Course details

Name: ENGL - 114

Title: INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA

Section: 01

Semester: Fall - 2024

Credits: 3

Description:
This course provides an introduction to the study of literature at the college level by exploring the evolution of English literary works that could be described as “utopian” or “dystopian.” Beginning with arguably the first work of utopian literature in English literary history – Thomas More’s /Utopia/, first published in 1516 – we will explore subsequent manifestations of utopian and dystopian writing both in the years immediately succeeding More’s book and in more recent times, including Margaret Cavendish’s /The Blazing World/ (1666), Italo Calvino’s /Invisible Cities/ (1972), and Margaret Atwood’s /The Handmaid’s Tale/ (1985). What exactly is the difference, if any, between a utopian and a dystopian work of literature? Are there certain questions or issues that such works appear better suited to exploring than others? Why do certain periods of time seem to occasion more intense interest in utopian or dystopian literature than others? These are only some of the questions that the course will pursue.

** NOTE: This course is a Hybrid Course. Class meets only once in person each week: Tuesdays, 5:30-6:45 p.m. The other part of the class is conducted asynchronously online, with students required each week both to post on Canvas a brief written response to a weekly assignment and to engage with the postings from that week of their classmates. **

Schedule: Tuesday From 5:30 pm To 6:45 pm

Graduation requirements:

• Introduction to Literature (110-114)

Teaching Faculty: Miller Jeffrey (millerje)

Is course canceled: No