English 824: The Quest for Utopia
Spring 2014 Section 02: M-W-F 10:00-10:50
Dr. Catherine Wiley
Diamond Peer Teacher: Elizabeth Kemmerer
E-mail: cawiley@temple.edu
(best way to reach me)
Weiss Hall 0B035
Office hours: Mondays, 1:30-3:00 and by appt.
Office location: Anderson 913
N’importe ou, hors de ce monde
No matter where, out of this world.
-Charles Baudelaire
The word utopia comes from the Greek: οú ("not") and τόπος ("place"). At the same time, the English
homophone eutopia comes from the Greek εú ("good" or "well") and τόπος ("place"). Thus utopia has a
double meaning: it is both no place and good place. This course explores the similarly paradoxical nature
of the human endeavor to create a perfect world. If the belief in human progress and the desire for
equality, happiness, perfection expresses the most noble impulses of man, then why do utopian
communities fail to materialize? And if they do, why does the quest for perfection always contain within
it the seeds of its own destruction? We will discover what visions of utopia and dystopia have existed in
literature across time periods, countries, and disciplines. We will question what kinds of behavior, for
better or worse, the quest for utopia brings about as we read and discuss the actions of individuals as
they realize, or fail to realize, utopian perfection.
We will explore quests for utopia in a variety of literary genres and discover how the concept of a
perfect world beyond our own has been re-imagined over several centuries. You will use these readings
and our discussions of them to understand and critique modern-day utopias that exist today and to
design your own original utopian community. The reading, writing, and group projects required in this
course will increase your analytic thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, as well as give you
space to engage with the questions posed in this course in critical and creative ways.
The quest for utopia brings about, and is reflective of, changes in how a culture sees itself, so our
encounters with various utopian pursuits will help us better reflect upon our own relationship to the
world around us. While always directed towards a world that is “no place,” the quest for utopia tells us
about this world—and what it could be.
GenED Human Behavior Goals and Objectives Gen Ed Human Behavior courses address the
relationships between individuals and communities. Human Behavior courses are intended to teach
students how to:
 Understand relationships between individuals and communities;
 Understand theories or explanations of human behavior used to describe social phenomena;
 Examine the development of individuals’ beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions and how these
affect individuals and communities;
 Apply one disciplinary method to understand human behavior or explain social phenomena;
 Access and analyze materials related to individuals, communities or social phenomena; and
 Compare and contrast similar social phenomena across individuals or communities.
Required Texts, available in the campus bookstore
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Bellamy, Edward. Looking Backward
Eng824:02, Wiley, Spr14, Syllabus p. -1-
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Claeys, Gregory and Lyman Tower Sargent, eds., The Utopia Reader
Collins, Suzanne, The Hunger Games
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, Herland
More, Thomas, Utopia
Piercy, Marge. Woman on the Edge of Time
Various articles and materials available on Blackboard. Must be printed out and brought to class.
Course Requirements and Grading
Midterm:
Group Presentation
Final Paper
Participation/homework/quizzes:
25%
25%
35%
15%
Grading Scale
92.5% and higher = A
90.0 – 92.49% = A87.5% - 89.99% = B+
82.5% - 87.49% = B
80% - 82.49% = B77.5% - 79.99% = C+
72.5% - 77.49% = C
70% - 72.49% = C67.5% - 69.99% = D+
62.5% - 67.49% = D
60% - 62.49% - D59.99% and lower = F
Group Presentation: Your group project will take one of two forms: a plan for your utopia, or a report
on a contemporary utopian project. Whichever project you choose, you will work with a group of 4-5
students to present your ideas to the class during the last three weeks of the term. You will not have to
agree on all elements of the utopia you present), but you do have to plan a coherent 15-20 minute
presentation. The presentation should blend oral presentation, text, and images.
Final: The final paper will synthesize the research and ideas you explored in the group presentation with
the readings of this course. This will be a formal academic essay that should represent the culmination
of your thinking about utopian writing and experiments as it has developed throughout this term.
Homework and Quizzes: I will assign homework occasionally, often a one-page response paper or
answers to discussion questions. These will be graded and will count as part of your participation grade.
More importantly, they will give you an idea of how well you are doing in the class. If you do not do well
on these assignments, it would be a good idea to meet with me to discuss how you might improve
before the more seriously-weighted graded assignments are due. Unannounced quizzes will occur any
time I feel as though students are not doing the reading or reading carefully enough. These, too, will
factor into your participation grade (15% of your overall course grade). There may also be times when I
assign in-class writing exercises that will be graded as quizzes.
Attendance: For this course, regular attendance is mandatory, and will be recorded daily. Any more than
3 absences means that your class participation grade will be reduced by one-third of a letter, so:
Eng824:02, Wiley, Spr14, Syllabus p. -2-
absence 4 = 1/3 (e.g. B to B-), absence 5 = 2/3 (e.g. B to C+), and absence 6 = a whole letter (e.g. B to C).
