6 Basic questions all societies must answer:

Human Questions Basic Issues 1) Why are we here? Goals & objectives 2) Who's running things? Power & authority 3) Who does this belong to? Ownership &

property 4) Who's going to do that? Work & sustenance 5) Who can I marry? Love, & family

relations 6) Why don't they agree with us?

Dissent & deviance

From http://www.uwec.edu/geography/ivogeler/w188/articles/utopia.htm

Defining Utopia• An ideal place (everyone lives in peace and harmony) that does not exist in reality. A place, state, or condition that is ideally “perfect” in respect of:

• Politics• Laws• Customs• Conditions• Values and beliefs

Eu - a prefix from Greek meaning good.Ou - a prefix from Greek meaning not.Topia - a root from Greek meaning place.

American Values and IdealsWhy did Pilgrims come to America?

• Enlightenment Values• Enlightened Self- Interest• The Pursuit of Happiness• Self-Determination• Expansionism

Dystopia

• The antonym of utopia• An imaginary place where people

lead dehumanized and often fearful lives

Dystopian ConceptsA Dystopia may have:

• Totalitarian dictatorship• What does totalitarian mean?

– It refers to a society in which nearly every aspect of public and private behavior is regulated by the government. “Big Brother”

• Glorification and justification of violence• Technology that replaces humanity• Negative social trends taken to

nightmarish extremes• A poor standard of living among the lower

and middle classes

Characteristics of Dystopian Literature

• Fictional and futuristic• Serve as warnings to contemporary

man• Comment on our own current society• A protagonist that questions the society• Set in the future but resembles

contemporary society

What if. . .• No one had to go to school?• You could have an iPod in your brain?• Your computer could read your thoughts?• No one had to pay taxes?• Everyone had plastic surgery?• Babies were scientifically created?• Advanced science and technology could

abolish suffering and death?

This is a Dystopia in the Making!

Gattaca (1997)Did you find what you

were looking for?• Genetic

Discrimination• Concerns of

reproductive technologies

• Destiny

Dystopian Movies

I, Robot (2004)Did you find what you were looking for?• Man vs. Machine• Humanoid Robotics• Advancement of Technology

Dystopian Movies

Wall-EFahrenheit 451

Minority Report

Children of Men The Matrix

The Stepford Wives

Other Dystopian films:

On a Venn Diagram… • Utopia vs. Dystopia-

–How are they the same, and how are they different? (Use a blank piece of white paper)

On the other side of your paper…

• Draw a Concept Definition Map for Utopia.

• The Venn Diagram, and the Concept Definition Map do not need to be complete, but you must have a good start on both.