Lisa Lampert-Weissig, LTWL 87 Fall 2018                     951911
Dystopia in Literature and Film www.talesofthenight.org

etiam si omnes — ego non

Week 1. Introduction  (10/2)

Week 2: (10/9) Presentation on dystopian fiction

Week 3:   (10/18)
 Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas”  (1973)  
https://www.utilitarianism.com/nu/omelas.pdf

Thinksheet:  “Would you walk away from Omelas?”  Why or why not?  Please answer this question in ½ to 1 page double-spaced typed. 

Week 4:  (10/23) George Orwell, 1984  (1949)


Thinksheet: 
This is a disquieting and disturbing novel.  Which aspect of the society described in 1984 seems the most troubling to you? Why?  Answer in 1/2 to one page doublespaced typed.

Week 5: (10/30)

 The Handmaid’s Tale, 2017 Hulu adaption of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel
Watch episodes 1 “Offred” and 2.  “Birth Day.”  Available streaming through multiple sources.

Thinksheet:  Pick one scene from the episodes we viewed and discuss HOW the creators the series show us how terrifying Gilead is.  Filmic elements to consider would be lighting, camera angle, sound, scene composition, color, costuming.  How do the creators show us this world?

Week 6:  (11/6) Hunger Games  (2012 film adaption of Suzanne Collin’s novel (2008) Available for viewing in Geisel library or on-demand through Amazon

Thinksheet:     Why do you think the Hunger Games has been so popular? What chord does this dystopia strike for readers/viewers?

Week 7:  (11/13) Black Mirror 3:1 “Nosedive” and 3:6 “Hated in the Nation” (11/29)
BBC television series streaming on netflix

Thinksheet:  Do you see any similarities between the worlds depicted in these episodes and the world of 1984?  Pick one of the two episodes of Black Mirror you viewed and discuss in one half to one full page double spaced typed.  

Week 8: No class

Week 9:  Wrap-up discussion (11/27)  Make up thinksheet question TBA

Course requirements:

Thinksheets: This class is graded pass/fail.  In order to Pass the class you need to respond to four thinksheet questions (that means you may skip one question).  The thinksheet questions are listed in the syllabus. Think sheets are response papers designed to stimulate discussion and help students engage with the works we are reading.
Thinksheet responses need only be a paragraph long.  They should be no longer than one page.  Please type!!!

I will comment on your thinksheets and try to give you feedback to what you have written, but I won’t grade the thinksheets. If your thinksheets show effort and engagement with the assignment, you will pass the course. If I determine that your thinksheets do not show the kind of effort that I expect or if there seem to be other problems, I will inform you in my comments on the thinksheet and ask you to meet with me to discuss improvement. 
It is your responsibility to come to office hours or otherwise arrange to meet with me and discuss this in order to maintain full credit.  Beyond that, only documented medical excuses or documented personal emergencies will excuse a late thinksheet.  No exceptions. It is your responsibility to inform me about such emergencies as soon as it is possible for you to do so.   If you do not contact me in a timely fashion, it may not be possible to make up the work. 

Thinksheets are due at the beginning of class. Without a documented excuse, late thinksheets will not be accepted. I will keep track of your thinksheets in my grade roster, but mistakes can happen so you should hold on to to all of the graded thinksheets until you receive your final grade.

Vacation plans and extracurricular activities are never an excuse for missed or late work. “What is late work?”: Sometimes there’s just something that keeps a person from getting to class on time.  What I want to avoid is disruptions to the class by habitual late entrances and the abuse of the system of thinksheets.  If I think you are having a problem with getting the thinksheets in on time, I will inform you promptly and we will discuss how you can avoid losing full credit for your work and attendance. It will be your responsibility to follow up on meeting with me about this.

Attendance is required.  Only documented medical or personal emergencies are valid excuses for missing class.

Academic Integrity: The University’s policy on Academic Integrity can be found here: http://senate.ucsd.edu/manual/appendices/app2.htm.  Reading through this policy will supplement our discussion of academic integrity in class.  If you ever have any questions regarding this policies please contact me and we can go through them together.