The University of Kansas continues its role as the leader in science fiction education. I can do no greater service to teachers than to repeat the advice that I gave in Anatomy of Wonder 4: you should attend one of the Intensive English Institutes on the Teaching of Science Fiction offered at the University of Kansas each summer.-Dennis M. Kratz, Anatomy of Wonder 5
For 2010, the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction is scheduled for July 19–30. The Campbell Conference will be July 16–18, and students are strongly encouraged to attend at least the Saturday and Sunday events of the Conference. The Campbell Conference plans to bring the winners of the Campbell and Sturgeon Awards to the campus as special guests, as well as other special guests.
This year's SF Institute will focus on the readings listed below.
Housing information is also available below.
Institute Information
This year's offering of the Intensive English Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction will begin July 19 and concludes on July 30. Students are expected to attend at least the Saturday and Sunday events of the Campbell Conference (July 17-18) before classroom discussion begins on the 14th. The subjects for discussion in the Institutes alternate each year between the stories in the first four volumes of James Gunn's six-volume historical anthology, The Road to Science Fiction, and a list of 25 novels.
This year's discussion (2010) focuses on the novel. Next year (2011), discussion will focus on the short fiction.
SF Institute members from 2008.
The purpose of the Institute is to provide students with an understanding of contemporary and future science fiction through a study of how SF got to be the way it is. The class discusses how SF got to be what it is by comparing stories and their place in the evolution of SF, from the earliest prototypical examples through the 1980s. Permission from James Gunn or Chris McKitterick must be obtained at least a month before the first session so that reading can be completed before the class begins.
As in the past, the director and discussion leader for the Institute is James Gunn, one of the pioneer teachers of science fiction; author of 15 SF novels, eight collections of stories, and five books about SF; editor of eleven more books about SF; and the winner of the Pilgrim, Hugo, and Eaton awards. CSSF Associate Director Chris McKitterick joins the discussions this year.
This summer, so as not to compete with other summer English courses - which are almost all scheduled for the morning hours - Institute sessions will begin at 1:00 p.m. and normally end by 4 p.m. Class meets in Nunemaker Hall, room 102. Classes will meet on both Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25, and students are strongly encouraged to attend the Campbell Conference weekend, as well.
Housing and meals, if desired, can be arranged separately. Information on housing and a form to indicate interest in the Institute or Workshop can be found below.
The reading for the course should be completed before the course begins. There are no exams. Your grade (if taking the class for credit) is based on attendance and a paper due two weeks after the course ends. This paper may be one of the following:
- An ambitious essay about a few books by one author, novels by varied authors discussing a single theme, or several short stories (recommended for SF scholars).
- A lesson plan for an SF course (recommended for educators).
- An original science-fiction short story (recommended for aspiring authors).
Permission to enroll must be obtained from James Gunn or Chris McKitterick well before the course begins so you have time to read the course materials before discussions begin. We will also have available the discussion order for the readings.
2010 Institute Discussion Schedule
For the 2010 summer novel program, we will study and discuss the following novels in this order:
Reading List
NOTE: This list has been updated. Books with * before the author's name means they are new additions to the list, and books removed from the list are noted below.
- Isaac Asimov, The Caves of Steel [Amazon|Powell's]
- * Iain M. Banks, Consider Phlebas [Amazon|Powell's]
- * Greg Bear, Darwin's Radio [Amazon|Powell's]
- Gregory Benford, Timescape [Amazon|Powell's]
- Alfred Bester, The Demolished Man [Amazon|Powell's]
- John Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar [Amazon|Powell's]
- * Octavia Butler, Dawn [Amazon|Powell's], book one of the Xenogenesis trilogy [Amazon|Powell's]
- Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End [Amazon|Powell's]
- Hal Clement, Mission of Gravity [Amazon|Powell's]
- Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle [Amazon|Powell's]
- William Gibson, Neuromancer [Amazon|Powell's]
- James Gunn, The Listeners [Amazon|Powell's]
- Robert A. Heinlein, The Puppet Masters [Amazon|Powell's]
- Frank Herbert, Dune [Amazon|Powell's]
- Ursula Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness [Amazon|Powell's]
- * China Mieville, Perdido Street Station [Amazon|Powell's]
- Frederik Pohl, Gateway [Amazon|Powell's]
- Robert Silverberg, Dying Inside [Amazon|Powell's]
- * Charles Stross, Accelerando (free download here) [Amazon|Powell's]
- Theodore Sturgeon, More than Human [Amazon|Powell's]
- Jack Vance, The Languages of Pao [Amazon|Powell's]
- Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan [Amazon|Powell's]
- A. E. van Vogt, The World of Null-A [Amazon|Powell's]
- H. G. Wells, The Time Machine [Amazon|Powell's]
- ___, The War of the Worlds [Amazon|Powell's]
Here are the books that have been removed:
- Brian W. Aldiss, Helliconia Spring [Amazon|Powell's]
- Isaac Asimov, The Foundation Trilogy [Amazon|Powell's]
- Samuel R. Delany, Babel-17 [Amazon|Powell's]
- Pohl and Kornbluth, The Space Merchants [Amazon|Powell's]
- Gene Wolfe, The Shadow of the Torturer [Amazon|Powell's]
The Center holds a few copies of many of these books, so if you are local to Lawrence or are in town for our other summer programs, check with us to see if we can lend you a copy. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and our little library is supplied by previous students donating copies after completing their course.
