For this virtual semester, I am enrolled in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Course led by Eric Rabkin and offered through Coursera. (In the past, I enjoyed the MOOC Udacity and its course: Building A Search Engine)
Although I was disappointed in previous course offerings through Coursera, I know that the project is still learning about its own potential. I hope to continue taking courses as the technology and pedagogy improve.
However, I had further interest in this specific course because I have already taken it. I took this class on site at the University of Michigan while studying for my English B.A. I am curious how the distance education experience will compare to the live, lecture hall experience.
Inspired by a fellow coursetaker’s blog, I would like to reinforce my studies by blogging about what I’m reading and writing for the course. It’s a personal project, but I would not mind if it became a way to connect and engage with others.
The first week of the course is nearing its conclusion, and the course runs until October 1. To get an idea of what is ahead, here is the list of readings from the course syllabus:
- Grimm — Children’s and Household Tales (Lucy Crane translation with Walter Crane illustrations)
- Carroll — Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
- Stoker — Dracula
- Shelley — Frankenstein
- Hawthorne & Poe — Stories and Poems (Hawthorne’s Mosses from an Old Manse includes “The Birthmark,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “The Artist of the Beautiful” and his Twice-Told Tales includes “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”; The Portable Poe includes all the suggested Poe stories and poems)
- Wells — The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, “The Country of the Blind,” “The Star”
- Burroughs & Gilman — A Princess of Mars & Herland
- Bradbury — The Martian Chronicles (not available for legal, free download)
- LeGuin — The Left Hand of Darkness (not available for legal, free download)
- Doctorow — Little Brother
Little Megan 