Week 2 Syllabus: October 28
LEGUIN’S STORY POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS. How can society celebrate joyfully when a citizen suffers so cruelly in their midst? What’s an individual’s responsibility to alleviate suffering that exists in their society? Are those who leave Omelas running away from paradise, or embarking on their own to establish a utopia of their own making? What are the most important elements to a good society? Is suffering a necessary component to human life? We will discuss these and other questions this week, and then write an descriptive paragraph about your personal utopian/dystopian idyll.
MONDAY, October 28
Great Books discussion on “Those Who Walk Away from Omelas”
“What is a utopia?” Small group reading/analysis of three stories that we’ve read so far.
HW: Staple together a) your annotations of the story, b) your classroom discussion of the story, and c) your utopia analysis worksheet. I will collect all three on Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, October 30
Utopia Day! We will start with a short lecture on how Rushdie, Forster, Gorky, and LeGuin describe both utopia and dystopia.
Watching this short BBC video about both utopia and dystopia (see below).
In the same small groups as Monday, brainstorming ideas for your personal utopia, and discussing the merits and demerits thereof.
HW: Writing your discussion post in Canvas, wherein you describe your personal utopia.
HALLOWEEN, October 31
This is what the current, paperback edition looks like. But you CAN purchase and use any edition…whatever is cheapest!
We will have a SPOOKY Halloween day, celebrating some folklore (an ancient, and now modern tale about encountering the devil). We will also read selections from “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow” by Washington Irving.
We will close by watching the 1949 Disney retelling of the story, narrated by early 20th century crooner, Bing Crosby.
I WILL collect the Omelas materials today, in one group. That will include: annotations, discussion notes, utopia notes.
HW: Get your copy of Chinua Acebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, ISBN # 978-0385474542