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By studying the utopian and dystopian tradition in modern cultural history, students will develop a keen sense of the fluent borders between political realities and ideals, as well as a deeper understanding of the relation between politics and culture. Students will develop their own research topic, including an oral and a written presentation.
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Since the publication of Thomas More's "Utopia" in 1516, many novels, tracts, manifestoes and experimental communities have been dedicated to the dream of an ideal world. Especially during the 20th century, this utopian tradition was complemented by it's (apparent) couterpart: dystopian literature, pointing to the dark and totalitarian sides of utopian phantasies come true. We will discuss biographical essays, novels (including science fiction) and movies to analyze the everchanging tensions between political reality and dreams of a better weorld and put thec European tradition of untopian reflection into perspective by discussing models of a perfect world in non-western cultures as well. This seminar will culminate in an individual research paper.
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