For those who wish to start reading early for 2011, we will study the first four of the six volumes of The Road to Science Fiction, edited by James Gunn:
- The Road to Science Fiction; From Gilgamesh to Wells (editor), 2002 (Scarecrow)
- The Road to Science Fiction #2: From Wells to Heinlein (editor), 2002 (Scarecrow)
- The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here, 2002 (Scarecrow)
- The Road to Science Fiction #4: From Here to Forever, 2003 (Scarecrow)
New volumes (not required reading):
- The Road to Science Fiction #5: The British Way, 1998 (White Wolf)
- The Road to Science Fiction #6: Around the World, 1998 (White Wolf)
Some of these volumes might be difficult to find, so students are urged to
seek out copies early and, when books are out of print, search used bookstores
and online services (we provide links to two major online booksellers after each
title, above). The University of Kansas Oread Book Store tries to always
have copies of these books on hand. Address:
Kansas Union, Lawrence KS 66045.
Phone: 1-800-458-1111.
Email: jayhawks@ku.edu.
Web: http://www.kubookstore.com/.
You can also order the revised editions of the first four volumes directly
from Scarecrow Press:
http://www.scarecrowpress.com/. Use the Quick Search keywords "James Gunn."
Schedule
Sessions are often held in the 6th floor lobby of the residential dorm or
in neighboring Nunemaker Hall. Classes meet every day of the period including Saturday, July 24, and
Sunday, July 25. Institute sessions begin at 1:00 p.m. and normally end by 4p.m.
Students often gather for dinner and further discussions afterward.
Academic Credit
The Institute offers three hours of graduate or undergraduate credit for English 506 "Science Fiction"
or English 790 "Studies in a Genre." The course may also be taken not for
credit at a lower cost, but you must first get permission from James Gunn.
Housing for the Institute
Our official dorm housing last year was Templin Hall, a renovated residence located at the top of the hill. Most rooms in these dorms have a private bathroom as well as a sink and counter space for a microwave or other small kitchen equipment. The Workshops meet in a lounge area on our dorm floor. Dormitory rooms are available to out-of-town attendees at the rate of approximately $228 or $456 for each two-week stay ($228 for a double, $456 for a single room); if you want the double rate, you will need to work out a roommate in advance, because the Center is charged per room, not per occupant. To stay for the Campbell Conference, add $38 or $76 to your two-week stay. If you wish to stay longer (we have Sunday activities!) or arrive earlier (to participate on Thursday-night activities), please let us know in advance; this will add $19 per night double, $38 per night single to the total.
Participants must make dorm reservations by May 28. Please pay for your room in advance and make this check payable to CSSF (you may combine checks for CSSF).
Use this form to reserve a dorm room.
See this map of the University of Kansas to find your way to the dorm: http://www.ku.edu/~parking/ParkingMap.pdf
Check out VisitLawrence.com for local hotel information.
Meals are available in a variety of places, including the Kansas Union
and a myriad of local restaurants. Check out
Lawrence.com for a list of just a
few of the local eating establishments. More logistical information is available
on the
CSSF LiveJournal.
Costs
For credit-earning students, cost is the University of Kansas tuition for 3 credits of English 506 (undergraduate credit) or English 790 (graduate credit). Non-residents should expect to pay more for KU credit. To take this class through the Center for the Study of Science Fiction (not for credit), we request a $250 donation, payable to CSSF. If required for a non-credit student, we will provide a certificate of completion for the course.
Dorm and meal costs rise the longer you stay, of course, so plan appropriately. Meals vary in cost depending on where you eat. Please send a check payable to CSSF before you arrive.
If you want to reserve a spot for next year's Institute, please fill out one of the forms below and submit it via email or mail. We require that non-credit students send their reservation and check by June 1, 2009, or we cannot reserve a position in the class. Our mail address:
Chris McKitterick
English Department
University of Kansas
Wescoe Hall
1445 Jayhawk Blvd, Room 3116
Lawrence Kansas 66045-7590
Enrollment Information and Request Form
Both an electronic form and a printable text form are available on line.
Contact us for any logistical help you might need in getting settled for your stay:
Transportation from Airport to Lawrence
The shuttles most people use to get to and from the Kansas City International (MCI) airport to Lawrence are:
- KCI Airport Shuttle (also known as the "Roadrunner Shuttle"). Full information here (scroll to the bottom of the page for rates). Toll-free phone contact number: (800) 747-2524 or call your travel agent.
- Ground Transportation, Inc. (a local Lawrence business) 888-467-3729 or 785-838-4500. See a schedule here.
Maps
University of Kansas map:
http://www.ku.edu/visit/maps.shtml
Kansas Union map:
http://www.jayhawks.com/union/images/KansasUnionMap2.pdf
Lawrence map (a bus-route map, but very useful):
http://www.lawrencetransit.org/maps/ltspage2.pdf
Lawrence in the Summer
For anyone who hasn't visited, Lawrence is wonderful, a lively small city in the Kaw River valley, filled with art, events and activities. The location of the University of Kansas, Lawrence is situated about 40 miles from Kansas City and 20 miles from Topeka. Summers can be hot, but classrooms and housing are air-conditioned.
Among its many amenities, the University of Kansas has a large science-fiction collection and good reference collections; museums of natural history and art; and sports, theater, and concerts. Lawrence has many excellent restaurants and shopping and recreational opportunities. Kansas City is less than an hour away. Nighttime opportunities include movies, dinner, concerts, and star-gazing sessions.
The nearest major airport is Kansas City International, about 55 miles from
Lawrence. Transportation to Lawrence from Kansas City International can be
arranged through one of several airport shuttle services. By car, Lawrence is at
the intersection of U.S. 59 and
Contact us for any logistical help you might need in getting settled for your stay:
Chris McKitterick (cmckit@ku.edu) or James Gunn (jgunn@ku.edu).