tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-679565103071446643.post7279420732367738768..comments2023-10-03T09:47:39.363-06:00Comments on The LiteraBuss: Designing My Own Literature Survey Course (ENGL 211 at NMSU in this case, but it fits anywhere)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-679565103071446643.post-11874740137849490632008-12-14T18:07:00.000-07:002008-12-14T18:07:00.000-07:00What I would like would be to take a course like t...What I would like would be to take a course like this. You have some great great book selections.Jen Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10343476550309656223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-679565103071446643.post-62121101998474790452008-12-11T07:07:00.000-07:002008-12-11T07:07:00.000-07:00Ardsgaine, Your approach to the course wo...Ardsgaine,<BR/><BR/> Your approach to the course would be interesting also in that it would offer more of the utopia/dystopia contrast than mine would. I agree that the definition of a dystopia, especially in the eyes of Rand, Orwell, Huxley, and Bradbury, is what happens in a utopia in reality. I didn't really consider putting utopia literature in front of the dystopia mainly because I wanted to focus on the genre itself, and get into some other "futures gone wrong," dystopia or post-apocalyptic stuff like the zombie literature and things like that at the end of my list. That would actually be a good title, "Futures Gone Wrong According to Popular Literature," or something like that. <BR/><BR/>I like your ideas too, I would definitely sign up for that one, with one suggestion, Plato's Republic, while important, always put me to sleep for some reason. But I do understand why you put it on your list, it's kind of the "textbook" for a utopian society.Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02003551669181482419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-679565103071446643.post-42907218706823209612008-12-10T21:59:00.000-07:002008-12-10T21:59:00.000-07:00When my wife was in a gifted class in high school,...When my wife was in a gifted class in high school, they spent one of their semesters reading and discussing dystopic literature. Because of her experience, I've actually considered this question before. The thing I would do differently from you is cover the subject by looking at both dystopias and utopias. After all, Orwell was simply projecting how a utopian ideal would play out in reality, as were Rand and Huxley. I would, therefore, start with the original utopian manifesto: Plato's Republic. I would also cover Machiavelli's The Prince, Moore's Utopia, and Marx's Communist Manifesto. Only after getting that background would we go on to read Orwell, Huxley, Rand and Bradbury. Then again, that sounds more like a year long class, rather than a semester. :)<BR/><BR/>The Giver looks intersting. I'll have to look for it the next time I'm at the library.Ardsgainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01850059187508036055noreply@blogger.com