ENGL 158: Dystopian Narratives

1 unit
Just as utopia is an imagined ideal society typically characterized by peace, safety, harmony, and satisfaction, dystopia is its opposite–a society rife with injustice, disarray, struggle, and collapse. Because dystopian texts reflect the values, desires, and fears of the time and place in which they’re written, this course will explore several such narratives, considering how they both respond to and actively shape our social, political, and environmental perspectives and behavior. Texts vary by semester, but regularly featured authors include Margaret Atwood and Octavia Butler. L. Brown