Course Syllabus

Course Information Course Number/Section Course Title Term Days & Times Room LIT 3334-501 Literature of Science Fall 2011 Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30 6:45 PM AH2 1.204

Instructor Contact Information Instructor Dr. Christopher Speck Office Phone 972-883-2030 Email Address cspeck@utdallas.edu Office Location JO 5.510 (5th Floor of Jonsson) Office Hours Wednesday, 2 4 PM, and by appointment

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions HUMA 1301, LIT 2331, LIT 2332, or LIT 2341

Course Description This course will introduce students to various writers who have used science as a starting point for thinking about themes familiar from other types of literature. Such themes include, for example, the search for truth and the relationship between the individual and society. Students will be expected to develop their own individual interpretations of the assigned readings by following methods similar to the ones demonstrated in class. Student interpretations should be based on examining specific details from the readings and connecting those details with each other. There will be substantial class discussion, but students will also have opportunities to participate in other ways.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes Students will work over the course of the semester to: (1) develop their interpretative skills by learning to describe and apply various methods of interpreting literary texts (2) develop their communicative abilities by learning and working on effective oral and written communication skills (3) develop and demonstrate a broad knowledge base of major periods and genres of literature based on scientific ideas

Required Books and Materials* *You are welcome to use other editions, including ones found online. You are expected to have each book (or have found it online) by the time it is assigned to read. Michael Frayns play and Heiner Kipphardts play tend to be difficult to find, so please begin your search for these books several weeks before they will be covered in class. Brecht, Bertolt. Life of Galileo. Trans. John Willett. Penguin Classics, 2008. Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen. Anchor Books, 1998. Gawande, Atul. Complications. Picador, 2003. Kipphardt, Heinar. In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Trans. Ruth Speirs. Hill and Wang, 1968. Other material will be available on eLearning (http://elearning.utdallas.edu) and elsewhere online. This material is identified below in the section on assignments and the academic calendar.

Assignments & Academic Calendar Due Dates, Reading Assignments, Activities, Exam Dates Thursday, 8-25 Introduction Inclass reading and discussion of handout

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Tuesday, 8-30 Thursday, 9-1

Brecht, Life of Galileo, Scenes 13 (pp. 531) Life of Galileo, Scenes 45 (pp. 3246)

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Tuesday, 9-6 Thursday, 9-8

Life of Galileo, Scenes 68 (pp. 4765) Life of Galileo, Scenes 910 (pp. 6681)

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Tuesday, 9-13 Thursday, 9-15

Life of Galileo, Scenes 1113 (pp. 8295) Essay Test 1: Life of Galileo, Scenes 1415 (pp. 96109)

Tuesday, 9-20

Wade Rowland, Essay on Galileo Galilei (www.waderowland.com/articles/galileo-essay.html) Stephen Jay Gould, The SharpEyed Lynx Outfoxed by Nature (Part I); Natural History (May 1998), Vol. 107, Issue 4, Article 4 (available online through McDermott Librarys website) finish Gould, The SharpEyed Lynx Outfoxed by Nature (Part I)

Thursday, 9-22

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Tuesday, 9-27

Kipphardt, In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part One, Scenes 12 (pp. 926) In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part One, Scenes 35 (pp. 2643) In-class viewing and discussion of The Day After Trinity (start)

Thursday, 9-29

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Tuesday, 10-4

In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part One, Scene 6 (pp. 4368) In-class viewing and discussion of The Day After Trinity (continue) In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part Two, Scenes 12 (pp. 6982) In-class viewing and discussion of The Day After Trinity (finish)

Thursday, 10-6

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Tuesday, 10-11

In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part Two, Scene 2 (pp. 83104, until departure of Bethe)

Thursday, 10-13 Essay Test 2: In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Part Two, Scenes 24 (pp. 105127) ______________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, 10-18

Eiseley, The Slit and The Secret of Life (available on eLearning)

Thursday, 10-20 Carl Sagan, Can We Know the Universe? Reflections on a Grain of Salt and Antiscience (available on eLearning) In-class viewing and discussion of Cosmos

Tuesday, 10-25

Sagan, The Animal Within and Obsessed with Reality (available on eLearning)

Thursday, 10-27 Frayn, Copenhagen, Act One (pp. 324) ______________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, 11-1 Thursday, 11-3

Copenhagen, Act One (pp. 2446) Copenhagen, Act One and Act Two (pp. 4672)

