Tales of Hope or States of Delusion? Utopias, Past and Present
CCIV 324
Fall 2016
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01
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Utopias are imaginary places that offer freedom, equality, and happiness--or so they promise. In this course, we will look at different visions of utopian living: What kinds of longing and impulses do these utopias fulfill? What kind of social critique do they imply? How can they offer freedom and happiness, if they are built on strict programs of biological, psychological, and social engineering? When does one person's utopia become another's dystopia?
We will turn first to ancient Greek poetry and philosophy--Homer, tragedy, comedy, and Plato--to trace the beginnings of utopian thinking and the promises that it makes. In the last part of the semester, we will look at how these early seeds of utopia are recast and developed in later and contemporary literature, theory, and film including T. More's UTOPIA, Y. Zamyatin's WE, and B. F. Skiner's WALDEN 2; selections from T. Adorno, E. Bloch, and F. Jameson; films such as 1984, Gattaca, Her, and select episodes from Pushing Daisies. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CLAS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CLST-History, P) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Homer, ODYSSEY (selections)
Aeschylus, ORESTEIA
Aristophanes, ASSEMBLY WOMEN
Plato, REPUBLIC
Thomas More, UTOPIA
Yevgeny Zamyatin, WE
B.F. Skiner, WALDEN 2
Selections from Theodor Adorno, Ernst Bloch, and Fredric Jameson
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly brief responses to the readings; 1 presentation; 3 papers. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Regular attendance and active participation. |
| Instructor(s): Visvardi,Eirene Times: ...W... 07:10PM-10:00PM; Location: DWNY100; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 17 | | SR major: 5 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 5 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 1 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 1 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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