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Titel
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Utopia or dystopia part two (inkl. værklæsning)
This course explores the concepts of utopia and dystopia in fiction and real life.
Thomas More coined the term utopia as a combination of Greek words meaning
happy place and no place/nowhere. Far from describing a never-never land, utopias
often represent cultural protest against unjust institutions or policies and propose
political or social reforms.
However, a more dominant genre is the dystopia, which is
the primary focal point of the course. In recent years there has been increasing
attention to dystopian visions representing oppressive totalitarian regimes,
environmental degradation, and/or technological oppression.
From cultural knowledge and current examples of utopian thought, we analyse and
discuss ideas about the perfect society based on the concept of utopia. However, we
also question the utopian depiction and discuss to what extent this represents a
utopia for everyone. This discussion naturally links to the distinction between utopia
and dystopia. Whether or not a society is perceived as a utopia or dystopia is often
determined by one's point of view.
This leads the course into a specific focus on dystopian fiction where in some works
of fiction societies are at first presented as utopias when in fact they are dystopias.
We will explore different works of dystopia in class, such as the dystopian science
fiction in Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron (1961). We will analyse and interpret
the literary work based on relevant analytical terms, as well as the dystopian
framework and its relevance today, as well as its historical context of The Cold War. This context suggests two possible interpretations of the short story: An American critique of communism, or a critique of American's idea of communism and equality.
At the end of this course we should be able to discuss ideas about the perfect
society as well as darker visions of how society may develop. More fundamentally
the course explores what it is to be human - as a fundamental condition and
influenced by contemporary developments and challenges in society.
Material, part one
•Read-write-think. "Dystopias: definition and characteristics" (2006) [1 side]
• The Good Place (ep. 1, Netflix) [5 sider]
•Kurt Vonnegut: "Harrison Bergeron" (1961) fra BRAVE NEW WORLDS eds. John
Joseph Adams. San Francisco: Night Shade Books, 2011: 369-374. [5 sider]
•"Welcome to Twin Oaks Community" via twinoaks.org. URL:
https://www.twinoaks.org/about-twinoaks-community/welcome [1 side]
The Handmaid's Tale (ep. 1) [15 pages]
Why we like dystopian fiction so much (Koushin Unber, The Daily Star) [2 sider]
Material, part two:
Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1945
Excerpts of 1984, George Orwell, 1949
"Nosedive", Black Mirror, TV series season 3, episode 1
FOKUSPUNTER
•Definition af utopi og dystopi som litterære genrer
•Definition af dystopiens kontroltyper, samfundets karakteristika, protagonistens
rolle og typiske karakteristika
• Oplæg med fokus på forskellige analytiske aspekter af The Handmaid's Tale
•Kendskab til tre overordnede ustopiske varianter: statisk vs. dynamisk, asketisk vs.
behovstilfredsstillende, hierarkisk vs. egalitær
•Diskutere tematikker, der hyppigt optræder i dystopiske værker
•Kreativ skriveopgave hvor eleverne har designet deres egne dystopiske litterære
værker med udgangspunkt i deres faglige viden om genren
•Diskutere et nutidigt realiseret utopisk samfund i Twin Oaks Community
Faglige mål:
– give en længere, velstruktureret mundtlig og skriftlig fremstilling på flydende, korrekt engelsk af komplekse sagsforhold med forståelse for kommunikationssituationen
– gøre rede for indhold, synspunkter og stilforskelle i forskellige typer engelsksprogede tekster og mediestof, herunder film
– analysere og fortolke forskellige nyere og ældre teksttyper samt mediestof, herunder film, med anvendelse af faglig terminologi
– perspektivere det givne materiale litteraturhistorisk, kulturelt, samfundsmæssigt og historisk
– anvende en grundviden om historiske, kulturelle og samfundsmæssige forhold i Storbritannien og USA til analyse og perspektivering af aktuelle forhold
– analysere og beskrive engelsk sprog grammatisk og stilistisk med anvendelse af relevant faglig terminologi
– anvende faglige opslagsværker og øvrige hjælpemidler
– demonstrere indsigt i fagets identitet og metoder.
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