This course explores dystopian literature and film, focusing on dystopia not only as a genre that reflects contemporary social anxieties, but as a concept integral to the human condition and a framework to understand our past and future. Dystopian works do not simply predict or critique the future—they interrogate the core of the human experience: power, control, freedom, and survival. Through a diverse range of texts and films, from Orwell’s 1984 to The Hunger Games, we will examine how dystopia serves as both a cultural mirror and a tool for philosophical exploration. How do these stories confront the dangers of political oppression, technological overreach, and environmental collapse? What do they reveal about the human capacity for cruelty, resilience, and hope?
By the end of the course, students will not only understand dystopia as a genre, but will also gain insight into how it functions as a lens through which we can critically engage with our current realities and envision possible futures. This course invites you to ask difficult questions about the world we are creating, the legacies we inherit, and the futures we might one day face.