On one hand, existing (hopeful) trends can be further supported, while on the other hand, the consequences of threatening developments can be thoroughly considered. The idea behind this course is that in times of crisis and change, we should also focus on opportunities to create a better and more ideal world.

The course will consist of two parts. In the first part, guest speakers will guide student’s thinking on different aspects of society. The guest speakers will discuss the UvA themes of ‘Fair and Resilient Societies’, ‘Sustainable Prosperity’, ‘Healthy Futures’ and ‘Digital Transformations’.

Students are invited to reflect on principles for an ideal society. In the second part of the course students will work individually or in groups on their own utopia and develop their own utopian society (thinking of demographical, economic, social-cultural, technological, ecological, political and juridical aspects of society). They will also reflect on potential unwanted outcomes of their design of an ideal society. In addition, students will work on creative ways to represent lived experiences within their utopia, as they will work on a short story of a character living in the utopia, a photo or video representing lived experiences in the utopia, and a map of their utopian society.

Coordinator

Dr. Roosmarijn van Woerden & Njal van Woerden

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Registration

Registration is possible for students participating in an Honours program. The registration period for the Honours courses will be from Friday, November 28, 10:00 am to Tuesday, December 2, 11:59 pm. You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS)

Please note: Placement is not guaranteed if you register after December 2, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before December 31. 

For questions about registration, please contact us at: Honours-iis@uva.nl