Writing Utopia

Jeannette Benton, English/Writing

I used the Utopia Theme in my Writing 121 class in Fall 2022.  The first assignment was to create an individual Utopian world (creative writing).  The second assignment was to select three ideas that they wanted to implement in their world.  This required research for each topic that they developed into the larger essay.  The third step was to research the opposing perspective for each of the prior ideas (additional research).  The final was a powerpoint presentation with the Utopian concept and the three ideas from both the benefit and drawback perspectives.  I think the students were challenged and enjoyed seeing the results of each person’s Utopia and ideas.

This term I am using Utopia in my Writing 115/116 class.  The first assignment is a summary of an article about the benefits and drawbacks of Utopia with the student’s reflection on the ideas (effective reading and writing skills).  The second assignment is creating an individual Utopia (creative writing).  The third assignment is to add an idea that they want to develop in their Utopia with the benefits and drawbacks (research and argumentation) with a conclusion about whether they do or do not think their Utopia would succeed (critical thinking).