IDS-350: Honors: Best Place, Worst Place, No Place: Utopias and Dystopias

Examines, in a seminar format, the topic of utopias and dystopias in history and literature. Traces humanity's literary and historical quest to conceive a perfect community, analyzes the history of failed utopian experiments, and studies how contemporary societies' evolving aspirations and fears generate new visions of utopia and dystopia. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course explores a range of utopias and dystopias, both literary and real, to understand the connections among them and the theories of human nature on which they are based. Prerequisite: Morrissy Scholor or permission. Fulfills general education requirement in literature. [ 3 credits ]