Why do bleak visions of the future recur in the twentieth century, despite the progress and human betterment promised by science, technology, and the expansion of liberal values? This course considers the ways in which the future has been conceived in the West since the eighteenth century. It presents an eclectic, intensive exploration of utopian hopes and dystopian fears in the West. Topics include: ambivalence about science, reason, and machines, scientific management, bureaucratisation, eugenics and fears of racial decline, mass conformity and robots, dictatorship, surveillance and the loss of freedom, cyborgs, artificial intelligence, and the euphoric collapse of conventional boundaries.

• To examine the Western obsession with directing social changes from the Enlightenment to contemporary times
• To show how the hope for better societies has been linked with modernisation and faith in scientific progress
• To trace the turn from utopias to dystopias in the 20^th century
• To analyze the utopic & dystopic projections to the future as a reflect of current social issues
• To contrast scientifically based dreams of the future with religiously based ones in contemporary societies
• To strengthen students' ability to recognize and critically assess key social patterns and cultural themes
• To reflect on the links between modernization, individualism and the scientific critique of tradition
• To encourage critical and innovative thinking about modernization and the role of science in social changes

1,500 word essay (35%), 2,500 word essay (55%) 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.