Serendib Teaching

I’m having the students choose one novella each from this list and briefly present on it the last day of class. Thanks to everyone who suggested novellas when I asked previously – I did leave off some suggestions when I was completely unfamiliar with them. All of these, I’ve either read and enjoyed, or read

Honestly, I can’t quite believe it’s been that long with me working in one place. Before UIC, my record was 2 years at a job. I guess I must like it here. Or be constrained by economic needs… (Not the fanciest office, but at least it has a door that closes, and is full of

I particularly like how it goes with my current hair.

It’s a little bit of a mental jump going from Lisa Tuttle‘s “Wives” (1979) and Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” (1984) to William Gibson’s “New Rose Hotel” (1984). Will be interesting to see how my students cope with that transition. These writers were all contemporaries, probably all reading each other, and yet Butler and Tuttle are engaged

Delighted to note that my department vote was unanimous for my promotion from clinical associate to clinical full. (The clinical thing is weird, but basically just means my odd position was originally created in the med school.) Thanks so much to everyone who gave me advice, looked over drafts, wrote letters for me, etc. and

These three stories worked really well together, since they all explore what it means to be human (and who gets to be counted as human). ***** 4. “The Comet,” W.E.B. Du Bois (1920)” — this is a story I’ve taught before (it’s also found in Dark Matter), and per usual, the students were very engaged

Intro to SF class notes: It’s grey and sleepy today — beautiful weather, really, but more conducive to lying in bed and drafting lines of poetry than focusing on academic planning for a science fiction lit. class! I’m working in my home office, and have resorted to turning on the daylight lamp, the ring light,

Many more to go! Woot! (I kind of match this sci fi campus mural. )

I’m teaching an Intro to SF Lit. class this semester, and I’m planning a presentation assignment where they choose from a selection of novellas and present on them. So I’d like a nice thick set of novellas for them to choose from. Recs, please? A title and author, and maybe a line about why you