HST 4305 SPRING 1994
Ideas and Their History
(University of Texas at Dallas)

SYLLABUS: UTOPIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Although the term "utopia" is only as old as Sir Thomas More's treatise of the same name, the idea of an ideal world is much older--at least as old as Homer and Hesiod, and perhaps the Bible's Eden. But the notion of an idyllic place, one like "nowhere" else, trouble- and conflict-free, as well as philosophically "pure" (according to its designer), seems to have become particularly enticing with the realization of the industrial revolution and the proliferation of ever newer, ever bigger, ever more promising, and ever more threatening technologies. Initially these ideas were expressed theoretically, primarily in the form of novels. But utopian speculation also found practical outlets in the many intentional communities founded by utopian theorists or their followers.

As an antidote to the perhaps overly optimistic fictional utopias of the nineteenth century, a growing number of what later came to be called "dystopias" began to appear. These are also utopias in one sense: they are no-places, but they are not good-places (thus partaking in only half of More's pun). In this course we will consider both, but we will concentrate on those utopias which, by reason of their being both unreachable and ideal, follow More's model more closely. The obvious exception to this rule is my inclusion of Forster's novella, "The Machine Stops" among the required readings. But one thing we might wish to consider is whether or not at some point in our technological development true Morian utopias become impossible.

The following reading list reflects at least two considerations. First of all, the utopian novels and stories are assembled chronologically, with the "classical" utopias first and the "postmodern" utopias last, leaving the "modern" utopias sandwiched in the middle. I have also tried to provide some variety in terms of ideology and gender. My selections have been limited by such further considerations as availability (many of the utopias which were most popular when they were first published are no longer in print; the edition of News From Nowhere I ordered for this class has gone out of print since the beginning of last semester) and readability, as well as a certain amount of whimsy. My original choice for a theoretical text, Lewis Mumford's The Story of Utopias is rather dated and quite expensive, so I will instead make available his most widely read article on utopia and technology. In place of the Mumford, I have selected philosopher Gianni Vattimo's recent book, The Transparent Society as the theoretical end-piece for the course. Vattimo's insights should provoke substantial discussion when we begin to consider the role of utopian thinking in a postmodern world.

In addition to the books listed, several valuable theoretical and critical works will be held on reserve in the library under my name and this course number. They will be available for short-term, out-of-library use so that as many people who need them will have access to them for research purposes.

The required readings for this course include the following:

Plato, Republic (selections from Books 2 and 3)
Thomas More, Utopia, Book II
Francis Bacon, The New Atlantis
Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward
William Morris, News From Nowhere
E. M. Forster, "The Machine Stops"
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Galápagos
Ursula K. Le Guin, Always Coming Home
Gianni Vattimo, The Transparent Society

I will provide photocopies of the selections from Plato, More, and Bacon, as well as of the articles by Lewis Mumford and Krishan Kumar listed on the reading calendar. All of the other books should be available both at the UTD Bookstore and at Off Campus Books, except for the Vattimo, which will only be available at Off Campus Books. Although the Penguin Morris is now out of print, Off Campus and the UTD Bookstore each have several used copies. I am not, however, particular about editions. For the most part, the editions I will be using are different from those I ordered, since I tried to order the least expensive printings of each text. Many of these books are also available at various Half Price Books outlets.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

I would like for each student to conduct research in an area of particular interest to him or her under the general topic of utopia and technology, and to produce an essay which explores in some depth the chosen area. To facilitate this project, I have divided your major assignment into stages.

I. By the sixth week of class (February 19) each student will submit a proposal which outlines a research topic. The proposal should consist of a two- to three-page essay on the genesis of the idea, a plan for conducting research on the topic, and some preliminary speculations on where that research might lead. A preliminary bibliography which indicates the feasibility of the project must accompany this essay. The proposal and its bibliography will count 25% toward your final grade.

II. A preliminary draft of the project essay is due by the eleventh week of class (April 2). This will not be graded, but it must be submitted on time. You may submit subsequent drafts as well, but only the one is required.

III. The final essay will be due on Saturday, April 16. Your final examination will consist of an informal oral presentation/discussion about your topic on the final exam date (April 30). The paper itself will constitute 50% of your grade.

IV. Because this class will rely heavily on class discussions of readings and other materials, attendance and participation will figure significantly in your final grade. Along with the presentation of your paper topic, class participation will count 25%.

The process outlined above has been designed to make it easier for you to conduct a solid research project and to write a creditable essay. Research done hastily and papers written at the last minute tend to be inadequate and unsatisfactory both to the student and the instructor; this schedule should help you to avoid most of the usual pitfalls.

CALENDAR OF TOPICS AND READINGS

Week I: Introduction. What is utopia? Why study utopian ideas? Discussion of course requirements and syllabus. Assignment: Read classical utopias packet.

Week II: Early utopias. Plato's Republic, More's Utopia, Bacon's New Atlantis. History of utopian thought, with bibliography of early utopian writings. The effect of the Enlightenment on the "shape" of utopia. Assignment: Begin reading Bellamy and Morris novels.

Week III: Library Tour. Research topic workshop.

Week IV: The Industrial Revolution and utopian thought. Ruskin, Morris, and Bellamy. The Pre-Raphaelites and the art of utopia.

Week V: Discussion, Looking Backward and News From Nowhere-- rival utopian visions of the modern world. Assignment: Read Herland.

Week VI: Herland, Feminism, and utopia. Project proposal due.

Week VII: Utopia and the cinema. During the next two class meetings, two or three films and/or film clips will be shown and discussed. Among these: Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Charles Chaplin's The King in New York. Assignment: Read "The Machine Stops."

Week VIII: The borders of dystopia. "The Machine Stops." Assignment: Read Mumford and Kumar articles.

Week IX: Utopia, the machine, and the millennium. Assignment: Begin Vonnegut and Le Guin novels.

Week X: Postmodernism, technology, and the arts.

Week XI: Architecture as a utopian medium. Video: The Shock of the New: Trouble in Utopia. Project essay draft due. Assignment: Begin Vattimo.

Week XII: The shape of postmodern utopia: Vonnegut and Le Guin.

Week XIII: Gianni Vattimo, The Transparent Society. Project essay due.

Week XIV: Summary, unfinished business.

Final Class presentations.

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10.17.02