2019 Fall
ENGLISH 165 001 - SEM 001
Special Topics
Utopian and (mostly) Dystopian Movies
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
0
Enrolled: 30
Waitlisted: 1
Capacity: 30
Waitlist Max: 1
Open Reserved Seats:0
Hours & Workload
3 hours of student-instructor coverage of course materials per week, and 9 hours of outside work hours per week.
Other classes by Julia K Bader
Course Catalog Description
Designed primarily for English majors. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.
Class Description
Most utopian and dystopian authors are more concerned with persuading readers of the merits of their ideas than with the "merely" literary qualities of their writing. Although utopian writing has sometimes made converts, inspiring readers to try to realize the ideal society, most of it has had limited practical impact, yet has managed to provoke readers in various ways—for instance, as a kind of imaginative fiction that comments on "things as they are" indirectly yet effectively, with fantasy and satire in varying doses. Among the critical questions posed by such material are the problematic status of fiction that is not primarily mimetic, but written in the service of some ulterior purpose; the shifting relationships between what is and what authors think might be or ought to be; how to create the new and strange other than by recombining the old and familiar; and so on.
Various films (such as Metropolis, Triumph of the Will, Modern Times, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, Brazil, THX1138, Gattaca, A Clockwork Orange, and Children of Men) will be included in the syllabus and discussed in class. The works on the book list are not required, but recommended: in some cases, as classics of their genre, in others, for purposes of comparison with film adaptations. Writing will consist of one long essay of 16-20 pages. There will be no quizzes or exams, but seminar attendance and participation will be expected, and will affect grades.
See https://english.berkeley.edu/courses/6124 for more information.
Class Notes
Book List
Recommended: Atwood, M.: The Handmaid's Tale; Burgess, A.: A Clockwork Orange; Gilman, C. P.: Herland; Huxley, A.: Brave New World; Ishiguro, K.: Never Let Me Go; Orwell, G.: 1984; Wells, H. G.: Three Prophetic Novels; Zamiatin, E.: We
Recommended: Atwood, M.: The Handmaid's Tale; Burgess, A.: A Clockwork Orange; Gilman, C. P.: Herland; Huxley, A.: Brave New World; Ishiguro, K.: Never Let Me Go; Orwell, G.: 1984; Wells, H. G.: Three Prophetic Novels; Zamiatin, E.: We
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
Associated Sections
None