*One additional book chosen by student from list provided by professors

Critical articles to accompany literary texts, available on reserve from Briggs Library

Course Description:

TV news reports show us daily that we live in a world of war, poverty and crime. Many people accept these circumstances as a consequence of human failings, but not everyone. Throughout Western history at least since Plato’s Republic was written, artists and intellectuals in various fields have proposed conceptions for a more perfect society. In fact, so many writings have been and continue to be published on this topic that utopian fiction has become a distinct genre of literature. In this course, we will examine the idea of “utopia:” What it means to different people in various historical and political periods and racial and cultural environments. We will pursue questions throughout the course such as: What is the relationship between utopia and dystopia? Is the concept of utopia universal to all cultures? What are the particular concerns of the working class and non-Christians, women, and peoples of color? How do utopias address interdisciplinary scholarly interests, such as psychology, education, business, economics, literary studies? And from the opposite perspective, how have these fields been addressed by utopias?

The goals of the course are to come to a broad understanding of various conceptions of utopia and how, or whether, these visions have impacted our world. Additional goals include the fostering of critical reading skills through discussion of specific themes and concepts in the writings; an emphasis on developing critical writing skills through the assignment of writings of different lengths; the ability to compare and synthesize texts and critical perspectives; and the promotion of cooperative learning through class discussion and group activities.

Assignments:

Participation: This is a discussion course in which your participation is crucial. Come to class ready to participate fully in discussions. Because this course meets only once a week, regular attendance is expected.
Journals: You will record your responses and reflections based on questions the professors propose regarding specific texts. 1-2 pages
Group presentations: Groups of three or four students will lead class discussion and/or activities regarding a specific text.
Take-home exams: Formal essays of 3-4 pages in length analyzing a question that addresses themes or concepts in two different texts
Final paper: A 6-8 page paper that examines the additional reading you’ve chosen and integrates at least one other scholarly critical perspective such as a journal article or book chapter. This may include items from the reserve reading list.
Final presentation: Each student will give a brief oral presentation to the class regarding the work they have completed for the final paper.

Special Accommodations

It is University policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. Please contact us during the first two weeks of classes to discuss special needs. Please register with the Disability Services office, 589-6178, Room 362, Briggs Library.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, the unacknowledged use of someone else’s ideas, words or research including such that is found on the Internet or World Wide Web.

Final Grade Evaluation

Ø Preparation and Participation 20%

Ø Journals 20%

Ø Group Presentations 5%

Ø Final Presentation Activity 5%

Ø Exams 30% (15% each)

Ø Final Paper 20%

For most class sessions, there will be a short reserve reading available from Briggs Library to accompany the literary text. Reading guides will be provided for your use outside of class in engaging the literary readings and preparing for class discussions. We will not collect or grade these, but encourage you to use them to facilitate your understandings of the texts.

	Reading Assignments/Class Presentations	Written Assignments
8/31	Introduction/Course Outline	Journal 1 assigned
9/7	More—Utopia	Hand in Journal 1
9/14	Piercy—Woman on the Edge of Time (1-183)	Exam 1 assigned
9/21	Piercy—Woman on the Edge of Time (184-376) PRESENTATION GROUP 1	Final Paper assigned
9/28	Bellamy—Looking Backward Preface through Ch. XXV (45-145)	Hand in Exam 1 Journal 2 assigned
10/5	Bellamy—Looking Backward 145-244 PRESENTATION GROUP 2	Hand in Journal 2
10/12	Hawthorne—Blithedale Romance 1-107	Journal 3 assigned
10/19	Hawthorne—Blithedale Romance 108-224 PRESENTATION GROUP 3	Hand in Journal 3 Exam 2 assigned
10/26	Perkins Gilman—Herland PRESENTATION GROUP 4
11/2	Film--TBA	Hand in Exam 2 Journal 4 assigned
11/9	LeGuin—The Dispossessed 1-153	Hand in Journal 4
11/16	LeGuin—The Dispossessed 154-387 PRESENTATION GROUP 5
11/23	NO CLASS	Hand in Rough Draft of Final Paper by 11/22
11/30	Butler—Dawn 1-127
12/7	Butler—Dawn 128-248
12/14	Final Presentation Activity
12/18		Hand in Final Paper