The Liberal Arts in Action course directs students to analyze an engaging topic—in this case, the two preeminent dystopian fictions of the last 100 years, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four —from multiple perspectives in the liberal arts. Students strengthen their problem-solving skills by drawing upon the ideas and methods of three different liberal arts disciplines. The learning activities clarify how the liberal arts can be put into action to ponder and address problems. The course strengthens students’ development of critical thinking and academic writing across the curriculum. Students also will learn about resources that will be useful for their academic success at DePaul.
On January 25, 2017, the New York Times published an article, “George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Is Suddenly a Bestseller,” which reported that Orwell’s classic novel had suddenly seen an enormous spike in sales, as had other dystopian novels, including Brave New World.Indeed, the adjective “Orwellian,” a reference to the way language can be twisted into pretzel logic by the powers that be, has become a commonplace of contemporary discourse and, as anyone familiar with The Hunger Games can tell you, dystopian fiction—a dystopia is an imagined “bad” society, the shadow of utopia, an imagined “good” society—has been big in young adult literature for a number of years. But Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World stand, by a strong consensus, as the definitive dystopian novels of the last hundred-some years. This is at least in part due to the fact that both novels are so well written—such riveting pieces of literary art; but it is also due to the perceived prophetic power the novels seem to share, although each posits a different kind of grim future for humankind.
This course will engage closely with these two masterworks (and related subtopics) from three liberal arts perspectives. We will consider them from the perspective of artistic interpretation, the perspective of philosophy and ethics, and the perspective of social analysis -- the organizational possibilities of communities and societies. We will find, among other things, that the two books are often mentioned together, along with the question of which provides the more apt description of our current situation. We will also find, I think, that studying the contextual background of the two novels—in fields such as, say, genetic engineering, neuro-pharmacology, and destructive obedience—educates us about topics of historical and contemporary concern such as eugenics, utilitarianism and the manipulation of “the masses” through propaganda. Finally, I think we will find that a close study of all this prods us to think deeply about who we are now as society and act conscientiously about where we are going.
LL280 is a required course for students in SNL’s Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies (BAPS) program and is taken by BAPS student for 6 credit hours.
LL280 can also be taken by students in SNL’s competence-based programs for either 4 or 2 credit hours. For students in SNL’s competence-based programs, the course offers the following competences, each of which is worth 2 credit hours:
A1X: Can discuss and analyze a work of fiction (or one of its chief features) in terms of form, content or socio-historical context.
A3X: Can discuss and analyze a work of fiction (or one of its chief features) in terms of its ethical or spiritual implications.
A4: Can analyze a problem using two different ethical systems.
H1X: Can discuss and analyze the implications for individuals and groups of the social order depicted and dramatized by a dystopian fiction.
(with college approval)
For students in competency-based programs at the School for New Learning, other competency requirements aligning with the course content and faculty’s expertise may be fulfilled by special petition. To petition for a negotiated competence, consult with your instructor and faculty mentor and submit the online form.
In addition to the section-specific outcomes, all students will develop crosscutting competencies including: inquiring, reflecting, connecting, deciding, communicating, and engaging.
The following required texts are available for purchase at the Loop Campus bookstore (Barnes & Noble) and other booksellers:
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Harper Perennial, 2006. ISBN 978-0-06-085052-4 [Note: Huxley’s novel comes in many editions. Be sure to acquire this edition and not another. An electronic version—as long as it’s this Harper Perennial edition—is acceptable, if you prefer that to a hard copy]
Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel. Berkley/Harcourt Brace, 2016. ISBN 978-0-452-28423-4 [Note: Orwell’s novel comes in many editions. Be sure to acquire this edition and not another. An electronic version—as long as it’s this Berkley/Harcourt Brace edition—is acceptable, if you prefer that to a hard copy]
Several readings for this course are posted at the DePaul University Library website as Electronic Reserves in the Ares system. Links too those readings are embedded in the course.
Some of your course material take the form of YouTube videos or excerpts from films. The YouTube links are embedded in the course and the film clips appear as screenable videos within the course.
