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The Social Functions of Science Fictions

This class explores the origins, evolution, and social significance of genres, particularly science fiction. It examines how genres form, change, and interact with social contexts. The course also delves into the relationship between convention and creativity in genre construction and explores the cognitive aspects of genre categories. Through textual analysis and scholarly discussion, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of genre in creative works.

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The Social Functions of Science Fictions

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  1. The Social FunctionsofScience Fictions BIS 384: Literary & Popular Genres Happy New Year!

  2. what is this class about? genre

  3. guiding questions • Where do genres come from and why do they form? • How and why do they change over time? • How do categories work cognitively and how do genres work as categories? • What is genre’s relationship with social context and how do the two interact? • What is the relationship between convention and creativity?

  4. genre in the OED etymology: F. genre kind: see gender. 1. a. Kind; sort; style. b.spec. A particular style or category of works of art; esp. a type of literary work characterized by a particular form, style, or purpose. 2. a. A style of painting in which scenes and subjects of ordinary life are depicted. b.attrib., as genre-painting, etc. Also transf., of music and literature.

  5. how do categories work? Classic theory (Aristotle through Wittgenstein): • categories are abstract containers • things are in the same category if they have certain properties in common Prototype theory (Eleanor Rosch and the cognitive sciences) • categories have best examples (i.e., prototypes)

  6. genre in rhetorical genre theory Charles Bazerman: “Genre is only the visible realization of a complex of social and psychological dynamics.” Amy Devitt: “Genres develop [ . . . ] because they respond appropriately to situations that writers encounter repeatedly.”

  7. genre in rhetorical genre theory (cont.) John Frow: “[F]ar from being merely ‘stylistic’ devices, genres create effects of reality and truth, authority and plausibility, which are central to the different ways the world is understood [ . . . ]” (2).

  8. where do conventions come from? American Psychological Association (APA) citation format • Wilcox, R. V. (1991). Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star trek: The next generation. Studies in Popular Culture, 13(2), 53-65. Modern Language Association (MLA) citation format • Wilcox, Rhonda V. "Shifting Roles and Synthetic Women in Star Trek: The Next Generation." Studies in Popular Culture 13.2 (1991): 53-65.

  9. course objectives • Describe thoughtfully and thoroughly the concept of genre as it is understood in current scholarship. • Engage in textual analysis of, and scholarly discussion about, the social functions and significance of genres, science fiction specifically. • Apply and articulate understanding of the role of genre in the design and construction of creative work.

  10. course objectives • Formulate questions and lines of inquiry that 1) synthesize or integrate different perspectives and approaches to constructing knowledge and 2) cultivate critical awareness of the ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of the ideas you encounter and explore • Employ skills and strategies for effective collaboration as a learner, researcher, and teacher

  11. course objectives • Address different audiences and contexts effectively, in speech and writing, both within and outside the classroom • Articulate and assess the effects of the choices you and others (peers, scholars, and authors) make in writing and creative work

  12. online discussion • WRITE THINGS THAT ARE INTERESTING & USEFUL • This Friday: introduce yourself • Sundays: post initial reactions, attach reading notes • Tuesdays: respond to discussion assignment

  13. discussion groups

  14. guiding questions : week 2 • What is this new way of understanding genre? • Where do genres come from? • What are the genre origins of Shelley’s Frankenstein? • What makes it SF / how did it make SF?

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