Faculty First Year Seminars 191ENGL2 - Eugenic Fictions

The 19th century pseudoscience of eugenics, the idea that selective breeding was a way to better humanity as a whole, captured the imagination of radicals and conservatives alike. At its core lay a utopian ideal: populations could be improved by encouraging reproduction from some and discouraging it from others. Unsurprisingly, however, this meant that those labeled as unfit because of their ability, race, class, and sexuality were targeted for elimination. Thus an idea that was championed by governments as a way to improve national fitness was ultimately disavowed when Nazi Germany took eugenics to its logical and horrific end. Nonetheless, eugenics persists in many forms today. This first-year seminar will explore eugenics as a historical, theoretical, and literary phenomenon. Specifically, it will ask how eugenic thinking is embedded or disavowed in utopian and dystopian short fiction, film, and visual culture. We will also discuss the resurgence of eugenics in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, pronatalism, reproductive justice, and the climate crisis. This course is intended to provide a model of how to engage in discussions on difficult topics while still remaining in community with others. It will also introduce students to basic research skills and to some of the resources available at the UMass libraries. Finally, it will foster connections between students through a variety of group projects and activities.

First-year (R1ST)