Course Description
We explore the utopian imagination by tracing its development from its ancient precursors to its modern manifestations. Through the readings and discussions, we address the shifts in utopian thought as it was affected by contemporary sociopolitical realities and the relationships between the utopian imagination and these realities—perennial yearning for better days past transformed into hopes of a perfect society to come; self-conscious warnings of authors faced with the real results of the planned society; dystopian fantasies looking ahead to the new frontiers of technology and the uncertain future of humanity.