“Utopia” Assignment

PART I

“Utopia” is a term for an ideal society. In the past, there have been many attempts at creating utopias – both in the “real world” and in literature. For this assignment, it is your job to create your own utopia. First, you must reflect on today’s society. Think about the weaknesses of our society and the problems of the modern world. Then, you must figure out methods to fix those flaws. Present your ideas for this utopia in a 2-4 page paper. The paper can/should include the following:

1. Name of Your Utopian Society Choose a creative and appropriate name to represent your new society. Explain your choice in a way that makes the reasons for the name clear.

2. Declaration of IndependenceWrite a brief statement describing the reasons for your formation of a utopian society. In other words, what specifically don’t you like about current society? How has the current society broken trust with you? Why do you feel the need to form a “more perfect” society?

3. Rules Include at least five rules that all community members must follow. Provide an explanation for why each rule is necessary.

4. Governing Body How will the government of this utopia be structured? Will you have a democracy, an anarchy, a monarchy, or a dictatorship? How will your utopia make decisions?

5. Persuasive Statement – There should be one strong statement detailing why your utopia is the best one in which to live.

6. Daily Itinerary How will utopia inhabitants spend their time during the week? Develop a hypothetical schedule that community members might follow during a typical day. Your itinerary can be a listing of times and activities, but it should be broken down by the hour (or a similar time period that is appropriate for your utopia).

PART II –

Now that you have created your utopia, reflect on the ideas of utopias in general. Answer the following questions in brief paragraphs.

  1. American columnist, Don Marquis, used his column for occasional installments of his utopia, the "AlmostPerfectState." He insisted on the "almost," because he thought continuous perfection would be deadly. Do you agree with this statement – that permanent flawlessness would be deadly? Why or why not?
  1. Respond to the following idea: “We want to live in a small community with which we can identify and yet we want all the facilities of the city of millions of people. We want to have very intense urban experiences and yet we want the open space right next to us (Moshe Safdie).”
  1. What are some potential problems of a “classless” society?
  1. The lyrics to John Lennon’s “Imagine” describe a utopia. Discuss the meaning of the following lyrics. Do you agree with his sentiments? What is wrong with having countries, something to kill or die for, or religion?

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...