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HUMN 241 Utopia: Good Place or No Place?

This course is an exploration of the concept, representation, and reality of utopia. Utopia means both 'no place' and 'good place,' and encompasses thousands of years of imagined places and societies and the ideas behind them. Students will survey the breadth of utopian work through literature, visual arts, architecture, and historical and contemporary examples. Further study in subtopics within the genre will allow students to individually pursue their particular interests in utopias more deeply.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Analyze the theories and ideals behind imagined or instituted societal structures.
  2. 2. Compare and contrast how various writers, artists, and other groups have realized their ideals
    in imagined physical and societal structures.
  3. 3. Evaluate the commonalities and differences in the focus revealed in utopias across divisions
    of the humanities and over the course of human history.
  4. 4. Explore the continued human desire to move toward the ideal in constructing a human
    environment.
  5. 5. Demonstrate how cognitive processes can translate ideals into a proposed or instituted reality.
  6. 6. Recognize and comment upon contemporary examples of elements of utopian thought in
    theories of social engineering and urban planning.
  7. 7. Analyze the utility of artistic depictions of utopia in effecting change in the world.

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Analyze the theories and ideals behind imagined or instituted societal structures.
  2. 2. Compare and contrast how various writers, artists, and other groups have realized their ideals
    in imagined physical and societal structures.
  3. 3. Evaluate the commonalities and differences in the focus revealed in utopias across divisions
    of the humanities and over the course of human history.
  4. 4. Explore the continued human desire to move toward the ideal in constructing a human
    environment.
  5. 5. Demonstrate how cognitive processes can translate ideals into a proposed or instituted reality.
  6. 6. Recognize and comment upon contemporary examples of elements of utopian thought in
    theories of social engineering and urban planning.
  7. 7. Analyze the utility of artistic depictions of utopia in effecting change in the world.