“The Enemy’s Gate Is Down”: Reorientation, Propaganda, and the High Stakes of Dystopian Fiction (Honors)

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Students in this section will examine rhetorical practices of fictional dystopias by considering historical and theoretical origins of the genre and its overlaps with genres like science fiction, romance, post-apocalyptic fiction, and critical theory. Students will analyze dystopian novels, films, and television shows while comparing the role of dystopian narratives in our contemporary political, social, and economic climates. Ultimately, students in this course will create well-researched arguments about the place of young people in both dystopian and real-world narratives and the didactic messages that the current crop of YA dystopian fiction tries to impart to younger generations.

Textbook: The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature.
Dystopian novels include: Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games, and Ship Breaker.
Films/Television Shows: Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, The 100, Firefly, Serenity

Course: ENGL 1102 Honors Section
Course Title: “The Enemy’s Gate Is Down”: Reorientation, Propaganda, and the High Stakes of Dystopian Fiction
Semesters Taught: Spring 2016
Section Size: 15

From Georgia Tech’s Writing and Communication Program’s Description of English Composition II:

 

 Portfolio Documents:

Syllabus

1102_Spring 2016 Syllabus
Students in this section will examine rhetorical practices of fictional dystopias by considering historical and theoretical origins of the genre and its overlaps with genres like science fiction, romance, post-apocalyptic fiction, and critical theory. Students will analyze dystopian novels, films, and television shows while comparing the role of dystopian narratives in our contemporary political, social, and economic climates. Ultimately, students in this course will create well-researched arguments about the place of young people in both dystopian and real-world narratives and the didactic messages that the current crop of YA dystopian fiction tries to impart to younger generations.

Syllabus

Course Blog: The Enemy’s Gate is Down
Students respond to prompts and build on their Twitter responses to begin outlining research projects.

Twitter


Course Twitter Hashtag. Students will live tweet readings and screenings, propose discussion questions for class, and brainstorm ideas for research projects.