More than six absences will result in an automatic class participation grade of ‘D.’ I do not differentiate
between excused and unexcused absences: save your absences for times when you need them, such as
illnesses.
E-mail: I will respond to e-mails within 48 hours (usually, but not always, sooner), except for those you send me
on Friday afternoon, which I’ll respond to on Monday.
Disability Statement:
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me
privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at
215- 204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with
documented disabilities. Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic
freedom. The University has a policy on Student and Faculty and Academic Rights and Responsibilities
(Policy #03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment
[Excerpted from the Temple University Statement on Academic Honesty for Students in Undergraduate
Courses]
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person's labor: another person's ideas, words, or
assistance. In general, all sources must be identified as clearly, accurately, and thoroughly as possible.
Academic cheating is, in general terms, the thwarting or breaking of the general rules of academic work
and/or the specific rules of individual courses. It includes falsifying data; submitting, without the
instructor's approval, work in one course that was done for another; helping others to plagiarize or
cheat from one's own or someone else's work; or actually doing the work of another person.
Penalties for Academic Dishonesty
The penalty for dishonesty can vary from a reprimand and receiving a failing grade for a particular
assignment, to failure for the course, to suspension or expulsion from the University.
NOTE: If you plagiarize in my class you will fail the course. This is not negotiable. If you are uncertain
about anything, ask BEFORE you hand in the work. It will be too late afterwards.
Reading Schedule
Note: the reading schedule is subject to change throughout the semester;
any revised schedules will be announced in class or posted to Blackboard.
If you have any questions about the schedule, email me.
Week 1
W Jan 22
F Jan 24
Week 2
M Jan 27
Intro to the course: Syllabus and What is a Utopia?
Utopia before Thomas More: READ from The Utopian Reader (UR): Lucian,
“Saturnalia” UR 64-6; Amana Community, “The Twenty-One Rules for the
Examination of Our Daily Lives” UR 186-7; and from Plato’s Republic, UR 27-56
Continue discussion of Plato’s Republic in UR (27-56); Michel de Montaigne,
“The Cannibals” UR 99-103
Eng824:02, Wiley, Spr14, Syllabus p. -3-
W Jan 29
F Jan 31
Week 3
M Feb 3
W Feb 5
F Feb 7
Week 4
M Feb 10
Freud, Civilization and its Discontents, link on Blackboard
Freud, Civilization, cont’d
Edward Rothstein, “Utopia and its Discontents” (available on Blackboard); begin
Thomas More’s Utopia
Thomas More’s Utopia, cont’d
Thomas More’s Utopia; R.W. Chambers, “The Meaning of Utopia” (in Utopia,
Norton edition)
W Feb. 12
F Feb 14
READ (all in UR) from the Book of Genesis (9-11); “The Millennium”: Revelation
of St. John (67), II Baruch (67-68); “Monasticism”: The Rule of St. Benedict (6869), The Rule of St. Francis (70); “The Shakers” (182-186); Amana, or the
Community of True Inspiration (186-190); Oneida ( 190-192)
Samuel Butler Erewhon UR 229-240
Continue discussion of Butler
Week 5
M Feb 17
W Feb 19
F Feb 21
Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward
Bellamy, cont.’d
Bellamy, cont.’d
Week 6
M Feb 24
W Feb 26
F Feb 28
Bellamy, cont.’d
Bellamy, cont.’d
Bellamy reviews and criticism, available on Blackboard
M Mar 3 – F Mar 7
No class! Spring Break
Week 7
M Mar 10
W Mar 12
F Mar 14
Midterm Review
Midterm Exam
First In-class meeting for Group Project
Week 8
M Mar 17
W Mar 19
Fri Mar 21
Library Session; begin Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
Gilman, Herland, cont’d.
Gilman, Herland, cont’d.
Eng824:02, Wiley, Spr14, Syllabus p. -4-
Week 9
M Mar 24
W Mar 26
F Mar 28
Collins, The Hunger Games
Collins, Hunger, cont.’d
Collins, Hunger, cont.’d
Week 10
M Mar 31
W Apr 2
F Apr 4
Collins, Hunger, cont.’d
Wrap up discussion of Hunger Games
Second in-class meeting for Group Project
Week 11
M Apr 7
W Apr 9
F Apr 11
Marge Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time
Piercy, cont.’d
Piercy, cont.’d
Week 12
M Apr 14
W Apr 16
F Apr 18
Piercy, cont.’d
Piercy, cont.’d
Wrap up Piercy discussion
Week 13
M Apr 21
W Apr 23
F Apr 25
Presentation Groups 1-2
Presentation Groups 3-4
Presentation Groups 5-6
Week 14
M Apr 28
W Apr 30
F May 2
Presentation Groups 7
Paper Workshop
Optional paper conferences
Week 15
M May 5
Paper workshop; Course wrap-up
Final paper due in my office by noon on Wednesday, May 7.
Eng824:02, Wiley, Spr14, Syllabus p. -5-