Speculative Literature: Utopias & Dystopias
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Return to the list of classes for Spring 2020.
Language Arts
Instructor: Josh Shaine
5-10 students
Suggested Ages: 13+ years old
Meets: TBD
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
The concept of utopia – a society without conflict in which all people’s needs are met and they live in harmony – has intrigued us for more than 2000 years. Just as surely, there are those among us convinced that any place that a substantial number of people would find utopic, others would find unlivable. And worse yet is the certainty that others have that a place set up as a utopia would become, whether quickly or slowly, a dystopia à a place of oppression, good only for the chosen few.
In this course, we will review historical views of utopia, take a gander at some of the attempts to create them in practice, and consider the rise of dystopian fiction, both ~100 years ago and again in the recent past. Along the way, we will explore what we consider to be necessary conditions for a utopia and design our own – or at least, we’ll try to!
Text: The Utopia Reader, 2nd Edition
Weekly time: 0-2 hours per week expected, with opportunities for both writing and more reading/viewing
|
Session # |
Topic |
Material |
|
Session 1 |
Introduction |
This syllabus |
Session 2 |
History of Utopias in Fiction and Fact |
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/09/us/communes-american-story/ |
Session 3 |
How did We Get from Utopias to Dystopias |
https://www.ft.com/content/7ecde664-452b-11e7-8d27-59b4dd6296b8 |
Session 4 |
Building Utopia – Part One (Ideas) |
In class exercise |
Session 5 |
Herland by |
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/herland/summary |
Session 6 |
The City and the Stars/ Against the Fall of Night, both by Arthur C. Clarke |
https://www.tor.com/2018/01/11/two-improvised-fugues-arthur-c-clarkes-the-city-and-the-stars-and-against-the-fall-of-night/ |
Session 7 |
Building Utopia – Part Two (Practicalities) |
In class exercise |
Session 8 |
YA Dystopian Fiction, Part 1 |
http://blogs.iac.gatech.edu/yadystopia2017/2017/03/13/young-adults-and-the-appeal-of-dystopian-literature/ |
Session 9 |
YA Dystopian Fiction, Part 2 |
https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v40n2/scholes.html |
Session 10 |
YA Dystopian Fiction, Part 3 |
https://acs-schools.libguides.com › dystopias |
Session 11 | Building Utopia – Part Three (Execution) | In class exercise |
Session 12 | Utopian Fiction, Part 1 | Reading(s) from The Utopia Reader, 2nd Edition to be assigned later |
Session 13 | Utopian Fiction, Part 2 | Reading(s) from The Utopia Reader, 2nd Edition to be assigned later |
Session 14 |
Class’s Choice of Topic |
Material to be selected in advance, based on class preference |
Session 15 |
Wrap up and Presentations of Our Utopias |
Advanced readings, if any, to be sent out in advance |
| Session X |
Make-up Day |
Specific sessions may change based on students' interests.
Register for Speculative Literature: Utopias & Dystopias here!
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