Visions of Progress

Thursdays 7:00-9:00, starting July 8th

Location: 774 Richmond St. West (at Niagara)

Facilitator: Kathleen Batstone kbatston@brocku.ca

* I will be away for the second half of June, so I won't be able to respond to registration requests that come in during that period until July 1st

This course is designed to get us thinking and talking about what constitutes progress from both a societal and individual perspective. At a time when it seems that every new technological innovation is automatically hailed as progressive, it is important that we develop strategies to evaluate whether ideas and inventions are not just different, but also make our lives better.

At its heart, this course is about evaluating the world that surrounds us, and thinking about how we'd like it to change. We will start off looking at some models for measuring progress, with the aim of uncovering the assumptions behind such measurement, and of thinking about our own definitions of positive change. From there, we'll move on to the critical evaluation of both real and imagined social policies and technological changes, drawn from essays and fiction. These examples will not only provide some alternative visions of how the world could be, but should also spur our own creative revisioning of the world we'd like to live in. Since one of the first steps towards change involves being able to imagine something different from what we have, the course will also involve some imaginative exercises to help get us started.

There will be a set of photocopied readings (about 20 pages per week except for the last 2 weeks when we'll be discussing a novel) which will cost less than $10, and one novel at a cost of about $10.

Readings will be taken from the following sources. Participants are welcome to suggest changes and additions.

Photocopied Texts:

Benedict, Ruth. "Are Families Passe?" The McGraw-Hill Reader. Gilbert H. Muller, ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991. 234-43.

Berton, Pierre. "Wheels: The Car as a Cultural Driving Force." Canadian Content. 3rd ed. Nell Waldman & Sarah Norton, eds. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 390-99.

Bradbury, Ray. "The Veldt." Style and Substance. Claudia Rock & Suneeti Phadke, eds. New York: Longman, 2001. 82-91.

Gould, Lois. "X: A Fabulous Child's Story." Ms. Magazine (May 1980): 61-64.

Hurka, Thomas. "Should Morality Be a Struggle? Ancient vs. Modern Ideas about Ethics." Canadian Content. 3rd ed. Nell Waldman & Sarah Norton, eds. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 209-11.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. London: Flamingo, 1994. Excerpts 1-25.

Huxley, Aldous. Island. Harper & Row, 1989. Excerpts 89-93, 192-194.

King, Martin Luther Jr. "The Dimensions of a Complete Life." Canadian Content. 3rd ed. Nell Waldman & Sarah Norton, eds. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 190-94

King, Martin Luther Jr. "I Have a Dream." The McGraw-Hill Reader. Gilbert H. Muller, ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991. 266-69.

Le Guin, Ursula K. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." The Longman Anthology of Short Fiction. Dana Gioia & R. S. Gwynn, eds. New York: Longman, 2001. 595-99.

Northwest Environment Watch. Cascadia Scorecard. Seattle: Northwest Environment Watch, 2004. Excerpts 1-13.

Orr, David. "The Speed of Sound." UTNE Reader. Jan/Feb 2002.

Plato. The Republic. New York: Penguin, 1983. Excerpts 228-243.

"78 Reasonable Questions to Ask About Any Technology"

The Earth Charter. Excerpts.

Thomas, Lewis. "Altruism." Canadian Content. 3rd ed. Nell Waldman & Sarah Norton, eds. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 292-96.

Tuchman, Barbara. "An Inquiry into the Persistence of Unwisdom in Government." The McGraw-Hill Reader. Gilbert H. Muller, ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991. 274-85.

Novel:

Piercy, Marge. Woman on the Edge of Time. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1983.

Tentative VisioningMeetingSchedule ? this may change depending on the interests of the class, and on the likelihood that we will fall behind:

Week 1 Introductions Definitions of progress Evaluation strategies: The Earth Charter, Cascadia Scorecard

Week 2 Evaluation strategies (continued): 78 Reasonable Questions Technology: Berton, Orr, TBA

Week 3 Government/Social structure: Tuchman, Plato

Week 4 Government/Social structure (continued): Le Guin

Week 5 Race and Gender: King "I Have a Dream," Gould

Week 6 Family: Benedict, Bradbury

Week 7 Family (continued): Plato, Huxley Brave New World & Island

Week 8 Individual development: King "The Dimensions of a Complete Life," Hurka, Thomas

Week 9 Putting it all together: Piercy

Week 10 Putting it all together (continued): Piercy