Utopias: Visions of the World

(Fall 2007)

Course:

PYSC/ANSO 4600: Utopias: Visions of the World

Instructor:

Dr. Linda M. Woolf

Office Hours:

Texts:

Course Description:

Utopian speculation is often used in stimulating people to confront social and philosophical problems and to commit themselves to imaginative solutions to them. It can also help to bring various fields of knowledge into meaningful relationships affording new perspectives from which to view past, present, and future experience. When the speculation takes place in small groups of people working together to designing an imaginary commune or intentional community, it can contribute to the understanding and tolerance of divergent points of view and foster felowship, cooperation, and compromise in reaching group decisions.

In this seminar, we will read and analyze some of these utopian visions. We will examine whether these visions represent models of utopia or perhaps, rather represent dystopian nighmares of worlds yet to be.

Specific Course Objectives:

  1. To examine the nature of utopia and dystopian thought as presented by behavioral and social scientists (as well as others).

  2. To analyze the function that utopian and dystopian thought in the modern world.

  3. To critique the benefits and limitations inherent in utopian ideals.

Senior Seminar Course Learning Goals and outcomes

  1. Learning Goal: Students will examine a topic in-depth from multiple theoretical perspectives.

  2. Learning Outcome: Use concepts and language from multiple theoretical perspectives to account for phenomena being examined in the senior seminar.

  3. Learning Outcome: Compare and contrast major perspectives.

  4. Learning Outcome: Integrate theoretical perspectives to produce comprehensive and multifaceted explanations.

  5. Learning Goal: Students will understand and apply principles from the course to personal, social, and/or organizational issues.

  6. Learning Outcome: Identify appropriate applications of theoretical perspectives in solving problems.

  7. Learning Outcome: Articulate how principles can be used to explain social issues and inform public policy.

  8. Learning Outcome: Recognize that ethically complex situations can develop in the application of theoretical principles.

  9. Learning Goal: Students will actively participate in their learning and communicate effectively in a variety of formats.

  10. Learning Outcome: Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats (e.g, essays, papers, journals) for various purposes (informing, defending, persuading).

  11. Learning Outcome: Demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats (e.g., class discussion, debate, presentation) and for various purposes (e.g. explaining, defending, persuading, teaching).

  12. Learning Outcome: Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills of listening accurately and actively.

Incoming Competencies/Prerequisites:

12 credit hours of social science or permission of the instructor. All students should be capable of integrating and evaluating information, critical thinking, and writing at the college level.

Class Meetings:

The class will meet on Wednesday from 2:00 - 4:50. As this is a seminar class, classroom attendance is mandatory. Class participation and discussion will greatly enhance your understanding of the material. Additionally, you and your fellow classmates are interdependent in a seminar course. A high level of commitment is necessary from everyone to guarantee optimal learning and benefit. As such, participation/discussion will constitute a large percentage of your final grade.

Course Requirements:

Responsibility for preparing and presenting one of the books for analysis by the class, seven short response papers (based on questions provided by the instructor), a final paper, and class participation.

All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 10 with:

90 - 100A-,AExcellent
80 - 89B-,B,B+Above Average
70 - 79C-,C,C+Average
Less than 70FFailing

Percent of Grade:

Presentation20%
Short Response Papers50%
Final Paper20%
Class Discussion10%

Presentation: Each student will be assigned to work with at least one other student and be responsible for the presentation of one of the texts discussed in class. Students will provide an overview of the major theoretical perspectives identified in the book and also evaluate the book in relation to the research literature on these topics. Students will provide the class with an outline of their presentation, additional readings, a broader reference list used in the presentation, and discussion questions.

Short Response Papers: For each book a set of questions will be posted to the class email list and also placed on eReserves. You will be required to respond to a portion of the questions (for example, two out of four). These will be sent to me directly for grading and NOT to the class discussion list. You must respond to at least seven out of the eight sets of questions. If you respond to eight questions, the seven heighest grades will be used in computing your final grade. All papers should be written in APA format and must be submitted electronically in Word format. Send to Linda M. Woolf - woolflm@webster.edu

Final Paper: You will be required to design a utopia. This assignment will force you to analyze the idea of utopia. What are the fundamental characteristics that you believe make up a utopia? What problems are you trying to solve and why? Further guidelines will be posted to the discussion list and placed on eReserves. You can also share and discuss ideas with each other on the discussion list.

Some specific areas you will be addressing include:

  1. Education, methods, and beliefs
  2. Politics, authority, and freedom
  3. The good life
  4. physical plan
  5. economics
  6. human relations and morality
  7. Human nature, science, and technology
  8. Religion
  9. Art, beauty, and creativity

A final assignment document with extensive detail concerning the form, structure, and requirements is on eReserve at the library and will be discussed in class. The final paper should be written in APA format and must be submitted electronically in Word format. Send to Linda M. Woolf

Class Discussion: Please realize that your participation in this class is extremely important. As such, class participation will constitute 10 percent of your final grade. The class participation grade will derive from regular attendance and everyday discussion and analysis. Please be aware that skipping class (either excused or unexcused absences) will impact your grade in this area.

Policy Statements:

Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment and will be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.

Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -

Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.

This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.

It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document.


COURSE OUTLINE


Date


TOPIC

August 22 Introduction to the class
What is a Utopia?
August 29What is a Utopia?
Planning for Presentations
September 5 Video and Discussion
September 12 Walden Two by Burrhus Frederic Skinner
September 19Herland by Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman
September 26Video and Discussion
October 3 Webster Works Worldwide
October 10 People of the Rainbow : A Nomadic Utopia by Michael I. Niman
October 24Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited
October 31Pacific Edge (Three Californias) by Kim Stanley Robinson
November 7The Dispossessed : An Ambiguous Utopia
November 14Galapagos by Kurt, Jr. Vonnegut,
November 21Video and Discussion
Novermber 28Kirinyaga : A Fable of Utopia
December 5 Work on Utopia Final Papers
August 29 Final Course Wrap-Up and Discussion of Final Papers

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