Five College Consortium

Literature and film provide us with entertainment, pleasure, and stimulation. But dystopias -- in addition to working at that level -- express and address some of our most urgent fears and worries about our future. What does it mean to be human in an ever more technological society? How does society organize itself in a post-industrial age? What happens to individuals in a world whose culture is ever more homogeneous and driven by consumerism? What is the future of the human body? Are humans still linked to the natural world? What is the likely fate of our planet? What are the dangers of science and technology to a species whose emotions and wisdom may not keep up with its knowledge? What methods of social, economic, and political control will postmodern societies depend on? What space will exist for non-conformists? What is the role of religion in maintaining social order? These are only a few of the crucial issues to be explored in this course.