USSO 287O - Utopia and Social Change in American Fiction

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

In this course we will read American Utopian fiction alongside selections from other academic disciplines in order to consider the issues, problems, and conflicts for creating meaningful social change. We will consider questions such as: What has it meant/does it mean to imagine a perfect American society? Who is excluded from these visions and on what grounds? How has the radically different social order represented in utopian fiction been used to critique American society's injustices? In our readings we will think through the ways in which historical perceptions of equality, hope, and political action have been portrayed in imagining ideal communities. We will also examine how academic theories have influenced and reacted to American utopian literature. Our coursework may include essay responses, service learning, and primary research (interviews and surveys), and will culminate in a project in which you will present your vision of a utopian future in a creative form and interpret and explain this "future" through a research paper analyzing the decisions that went into its creation. Prereq: Passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in USFS, FSSO, FSCC, FSNA, FSSY or FSCS. Prereq or Coreq: FSTS 100.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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