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DAILY HOMEWORK

Note: bulleted items are due on the date immediately above them. References to page numbers that start with “BA” indicate the reading is in The Broadview Anthology of Science Fiction, edited by Jason Haslam. BA readings start with an micro-biography of the author that should be included in the marking of the text.

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

• First day of class.

Monday, September 7, 2026

• NO CLASS: Labor Day.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

• Read the instructions and complete the Contact Information handout.
• Read the instructions and complete the Student Contract handout.
• Read and mark the following selections
• “How to Really Read This Book" (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page)
• “A Special Note on Taking Separate Notes on Readings Rather Than Marking Text.”
• “How to Prepare for Dr. Halbert’s Midterm and Final Exams.”
• "Introduction: The Broad Views of Science Fiction" (BA 19-35).
• “The Space Age Cannot Be Avoided” by Sun Ra (BA 317-319).
• "Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• Watch and take notes on Blade Runner (Final Cut). You can see where it is legally streaming here.
• Last Day to Add.

Monday, September 14, 2026

• Read and mark the following selections
• Washington Irving’s “[The Men in the Moon]” (BA 39-49).
• "The Conquest of Gola” by Leslie F. Stone (BA 177-189)
• "The Fact of Blackness"—Frantz Fanon (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page)
• NOTE: Dr. Halbert may be a few minutes late as he will be coming from a medical appointment. Do not leave class.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

• Read and mark the following selections:
• “The Space Traders” by Derrick Bell (BA 506-531)
• “"A Martian Odyssey" by Stanley G. Weinbaum (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” by Ken Liu (BA 597-602).

Monday, September 21, 2026

• Read and mark "A Cyborg Manifesto"—Donna J. Haraway (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page). WARNING: This text is going to challenge you and will require multiple nights to complete. This is a 10-point reading.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

• NO CLASS: We do not meet on Tuesdays.
• Last Day to Drop.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

• Read and mark the following:
• Issac Asimov’s “Liar!” (BA 198-213)
• “Burning Chrome” by William Gibson (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• First day of Withdrawal Period without signature.

Monday, September 28, 2026

• NO CLASS: Dr. Halbert will be attending an event in Harrisburg.
• Prewriting for Paper #1 due. Post a copy in the “Paper #1: Prewriting” discussion board forum (10 points).
• Quotation Assignment #1 due. Post a copy in the “Quotation Assignment 1” assignment as an MS Word Attachment (20 points).

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

• Read and mark the following texts:
• Selection from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).
• “The Heat Death of the Universe” by Pamela Zoline.

Monday, October 5, 2026

• Draft of Paper #1 due.  Post a copy in the "Paper #1: Draft" Discussion Board topic. Posting is worth five points.
• We will have a workshop on your drafts today worth 20 points. You must attend class with a completed draft printed for a partner to read to get those points. Incomplete drafts will be prorated, but it is better to come with a partial draft than to skip class.
• If you had an accommodations letter sent to me, please send me an email to remind me that you will need extra time on the midterm exam so I can make arrangements.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• Read and mark Judith Merril’s “Dead Center” (BA 295-316).

Monday, October 12, 2026

• Final draft of Paper #1 due by noon in the “Paper 1: Final Draft (Graded copy)” in Assignments (for up to 200 points) and the “Paper 1: Final Draft (Discussion Board)” option (for 5 points).  See checklist for details.
• We will work on our exam cards for the midterm in class. You may want to bring a laptop.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

• Midterm Exam. Make sure you prepare an exam card.

Monday, October 19, 2025

• Read and mark the following texts:
• H. P. Lovecraft’s “From Beyond” (BA 190-196).
• Richard Van Camp’s “On the Wings of this Prayer” (BA 603-609).

Wednesday, October 21, 2025

• Eden Robinson’s “Terminal Avenue” (BA 532-539).
• Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (Variations on a Theme by William James)” (BA 376-381).

Monday, October 26, 2026

• Read and mark Orson Scott Card’s “Ender’s Game” (the original short story version, not the novel, available online).
• Please arrange to view Gattaca. You can see where Gattaca is legally streaming here. Take notes that will serve as your reading check for the film.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

• Read and mark "Ideology and Terror: A Novel Form of Government"—Hannah Arendt (Found in the “Readings” section of our Canvas page).  This non-fiction theoretical piece is a bit challenging.

