Course : Utopia and Dystopia in British Theatre 2026/Ουτοπία κα Δυστοπία στο Βρετανικό Θεατρο 2026
Course code : PDA193
PDA193 - ΜΑΡΙΑ ΒΑΡΣΑΜΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ
Course Description
This course is taught exclusively in English and requires a B2 level of language competency.
We will study British drama starting with William Shakespeare and ending with Sarah Kane through the prism of theories of Utopia and Dystopia.
Course time and day: Tuesday, 12-3, Central building, Reading room, 2nd floor.
Important: No request for joining eclass will be accepted after registration ends (13-03-26). There is also a 2 class minimum of in-person attendance for a mid-term exam and a final oral presentation.
We will discuss the essay 'What is the ideal World?' in order to analyse what classic authors have written about the concept of Utopia.
We will discuss Lyman Tower Sargent's essay 'The Three Faces of Utopianism Revisited' in conjunction with Plato's Republic and the play The Birds by Aristophanes.
We will start with the seminal text by Sir Thomas More 'Utopia' and the idea of 'island literature' as well as the relationship between politics and utopia and then read Shakespeare's The Tempest while discussing the relevance of Architecture in the New Modern Era.
We will read 2 plays by Margaret Cavendish (The Blazing World, and The Convent of Pleasure), in order to discuss feminist issues in relation to the concept of utopia and the background of the 17th century.
Agenda
Announcements
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Friday, February 27, 2026 at 3:57 PM