Dystopian Literature

Dystopian Literature

$299.00

Teen Focus 12+

Loved The Hunger Games? Read the classics that shaped and inspired the dystopian literature genre, and find out what modern authors predict for the future.  This is a fast-paced semester-long high school course in which students will read five full novels and several short stories and related texts in a single semester. Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.

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Loved The Hunger Games? Read the classics that shaped and inspired the dystopian literature genre, and find out what modern authors predict for the future.  This is a fast-paced semester-long high school course in which students will read five full novels and several short stories and related texts in a single semester. Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.

Discussion topics include:

  • What is dystopian literature?
  • Utopia vs Dystopia
  • Compare contemporary authors’ views of the future
  • Characteristics of the dystopian hero
  • Biology, psychology, and memory
  • Government and social hierarchy
  • Symbols in dystopia
  • Freedom vs. equality

Learning activities include regular writing to communicate ideas via the discussion forum, videos and multimedia materials to support learning, use of web 2.0 tools to illustrate new concepts, and weekly participation in live webinars.

Required books:

Short stories, such as “Harrison Bergeron,” “Flowers for Algernon,” “The Most Dangerous Game,” “All Summer in a Day,” and “A Story of the Days to Come” are freely available online.

Topics Covered

◦What is dystopian literature?
◦Utopia vs Dystopia
◦Compare contemporary authors’ views of the future
◦Characteristics of the dystopian hero
◦Biology, psychology, and memory
◦Government and social hierarchy
◦Symbols in dystopia
◦Freedom vs. equality
Challenge Level

Appropriate for grades 9 through 12. This is a high school literature course open to students ages 12 and up who are prepared to read and discuss literature at a high school level.
Time Commitment

Most students report spending approximately 3-4 hours per week on homework outside of the webinar.
Instructor

Headmistress Guinevere
Reading List

◦ 1984 by George Orwell
◦ Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
◦ The Giver by Lois Lowry
◦ World War Z  by Max Brooks
◦ Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Short stories, such as “Harrison Bergeron,” “Flowers for Algernon,” “The Most Dangerous Game,” “All Summer in a Day,” and “A Story of the Days to Come” are freely available online.
Usually offered

Fall Semester
Prerequisites

Any HS Lightning Literature class, or equivalent literary analysis experience. Student must be able to read quickly and fluently at the 9th grade level or above. Students should also be able to write multi-paragraph texts independently and verbally communicate complex ideas with the microphone in the live webinar. Previous reading of The Hunger Games is recommended but not required.
Available Sessions

Fall 2025 Friday 9am Pacific, Fall 2024 Wednesday 10am Pacific, Fall 2023 Thurs 10am Pacific, Fall 2022 Wed 11am Pacific, Fall 2022 Tuesday 10am Pacific