Welcome To…

Welcome To… is a series of videos and learning resources which are designed to offer a way into a particular genre, subject or theme

They are for anyone who is interested in learning, whether you are just starting out or looking to refresh your knowledge

I wanted to start this series because opportunities to learn should not be reserved for the few people who have the time and money to study full time at university

If you are interested in getting more involved, joining a discussion group or signing up to my mailing list please get in touch through my contact form

Wherever you are and however much time and energy you have for learning at the moment, you are welcome

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Welcome To… Dystopia

This series would not have been possible without the great example syllabus provided by Dr. Rachele Dini, the insight of the students of the University of Roehampton and all those who have kindly watched the many strange draft versions: Sinéad Murphy, Sing Yun Lee, Dan Stebbings, Tracy Sharp, Robert Stone, Amy Butt and all my other fellow star gazers.

Genre

What is a dystopia?
What is a genre?
And why do the answers to these questions matter?

Welcome To… The Matrix
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome To… Film/Genre
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

EXERCISES
FURTHER READING

Lana and Lilly Wachowski dir., *The Matrix* (1999)
Rick Altman, *Film/Genre* (1999)
C. L. R. James and Grace Lee Boggs with Cornelius Castoriadis, *Facing Reality* (1958)

Utopia

What is a utopia?
What is an anti-utopia?
And what is the difference between dystopia and anti-utopia?

Welcome To… Parable of the Sower
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome To… Scraps of the Untainted Sky
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

EXERCISES
FURTHER READING

Octavia E. Butler, *Parable of the Sower* (1993)
Tom Moylan, *Scraps of the Untainted Sky* (2000)
adrienne maree brown, *Emergent Strategy* (2017)

Space

How is space controlled in dystopias?
What real life spaces inspire dystopias?
Can dystopias help us to imagine better spaces?

Welcome To… We
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome To… Discipline and Punish
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

EXERCISES
FURTHER READING

Yevgeny Zamyatin, We (1924)
Michel Foucault, *Discipline and Punish* (1975)
Angela Y. Davis, *Are Prisons Obsolete* (2003)

Time

How is time controlled in dystopias?
What real life forms of time control inspire dystopias?
Can dystopias help us to imagine better times?

Welcome To… Sorry To Bother You
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome To… Capital
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

EXERCISES
FURTHER READING

Boots Riley dir., *Sorry to Bother You* (2018)
Karl Marx, *Capital, Volume I* (1867)
Robin D. G. Kelley, *Freedom Dreams* (2002)

Reproduction

How is reproduction controlled in dystopias?
What real life forms of reproductive control inspire dystopias?
Can dystopias help us to imagine better forms of reproduction?

Welcome To… What Not
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[LINK TO TRANSCRIPT]

Welcome To… Eugenic Feminism
[LINK TO VIDEO]
[TRANSCRIPT COMING SOON]

EXERCISES
FURTHER READING