Explorations in Society Development is a thematic study based on the transformation essay I wrote for Dr. Webb’s English 6800 course. The course asks students to examine the development of societies and their values, so that students can create, evaluate, and partake in a society of their own. Throughout the course, the student will be comparing a society that they created to different theories, utopias, and dystopias that they will read about to question what works and what doesn’t work.
Learning outcomes:
- The student will explore, discuss and understand a wide variety of literature in a variety of genres from fiction to non-fiction, from classic to contemporary and from text to film.
- The students will understand why societies are important, how societies develop and participate within a society that they developed in the classroom.
- The student will identify their core values and develop a society that incorporates those ideals.
- The student will relate how literature connects with their life.
- The student will utilize 21st century technology to develop a multi-media project.
Section 1: The Peak of Civilization?
- Video Clip: The Matrix “The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this: the peak of your civilization.” –Agent Smith
- Discussion: Are we at the peak of civilization, is there or has there been a better civilization/society?
- Discussion: How are societies created?
Section 2: Society Origins
- Text: Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
- Text: excerpts from A People’s History by Howard Zinn
- Text: excerpts from Utopia by Thomas More
- Text: excerpts from Republic by Plato
Section 3: Creating The Ideal Places
Utopias in Faith Texts
- Text: Genesis 2 Bible
- Text: Surah 14 Ibrahim Quran
- Text: Aeneid Book VI by Virgil
- Text: Grimnismál Poetic Eddas
Economic Utopias
- Text: excerpts from The Wealth of Nations By Adam Smith (Capitalsim)
- Text: excerpts from The Philosophy of Karl Marx (Socialism and Communism)
Political Utopias
Section 4: What happens when it all goes wrong?
Powerful Leaders
- Text: excerpts from Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler
- Movie: Schindler’s List dirceted by Steven Spielberg
- Video: Joseph Stalin Declassified from The History Channel
- Video: Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple directed by Stanley Nelson
When Societies Conflict
- Movie: Kingdom of Heaven directed by Ridley Scott (Crusades)
- Text: Annexation John O’Sullivan (Manifest Destiny and British Imperialism)
- Movie: Last of the Mohican’s
- Movie: Ghandi
- Movie: Rabbit Proof Fence
- Movie: Mister Johnson
Section 5: Lessons Through Dystopia
- Movie: 1984
- Movie: Farenheit 451
Literature Circle Studies:
- Text: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Text: Brave New World by Albert Huxley
- Text: Herland by Charlotte Gilman
- Text: Neuromancer by William Gibson
- Text: Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
Section 6: Bringing it all together
- Virtual world creation and exploration.
Mr. Pippenger 