This course is organized into 10 modules, each of which lasts a week:
Week/ Module | Read | Screen | Turn in |
|---|---|---|---|
1 The Transformati-on of the Everyday | Sargent, “Good Places and Bad Places” Module 1 Introduction & Overview sections I-III Huxley, Brave New World chapters 1-3 Module 1 Introduction & Overview section IV
| Discussion Discussion Journal entry |
|
2 The “Civilized” and The “Savage” | Huxley, chapters 4-8 Module 2 Introduction & Overview, section I Stierwalt, “Could Artificial Wombs Be A Reality?” Module 2 Introduction & Overview, section II Levine, “The world of eugenics” Module 2 Introduction & Overview, section III Huxley, chapters 6-7 Module 2 Introduction & Overview, section IV Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” Module 2, sections V-VIII | Clip from The Tempest
Clips on The Zuni | Discussion Journal entry |
3 Feelies and feelings | Huxley, Brave New World, chapters 9-13 Gardner, “Explainer: the Myth of the Noble Savage” Sanford, “The Shadow” Kay, “Notes on Utlitarianism” http://sites.wofford.edu/kaycd/utilitarianism/ | Discussion Journal entry |
|
4 Agon | Huxley, Brave New World, chapters 14-18 (conclusion of the novel) Module 4 Introduction & Overview: Agon Appleyeard, “Eugenics 1: the Right to be Unhappy” Westacott, “Kantian Ethics in a Nutshell: The Moral Philosophy of Immanuel Kant” https://www.thoughtco.com/kantian-ethics-moral-philosophy-immanuel-kant-4045398 | Harris, TED Talk, “Science Can Answer Moral Questions” | Discussion Journal entry |
5 Brave New World: Implication and Imagination
| Attwood, “Everybody Is Happy Now” Stevens, “Intuition and Intellect” Higdon, “The Provocations of Lenina in Huxley’s Brave New World” https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/IFR/article/view/7719/8776
| Discussion |
|
6 Completing Your Midterm Paper
| Midterm Paper |
||
7 “The clocks were striking thirteen”: Opening Ninety Eighty-Four
| Module 7 Introduction & Overview Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, pp. 1-83 Bildner, “Diego, Frida, and Trotsky” (Ares) (Optional supplementary reading) McMullan, “What does the panopticon mean in the age of digital surveillance?” (Ares) | Discussion Journal entry |
|
8 Lovers in a Dangerous Time
| Module 8 Introduction & Overview Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, pp. 84-171 “7 Main Features of Totalitarian State—Explained!” (Optional supplementary reading): Meyer, “Principles & Heresies” (Ares) | Optional supplementary screening: Galbraith, “The Age of Uncertainty Episode 8: the Fatal Competition” | Discussion Journal entry |
9 “Under the spreading chestnut tree”
| Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Pp. 171-223 Module 9 Introduction & Overview United Nations Human Rights office of the High Commissioner, “Feinstein report: UN expert calls for prosecution of CIA officers and other US Government officials” Human Rights Watch, “US: Reject Pompeo for CIA Director” Cohen, Michael A., “Don’t Put A Torturer In Charge of the CIA” | Concluding excerpt from 1984 (the film) | Discussion Journal entry |
10 Aldous, Eric and Us
| Sabini & Silver, “Critical Thinking and Obedience to Authority” (Ares) McLeod, Saul. “The Milgram Experiment”. Letters of Note: “1984 v. Brave New World” Postman, “My dad predicted Trump in 1985—it's not Orwell, he warned, it's Brave New World” | Eisenhower speech, excerpt on the Military-Industrial Complex Leonard Cohen, “Democracy” video | Discussion Discussion |
11 | Final Paper |
Students are expected to contribute in a substantive, timely and interactive fashion to the Discussion posted for each module/week of the course.
To receive full credit (3 points) for a given module’s Discussion, you must make a contribution that is
In addition, you can receive an extra credit point for a contribution that your instructor judges to be of exceptional quality.
Each week (excepting weeks 5, 6, 10 and 11), students will submit a journal entry (about 1.5-2 typed, double-spaced pages in length or around 400-500 words) addressing questions provided in each module. This will make for a total of 7 journal entries by course’s end.
