Why do bleak visions of the future tend to recur in the twentieth century, despite the progress and human betterment promised by science, technology, globalisation, and the expansion of liberal values? Has European culture always drawn the future in such dark hues, or are these pessimistic forecasts responses to deeper social, political, and cultural developments? In short, what is the relationship between the sometimes nightmarish visions of science fiction and the many changes that transformed the modern world since the nineteenth century?

This course considers the many ways in which the future has been conceived in Europe and the Western world since the eighteenth century. By bringing together scholars from sociology and history, it presents an eclectic and intensive exploration of the utopian hopes and dystopian fears of the Western world, and provides a unique perspective on the past, present and future of our own culture. Topics for consideration include: ambivalence about science, reason, and machines, scientific management and bureaucratisation, eugenics and fears of racial decline, mass conformity and robots, dictatorship and totalitarianism, surveillance and the loss of freedom, cyborgs, artificial intelligence, and the euphoric collapse of conventional boundaries.

1,500 word essay (40%), 2,500 word essay (50%) and tutorial participation (10%).

Two 1-hour lectures per week and 10 1-hour tutorials.

 Lectures will be taped.

Completion of first year, including any first year history or sociology course.

To be advised.