Imagining a Better Tomorrow
Imagining a Better Tomorrow In this class we will study some of the ways in which filmmakers, artists, activists, thinkers, and ordinary people have envisioned and/or strived to create a better future for humanity. We will watch and read fictional narratives in parallel with real-world examples of equitable societies, life-altering technology, sustainable living, and others. We will cover various aesthetic, political, and ideological frameworks and movements, such as Afrofuturism, ecofeminism, environmental activism, pacifism, etc. Texts include films (Metropolis, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), television series (Star Trek), architecture (ecovillages and intentional communities), writers such as Marge Piercy, Samuel R. Delany, Octavia Butler, and others.
Imagining a Better Tomorrow In this class we will study some of the ways in which filmmakers, artists, activists, thinkers, and ordinary people have envisioned and/or strived to create a better future for humanity. We will watch and read fictional narratives in parallel with real-world examples of equitable societies, life-altering technology, sustainable living, and others. We will cover various aesthetic, political, and ideological frameworks and movements, such as Afrofuturism, ecofeminism, environmental activism, pacifism, etc. Texts include films (Metropolis, Nausicaa of the Valley of the …Read more
To be honest, this course is probably as hard as it gets for a first year seminar. We had a paper due basically every week which was definitely challenging. BUT it does an excellent job at preparing you for your future classes. Professor Dobreva provides thorough and incredibly useful feedback. She also will re-grade your work if you apply her feedback which made this class so much better. I have noticed a substantial jump in my writing ability sense beginning this course.
To be honest, this course is probably as hard as it gets for a first year seminar. We had a paper due basically every week which was definitely challenging. BUT it does an excellent job at preparing you for your future classes. Professor Dobreva provides thorough and incredibly useful feedback. She also will re-grade your work if you …Read more
I took this class as my FYSE, and it was really fun as the course explores my interest in futuristic tech through reading books, short stories, and articles, as well as watching movies. If you enjoy discussions, this class is for you as we have group discussions almost daily.
This class wasn't too hard, given it's an FYS. It was a nice class to take as one of my first, as I thought it was pretty chill. The readings were a bit much as a first-year, but it did make me become used to it. That, along with having to watch movies or episodes sometimes was a bit time-consuming but nothing crazy. Professor Dobreva is fair with grading, particularly essays. Our final project was to think of a way to create a sustainable community project, do research on it, and then present it.
This class wasn't too hard, given it's an FYS. It was a nice class to take as one of my first, as I thought it was pretty chill. The readings were a bit much as a first-year, but it did make me become used to it. That, along with having to watch movies or episodes sometimes was a bit time-consuming but nothing crazy. Professor Dobrev …Read more
There is a paper almost at the end of every week and sometimes the reading gets super long! The group discussions were quite insightful. If you are interested in learning about utopias and dystopias this will be a good class for you