A single journal entry is worth a maximum of 5 points. To receive full credit, a journal entry must:
--SNL students registered in one of the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies programs (6 credits) will, by the end of the course, submit two short papers (each about 500 words or about 4 typed, double-spaced pages long) addressing each of the three liberal arts perspectives highlighted in the course. They will submit one such paper at Midterm time (week 6) and another such paper at Finals time (week 11). This totals up to two short papers by the end of the course. For information on paper topics, see below.
--SNL students registered for two competences (4 credits) will, by the end of the course, submit two short papers (each about 500 words or about 4 typed, double-spaced pages long) addressing each of the competences for which they’re signed up. They will submit one such paper at Midterm time (week 6) and another such paper at Finals time (week 11). This totals up to two short papers by the end of the course. For information on paper topics, see below.
--SNL students registered in for one competence (2 credits) will submit one short paper addressing that competence at either midterm time (week 6) or finals time (week 11); the choice is up to the student. This totals up to one short paper by the end of the course. For information on paper topics, see below.
Re topics for papers: Students will write on essay questions prepared by the instructor which appear in the respective Paper assignments. The instructor will see to it that the essay questions are attuned to the needs of students: that is, SNL students from any particular SNL program will be provided with questions attuned to their own specific SNL program requirements. Also, it’s always possible for a student to write on a topic of her/his own choosing, providing the instructor approves it.
In sum, the evidence requirements for the course are: Discussion; Journals; and two short Papers. Point-wise, the breakdown is as follows:
A designates work of high quality. An A paper:
B designates work of good quality. A B paper:
C designates work which minimally meets requirements set forward in assignment. A C paper:
D designates work of poor quality which does not meet minimum requirements set forth in the assignment. A D paper:
Such work is expected to conform to college-level standards of mechanics and presentation.
In assessing such work, your instructor strives to be clear, flexible, forthright and empathetic.
Course Grading Scale:
The grading scale is based on 100 percent of the required assignments. Thus:
A = 95 to 100 |
A- = 91 to 94 |
B+ = 88 to 90 |
B = 85 to 87 |
B- = 81 to 84 |
C+ = 77 to 80 |
C = 73 to 76 |
C- = 69 to 72 |
D+ = 65 to 68 |
D = 61 to 64 |
F = 60 or below |
Due dates in the course are firm and must be adhered to if you expect to succeed. If you have a problem meeting a due date, you should contact your instructor. Assignments that are late will receive reduced points. Assignments which are more than one week late will receive zero points.
This course consists of multiple sections with distinctive learning outcomes. Students enroll in specific sections to develop respective learning outcomes as follows:
This section satisfies the Liberal Arts in Action requirement of the Liberal Learning core curriculum of the School for New Learning’s Professional Studies majors. Students who successfully complete this section will be able to compare typical questions, methods of inquiry and kinds of evidence in the liberal arts. Specifically, students will be able to:
A1X: Can discuss and analyze a work of fiction in terms of form, content and/or socio-historical context.
Prime deliverable: Short paper(s); Discussion; Journal
Can discuss and analyze a dystopian fiction (or one of its chief features) in terms of its ethical or spiritual implications.
Prime deliverable: Short paper(s); Discussion; Journal
Can discuss and analyze the implications for individuals and groups of the social order depicted and dramatized by a dystopian fiction.
Prime deliverable: Short paper(s); Discussion; Journal
Can analyze a problem using two different ethical systems.
Prime deliverable: Short paper(s); Discussion; Journal
Discussion Forums are an important component of your online experience. This course contains discussion forums related to the topics you are studying each week. For requirements on your participation in the Discussion Forums, please see "Course Expectations" in the syllabus.
A Course Q&A discussion forum has also been established to manage necessary, ongoing social and administrative activities. This is where the management and administrative tasks of the course are conducted, and where you can ask 'process' questions and receive answers throughout the course. Please feel free to answer any question if you feel you know the answer; this sharing of information is valuable to other students.
This course includes and adheres to the college and university policies described in the links below:
Academic Integrity Policy (UGRAD)
Academic Integrity Policy (GRAD)
Course Withdrawal Timelines and Grade/Fee Consequences
Accommodations Based on the Impact of a Disability
Protection of Human Research Participants
APA citation format (GRAD)
University Center for Writing-based Learning
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary. If a change occurs, it will be clearly communicated to students.
This course was designed and produced by John Kimsey and staff at SNL Online of the School for New Learning of DePaul University.