Monday, November 2, 2026

• Read and mark Sections 1 and 2 1984. Pages 1-230. (10 points)
• REMINDER: Tomorrow is election day. Make a plan to vote if you did not vote by mail and are registered to vote.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

• Finish reading and marking 1984. Pages 231-308. (5 points)
• Read the final essay in 1984, "The Principles of Newspeak.”
• Last day of Withdrawal Period without signature.

Thursday, November 5, 2026

• NO CLASS: We do not meet on Thursdays.
• First day of Withdrawal Period with faculty signature.

Monday, November 9, 2026

• Read and mark pages 3-195 of The Handmaid's Tale ("I: Night" until "XII: Jezebel's"). (10 points)

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

• Finish reading and marking pages 199-211 of The Handmaid's Tale ("XII: Jezebel's" through the end of the "Historical Note"). (5 points)
• Today is Veterans Day.

Monday, November 16, 2026

• Read and mark chapters 1-6 of Watchmen. Since the text is a graphic novel, I suggest using large Post-it notes so that you do not have to cover up the pictures that are as much a part of the text as the words.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026

• Read and mark the rest of Watchmen.

Thursday, November 19, 2026

• NO CLASS: We do not meet on Thursdays.
• Last day of Withdrawal Period with faculty signature.

Friday, November 20, 2026

• NO CLASS: We do not meet on Thursdays.
• All withdrawals after today require administrative approval and documentation.

Monday, November 23, 2026

• Library Orientation. We will meet in the library: check announcements for specific location.
• Post a half-page description of one or two topics you are considering for Paper #2 that requires library research. Indicate the author, text, and overall topic about the text. Copy and paste AND attach the description to the “Research Paper Topics” Discussion Board Topic.
• Attendance counts double today: 2 points if attend, -20 if absent.

Wednesday, November 25, 2026

• NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break starts

Monday, November 30, 2026

• Read and mark Chapters 1-13 of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Wednesday, December 2, 2026

• Finish reading and marking The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Monday, December 7, 2026

• Draft of Paper #2 Due. Post a copy in the "Paper #2: Draft" Discussion Board topic. Posting is worth five points.
• We will have a workshop on your drafts today worth 20 points. You must attend class with a completed draft printed for a partner to read to get those points. Incomplete drafts will be prorated, but it is better to come with a partial draft than to skip class.
• If you had an accommodations letter sent to me, please send me an email to remind me that you will need extra time on the final exam so I can make arrangements.

Wednesday, December 9, 2026

• Read and mark Connie Willis’ “At the Realto” (BA 485-505).

Monday, December 14, 2026

• Read and mark “The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur C. Clark (BA 272-277).
• Read and mark “The Star” by Arthur C. Clark (located in Readings on Canvas).
• LAST CLASS.

Tuesday, December 16, 2026

• No Class: we have no more class meetings.
• Final Draft of Paper #2 due by noon. Post to “Paper #2 Final Draft: Discussion Board” (for 5 points) and to “Paper #2 Final Draft: Graded Copy” (for up to 200 points). See checklist for details.

Wednesday, December 16, 2026

• Sci-Fi Final Exam (10:20am – 12:20pm). We will meet in our normal classroom.
• Make sure you review the essay questions, prepare your exam card, and use the quotation study guide.

Monday, December 21, 2026

• OPTIONAL Major Paper Rewrite of Paper #1 due by noon. Please post a copy in the “Optional Major Paper Rewrite” Assignment and email a copy to Dr. Halbert at hhalbert@mc3.edu with the subject line “ENG 245 Major Paper Rewrite. Make sure you read the instructions first.

End of Semester Reminders

• It is a good idea to go the final meeting of all your classes. Professors often give key information for final projects, final exams, and other issues on the final day. Small class sizes also mean they generally notice who came to the final class (and who did not).
• Check your Montco email and Canvas announcements every day until Dr. Halbert says the grades are posted.
• Don’t email Dr. Halbert to see if the grades are done: he will announce when he is done.
• Do check your gradebook on Canvas during exam week to see individual assignment grades as they are entered.
• If there is a problem with a graded assignment, please email Dr. Halbert immediately.
• Final grades due Wednesday, December 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM. I will post an announcement when the grades are finalized. Please do not email me to see if grades are done early: wait for the announcement.

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Date site created: August 24, 2026