Title of Theme
Utopia, Imaginaries, Techno-Futurisms, and Rights

Brief rationale for this Theme for committee review

This theme focuses on past and present portrayals of the future, as imagined by architects, authors, bioethicists, scientists, community organizers, philosophers, and artists, especially those that are idealistic in nature. Courses in this theme are connected by big picture questions like: What could or should society look and be like? What kind of futures do we imagine, and how do those imaginings reflect our hopes, fears, and pasts? What sorts of technologies and infrastructures will we create and use, and how do these reflect or incorporate our values? How have past attempts to imagine or sketch future societies, cities, and technologies led to reproduced inequalities — or not? How do we ensure inclusivity, reparative justice, and both personal and collective rights while creating these futures? While these questions are discussed in many courses, they are foundational to those in this theme.

Student-facing description of the Theme for catalog copy

Past and present portrayals of an ideal or utopian future, as imagined by architects, authors, bioethicists, scientists, community organizers, philosophers, and artists. The theme wrestles with the idea that while imagination can be a liberatory practice, it might also lead to entrenched injustices.