Course Description

At the end of the course students should be able to:

• interpret independently a work in relation to Western utopian and dystopian ideas
  
• express the results of that interpretation in well-structured essay that is an argument about a significant and warranted thesis
  
• formulate and pursue independent research
  
• analyze diverse representations of utopia and dystopia works in various media and academic fields
  
• speak in public with increased confidence
  

Course Requirements

Grading:

Percentages for each required graded category are figured via a percentage of a 12-pt. scale in which an A+ =12 and
an F=0 points. For example, a B+ on the Shorter Paper would net you 9 x .15 or .1.35 points.  I then add up the percentage points for each required category to determine your grade.  For example, an 8.2 final score = B for the class.

Participation includes your grades on periodic quizzes, and coming to class prepared, having done the readings and being able to talk and write about them intelligently.

You must complete all the required work to pass the class.  I will grade plus/minus.

Attendance: You are allowed 3 absences. If you are absent, unexcused, more than 3 times over the course of the semester, your absences will count progressively against your final grade . Every 2 unexcused absences beyond the allowed 3 loses you a half letter grade for the final course grade. Anyone who misses the first two classes can be immediately dropped from the class. For the definition of an unexcused absence, see http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/pols_regs/REG205.00.4.php

Plagiarism: Anyone convicted will receive an F for the paper, or the course at my discretion.
And yes, I have caught people in the past--just last semester.

Late Papers: Papers received ONE class session late will be accepted but docked a full grade.
No late papers accepted after one class session late.

Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus
            Box 7509, 515-7653. http://www.ncsu.edu/dss/

Academic Integrity Assumption
Universities are unique communities committed to creating and transmitting knowledge. They depend on freedom - individuals' freedom to explore ideas and to explore and further their own capabilities. Those freedoms depend on the good will and responsible behavior of all the members of the community, who must treat each other with tolerance and respect. They must allow each other to develop the full range of their capabilities and take full advantage of the institution's resources.

Required Texts & Resources
Print Texts --available now in the NCSU bookstore. Other media in bold.

1. Plato. Republic. Ed. and trans. C. D. C. Reeve. Hackett, 2000.  
2. More, Thomas. Utopia.  Norton, 1992. 
3. Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels Norton, 1998.
4. Scott, Sarah. A Description of Millenium Hall. Broadview,  1995. 
5. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. Dover, 1998.
7. Skinner, B. F. Walden II.  Macmillan, 1976.
9. Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Ballantine, 1996.
10. Scott, Ridley. Blade Runner (film on DVD to be shown)
11. Callenbach, Ernest. Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston. Bantam, 1990.
12. McCarthy, Cormac. The Road, 2007.

How to Use the Oxford English Dictionary Online (Morillo)

Suggested Works for Final Research Papers:

Genesis
Book of Revelations
Dante Alligheri. Divine Comedy (1315?)
Cavendish, Margaret. A New World Called a Blazing World (1666 fiction)
Marx, Karl. Communist Manifesto
Butler, Samuel. Erewhon (1872)

Please fill out a course evalution online: http://ClassEval.ncsu.edu