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PS 108| POLITICS AND LITERATURE

Course syllabus

Description: This course covers several classic works in fiction and science fiction. The central focus of the course is on the different methods by which resources are allocated within and between societies. Special attention is paid to systems that employ force (e.g., violence or coercion), fraud (e.g., ideology or myth), or a combination of the two. A thorough examination of utopias and dystopias will help students consider the differences between "open" and "closed" societies. The course will also touch on issues relating to the rule of law, political tolerance, moral relativism, the psychology of decision-making, threat perception, group dynamics and ethical constraints (or lack thereof) during war.

Required Readings:

  1. George Orwell, 1984 (Signet Classics, paperback).

  2. William Golding, Lord of the Flies (Penguin, paperback).

  3. Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men (Harvest Books, paperback).

  4. Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers (Ace Books, paperback).

  5. Joe Haldeman, Forever Peace (Ace Books, paperback).

  6. Course Reader.