| Course Title: Another World Is Possible: Writing Utopias |
| Start Date: 10/21/2020 End Date: 12/14/2020 |
| Term: Fall Semester 2020 |
| Description: How and why do narrative artists envision whole new worlds? What is the role of fantasy in social change? How can we make art about social change in the middle of a global crisis? In this course we will investigate contemporary utopian fictions and their historical antecedents as models for our own utopian writing. We will encounter novels and films from various lineages, including Afrofuturist, anarchist, critical utopian, ecotopian, and feminist. Authors we may read include Sir Thomas More, Ursula K. Le Guin, Samuel R. Delany, Ernest Callenbach, Octavia E. Butler, Walidah Imarisha, Carolina De Robertis, and Margaret Kiljoy. Interdisciplinary research and collaboration will make up a substantial portion of the work of the course. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities , WI - Writing-Intensive |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Andrea Lawlor | alawlor@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 10/21/2020 - 12/14/2020 | Flex. Immersive Seminar/Disc. | Monday | 12:45PM - 02:00PM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| 10/21/2020 - 12/14/2020 | Flex. Immersive Seminar/Disc. | Tuesday and Thursday | 12:45PM - 01:45PM | Weekly | ||
| 10/21/2020 - 12/14/2020 | Flex. Immersive Seminar/Disc. | Wednesday and Friday | 12:45PM - 02:30PM | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: 4 credits in creative writing and either 4 additional credits in English or 4 credits in Gender Studies, Critical Race and Political Economy, Africana Studies, Critical Social Thought, Latina/o Studies, or Environmental Studies. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| This course is in conversation with ENGL-366 Love, Sex, and Death in the Anthropocene, or Living Through the Age of Climate Change and Other Disasters. |
| Course Tags | ||
| MOD0002 | MOD-2: Courses meeting in Module 2 | This course meets in Module 2. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Closed | Capacity: 15 | Enrollment: 15 | Available: 0 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: The Dispossessed Author: Le Guin, Ursula K. Copyright: 1975 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780061054884 Publisher: Harper |
Required | 7.99 |
| Title: Wonderbook Author: VanderMeer, Jeff Copyright: 2013 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781419704420 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams |
Recommended | 24.95 |
| Title: Utopia Author: More, Thomas Copyright: Edition: Volume: ISBN: 0486295834 Publisher: Dover |
Recommended | 2.50 |
| Title: Parable of the Sower Author: Butler, Octavia E. Copyright: 1993 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780446675505 Publisher: |
Required | 15.00 |
| Title: The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions Author: Mitchell, Larry Copyright: 2019 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781643620060 Publisher: Nightboat |
Recommended | 16.95 |
| Title: PET Author: Emezi, Akwaeke Copyright: 2019 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780525647072 Publisher: Random House |
Required | 17.99 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |
| Instructor's comments about the book list: I encourage you to purchase these (and all) required course texts from your nearest locally-owned independent bookstore) when possible. Bookshop.org is a good online option if your local independent doesn't do deliver or do curbside pickup. Writers need to be aware of the economic ramifications of ordering books from Amazon. But of course we writers also have our own economic contingencies. I am working to secure e-books of all texts as well for the library's collection. Additionally, some e-books are available from the Boston Public Library system, or your home public library system. If you need additional help, contact me privately about alternate arrangements--I may have a spare copy. Please note: I may add one more title once I have more information about visitors and the needs of this particular course. |