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Tuesday, 11-8

Essay Test 3: Copenhagen, Act Two (pp. 7294)

Thursday, 11-10 Gawande, Complications, pp. 334 ______________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, 11-15

NO CLASS (Instructor out of town at conference)

Thursday, 11-17 NO CLASS (Instructor out of town at conference) ______________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, 11-22

Complications, pp. 35106 ASSIGNMENT DUE: Themes and Questions for Final (details to be announced in class and on eLearning) NO CLASS

Thursday, 11-24

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Tuesday, 11-29 Thursday, 12-1

Complications, pp. 109129 Complications, pp. 146161, 187201

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Tuesday, 12-6

Essay Test 4: Complications, pp. 208252

Course Policies Grading Policy, Make-up Work, Late Exams

Grading Policy Attendance Participation Quizzes Essay Tests (4)

10% 25% 15% 50%

Attendance (10%) You will be allowed 2 unexcused absences. For every additional unexcused absence, your semester grade will be lowered by 2 points. Excused absences will require documentation. 2 tardies or showing up 15 minutes late equals 1 unexcused absence. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences.

Participation (25%) Students are expected to contribute regularly through class discussion or optional written work. Thoughtful participation is a measure of how well prepared you are for class; such participation will also help you to do better on the essay tests. The more thinking that you do ahead of time, the better your in-class contributions will be; the more time that you spend on optional written work, the better it will turn out. The quality of contributions is what counts. Average contributions will receive a C, above-average contributions a B, and excellent contributions an A. Vague comments and generalizations that are not supported by specifics will receive average or poor participation grades (C or below). Failure to participate voluntarily or by turning in written work will earn you a D for participation. I am aware that speaking in front of a large group can be extremely intimidating. Please e-mail me by the third session if you are interested in doing optional written work. Participation may also include group activities.

Quizzes (15%): 25 minutes, approximately one-half to three-fourths of a page There will be unannounced in-class quizzes throughout the semester. You will be asked to write a short but substantive paragraph about the reading for a class. Your goals will be (1) to identify a theme; (2) to discuss how an author goes about developing that theme; and (3) to conclude with several sentences about how your discussion relates to the work as a whole. Doing well on quizzes depends on your having thought about the material before coming to class. You may use your books and any handwritten notes, but you may not use your laptops or any other electronic devices. Additional information about quizzes and examples are available on eLearning. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. If you have an excused absence, then you may turn in a short paragraph (1 page, double-spaced) that meets the three requirements above.

Essay Tests (50%): 4 during the semester, 75 minutes, 3 4 pages You will be asked to write in class an essay that addresses an essay title given to you several days before the test. This essay will represent your own interpretation of material that has not been discussed in class; however, the material will be part of a work the remainder of which has been discussed in class. Your goals will be very similar to those for quizzes: (1) to use the assigned essay title (e.g., The Individual and Society) as a way to think about several themes that you identified in the reading; (2) to discuss how an author goes about developing those themes; and (3) to show how your argument provides some insights into the reading. You will be allowed to use an outline (500 words maximum). This outline must be e-mailed to the instructor by 2 pm on the day of the exam. The outline will be printed out and handed to you at the beginning of class. You will be allowed to use a physical copy of the reading. You may not use other notes, laptops, or other electronic devices. Two of the first three essay tests may be rewritten as longer (46 page) papers. The grade for the rewritten essay will replace the original grade. If you wish to rewrite an essay test, please consult with me first. You will be required to turn in an outline first. Additional guidelines and examples are available on eLearning.

Assigning Grades Students generally receive grades such as B/B+. The following table indicates the correlation between letter grades and numerical grades. A+ 100 A 95 A92 B+ B B88 85 82 C+ C C78 75 72 D+ D D68 65 62 F < 60

Make-up Work and Late Exams Make-up work (for a students participation grade) and taking late exams will be allowed if a student has documentation for absences. All other cases will be decided on an individual basis.

Classroom Citizenship Scientific theories can evoke strong reactions from students. Please remember that we are approaching this material as literature and not as something that you have to agree or disagree with on a personal level. Please raise your hand if you wish to speak.

Electronic Equipment Please turn off and place inside backpacks, bags, etc. any laptops, cell phones, etc. Exceptions to this include requirements for any kind of documented disability, and when a reading has been posted on eLearning.

UT Dallas Syllabus Policies and Procedures The information contained in the following link constitutes the Universitys policies and procedures segment of the course syllabus. Please go to http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies for these policies.