for your research paper (10%)
- an 8-10 page research paper (30%)
- a mid-term examination (20%)
- a final examination (20%)
Required Primary Texts
Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake (Anchor, 2004).
Čapek, Karel. R.U.R. (Dover, 2014).
Davis, Rebecca Harding. Life in the Iron Mills. (Feminist Press, 1993).
Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. (Oxford UP, 2008).
Gibson, William. Pattern Recognition. (Berkeley, 2005).
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go (Vintage, 2006).