CourseOverviewAndPolicies

=Course Overview and Policies=

Texts

 * //The Utopia Reader//, ed. Gregory Claeys and Lyman Tower Sargent
 * //Utopia//, Thomas More
 * //Looking Backward//, Edward Bellamy
 * //We//, Yevgeny Zamyatin
 * //The Dispossessed//, Ursula K. LeGuin
 * //The Handmaid’s Tale//, Margaret Atwood

Course Description
This course is a selective survey of utopian literature and thought. Our reading will begin with utopias that are positively ideal and then proceed toward utopias that question themselves (a structure I’ve borrowed from the utopian scholar Kenneth Roemer.) The units of the course include: Each unit is organized chronologically, surveying a brief selection of utopian literature and film. We will explore utopian fiction as a form of social dreaming, in dialogue with our own ideas (and dreams) about what we think is good and just.
 * 1) Overview of utopia and utopianism
 * 2) Unambiguous utopias
 * 3) Utopian satires and dystopias
 * 4) Ambiguous utopias

Assignments and Grading - Revised 4/15/2011
Final course grades will be determined by combining grades in the following manner:
 * Attendance and participation (15%)
 * Response essays (25%) – You will write a brief essay (500 – 700 words) in response to each of the five longer texts we read. I will provide you with a question to prompt your writing.
 * Group film presentation (25%) – In groups, you will present for 20-25 minutes on a film of your choice, analyzing it in the context of the utopian literature and the ideas that we have discussed in the course. Before the presentations, (everyone outside of class) will watch the films being presented.
 * Individual film presentation essay (optional: will replace the response essay with the lowest grade) – Individually, everyone will write an essay explaining the relevance of their presented film to the course and relating it to two or three texts studied during the semester.
 * Midterm exam (15%)
 * Final exam (20%)

Attendance
As a colloquium, the class will center on discussion and the exchange of ideas. Regular attendance is required.
 * You are allowed three absences (one week of class) free and clear, no excuses necessary. You don't need to provide any documentation to explain your absence, but you only get three, so use them wisely.
 * After your three absences, any and all absences, regardless of the reason, will adversely affect your grade as follows. For each absence after the third, your class participation grade (15% of the total course grade) will be lowered by 10 percentage points.
 * If you are absent, you are responsible for submitting the assigned homework, for making arrangements to get the materials for the next class or to see movies screened in class, and for coming prepared to discuss the next class materials. If you have an illness or family responsibilities that require a long absence, you should contact me as soon as possible (NOT after an unexplained absence of several weeks).

Late Assignments
Keep in mind:
 * Absence is not an excuse for late work: assignments must be turned in the day they are due. If you will be absent when an assignment is due, arrange to have someone turn in the assignment for you or email me the assignment. If you cannot make such arrangements, contact me before the due date.
 * Technology is not an excuse for late work. Plan ahead for the inevitable problems with printers, flash drives, etc.
 * A late essay will be penalized one full letter grade (e.g., from a B to a C) for each class day it is late (e.g., the essay is due Friday but not turned in until Monday).

Academic Dishonesty
Honesty, trust, and personal responsibility are fundamental attributes of the university community. Academic dishonesty by a student will not be tolerated, for it threatens the foundation of an institution dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. To maintain its credibility and reputation, and to equitably assign evaluations of scholastic and creative performance, Ball State University is committed to maintaining a climate that upholds and values the highest standards of academic integrity.

Plagiarism
All the work you do for this course must be your own work, and use of sources must documented. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty (such as turning in a paper originally written for another course) will be punished in accordance with the Ball State disciplinary policy. If you plagiarize, you will fail the paper for sure, and you could fail the class.

Accomodations
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. .