Utopias and Dystopias

Utopias and Dystopias is a writing course in the CTY program. It requires enrollment in any previous CTY writing course, humanities course, or a grade of at least a B in a ninth grade English class. Its course code is TOPI and it is currently offered only at Lancaster (both sessions) and Saratoga Springs (second session only) .

Course Description

From the CTY course catalog:

From Plato’s Republic to Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, utopian and dystopian literature often examines the line between perfection and oppression. In this course students explore how authors use conventions such as narrative structure and satire to construct utopian and dystopian works. They identify, discuss, and write about the underlying rules, laws, and ideologies relating to economics, politics, gender roles, religions, and technologies within the societies they examine.

Through extensive critical and creative writing, students in this course examine how utopian and dystopian societies engage some of the most pressing sociopolitical concerns of our times. For example, after reading Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta or Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven, students may write an essay about dystopian protagonists and how they are able to effect change in unjust, oppressive societies. Likewise, students might compare gender roles in both Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland and Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower. They also have the opportunity to construct and share their own utopian or dystopian visions.

Class sessions are designed to encourage close reading, discussion, and both critical and creative writing. Students produce four to six major writing projects, developing their skills through an intense process of drafting, critiquing in workshops, and revising.

Class History

In 09.2, Utopias and Dystopias was separated into two sections, with the B section taught by Adam Rzepka and the A section by Michael Paulson. The TA for TOPI-A was Shannyn Kobran, the most epic TA ever. The B class explored utopic and dystopic literature throughout history, beginning with biblical references to heaven and hell, and concluding with modern texts such as Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's Brave New World. The A class skipped a lot of the early stuff and went straight to science fiction. Both classes read, wrote and watched movies a LOT. TOPI A was very unsatisfied with their teacher, and the dissatisfaction grew leading to an attempted coup in the last days of session (NOBODY gets away with being mean to Otter!). Both TOPI classes were extremely Alcove-heavy, with the B class comprised totally of Alcovians. The TOPI.A girls and the TOPI.B and Number Theory girls were also co-halls, resulting in what is most likely the highest concentration of Alcovians ever to live in a single hall (except maybe the TOPI.B boys' hall).

For information about the Lancaster TOPI 10.1 class, please see Lancaster Memories. The class was simply too ridiculous to be described again.

In Lan 14.2, TOPI-B was a wild class, taught by Brent Krammes with the legendary TA Ruth A. Book (Original Form). The warriors of this class included: John Issac Boland (JIB), Louis Herman (master analyzer of V for Vendetta), Claire Borecki, Angelique Fenton (Mama Fenton), Drew Hill (dsmallmountain), Thomas Godwin (T-GOD), Louis Herman, Hannah Hildebolt (hanlax), Annabelle Hutchinson, Andrew Javens (preppy tourist), Mona Lee (mona sa lee), Christian Lillie, Grace Nie (the cute pie), Ellie Taylor, Allison Tielking (tielqueen), and Andrea Tsao. Before this class, all these people were strangers. None of them knew each other at all. From the second night of camp, TOPI-B wild.

Both halls were the stuff of legends. In the TOPI-B guys' hall, was the Suite. The Suite consisted of Louis Herman, Andrew Javens, Christian Lillie, and John Boland. This was the most attractive suite in history. One night, three members gathered to watch Cow Belles, a Disney original movie starring Aly and Aj. While the other three were watching the movie, the fourth talked to his lesbian S.O. over Skype. A fight club was never ever ever even considered. Not even once. Two students didn't decide to start a bare-knuckles Brad Pitt and Edward Norton style ring. It definitely did not end after one night. It didn't exist, so it totally wasn't the most pathetic fight club in history. Nobody got a black eye. What are you even talking about?

The TOPI-B girls' hall was, if at all possible, even gayer and wilder. However, due to all the girls being such rule-abiding students, and despite many members of the hall being bisexual (and the rest being pretty heteroflexible), nobody hooked up. Ever. They didn't. Shut up. Several of the girls were eventually barred from the last dance because they were caught having one of their many ISOs.

TOPI-B discovered that birthmarks don't have to be on your body from birth, and don't have to last more than a few hours (or a few days in the case of the more enthusiastic students), especially those on the neck.

(REWRITE OF TOPI-B 2K14 MATERIAL IN PROGRESS)

LAN 15.2 TOPI B was taught by the meg legendary instructor Shawn Rubenfeld (who has a very soothing voice) and the meg legendary TA Brendan Flanagan (squirrel TA, but we loved him nonetheless). The class consisted of 10 girls and 5 boys who became the closest of people during the three weeks. This class was LIT. During handoff many girls from the class would be yelling for a certain lanyard swinger to stop and put his lanyard around his neck. "Aaron, lanyard, neck!" Brendan would summon everyone by shouting "TOPI B COUNTING OFF" at the top of his lungs across the gigantic quad, especially for the two boys who would run from Weis every morning. The class would signal that they were leaving by shouting in turn "TOPI B WALKING!" TOPI B had the best classroom in Stager Hall with 5 projectors and super comfy chairs that would make 90% of the students fall asleep daily. #TOPIBWINNING