Class Platform: Virtual Learning

Day/Time: Wednesday, 10:30 - 11:30 AM, February 3 - April 14, *10 week class*

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Class Description: Throughout human existence, we have dreamed of a more perfect society—a blissful utopia of plenty, justice, and happiness. In this course, we will survey utopian and dystopian literature, as well as fascinating real-world utopian experiments. Whether the goal of the community was religious or secular, sober or bizarre, their stories of hope and struggle reveal both the best and the worst of human nature. You will begin to ask yourself if a perfect human society is even possible, what your utopia would look like, and whether one person’s utopia is another person’s nightmare.

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Instructor Biographies: After earning degrees in computer science and math from Cornell and UC San Diego, Susan Merritt spent the majority of her career in the world of technology as a data scientist helping biotech scientists manage their laboratory data. Far from being a tech geek dwelling in the cyber world, Merritt has a love of nature and a drive to explore. In her free time, she has traveled to remote locations all over the globe, on all seven continents.