ENGL 110
Ruined America: New American Dystopian Novels
Last Offered Fall 2020
Division I Writing Skills
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Dystopian novels have become commonplace. But why now? Why do we seem to be experiencing a heightened anxiety over apocalypse? We will consider two types of dystopian visions–those that present a post-apocalyptic world, and those that conjure up wrecked societies out of current evils. Both types present the world we know now as either lost or full of losers. As we visit a variety of recently imagined American dystopias, we will focus on the ethical dilemmas imposed by prospects of our diminished state: the inevitable issues of class, and the divisions of race and gender; the prospects of anarchy and political oppression; and the threat of technology to our identity and our environment. The class will will also focus on techniques to improve your critical reasoning and analytical skills with the goal of writing interesting and well-argued essays.