The extreme version of “the grass is always greener on the other side” has been a vision of a mythical place where all is peace, balance, perfection and happiness. The concept of utopia – somewhere better than this – has been with us for centuries, but what drives it? And why, when the quest is for betterment and maximum benefit for all, do utopias so often go bad? This course will examine what visions of utopia and dystopia have existed in literature from around the world. We will look at it alongside writing from a variety of disciplines to try to understand why utopia resists our reach, and the kind of behavior, for better and for worse, that the quest for utopia brings about. Note: This course fulfills the Human Behavior (GB) requirement for students under GenEd and Individual & Society (IN) for students under Core.
Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed English 0924.