Humanities and Fine Arts 191HFA16 - FYS-OtherWrlds/Possible:Utopia

Since Thomas Moore coined the term "utopia" in his eponymous 16th century text, the urge to create works that envision new social realities seems to have permeated art, literature, music and architecture. The founding of the United States was predicated on utopian ideals and the humanities have followed suit bringing us narratives of futures steeped in possibility. Why do these visions of the future compel their creators and how have they worked on our culture to create real social and political change?

"Other Worlds Are Possible" will address these questions by presenting students with weekly topics including visionary architecture, scholarly essays, films and in depth critique of works of visual art, dance and music. Through in class discussions, written responses and media driven production, we will attempt to highlight the thread of utopianism in our cultural landscape, interweaving what at first may seem like disparate media and ways of knowing. The course is designed to give students a broad range of exposure to various art forms and the ideas and contexts informing them as well as introducing a level of critical discourse into the discussions surrounding these works.

Open to first-year Humanities and Fine Arts Exploratory Track students and first-year HFA Majors.