If you imagined an ideal physical state, what would that entail? Your assignment is to imagine a utopia and find an example from the local past that fulfills or negates your conception of utopia. You

If you imagined an ideal physical state, what would that entail?

Your assignment is to imagine a utopia and find an example from the local past that fulfills or negates your conception of utopia. You are required to create a two-part structure in this assignment, both of which need to be integrated fully within the essay.

For the first part of the assignment, propose your own conception of utopia (take full advantage of the first Discussion Board, “My own, private utopia”). After delineating the major elements of this utopia, choose a single aspect of the infrastructure on which to focus, e.g., education, economics, sustainability, housing, environment, religion, law, arts, etc.

For the research part of the assignment, you will pick an ‘intentional community’ that existed historically in North Carolina. This may be a past community or one that still exists (see the list of communities in the folder).

As you approach this subject and conduct research, keep in mind the following questions: What are the common characteristics inherent in a utopian life? How has the idea of utopia evolved over time? Did you discover that there are archetypes or stereotypes of utopia? Do we share a common definition of a utopia? What does a utopia mean today? Provide 2 secondary sources to support your choice of community. 

FrameworkIntroduction:

Your introduction needs to be simultaneously interesting and informative. You may choose to use a definition, anecdote, query, or visualization to explain the focus of your essay.

Body:

Build your essay by describing your utopian community, while posting many details about a specific aspect. Integrate sources that provide the relevant context of the historical utopian community of North Carolina and compare/contrast with your own creation. Provide at least 2 secondary sources which provide background information about your chosen utopian community.

Conclusion:

Summarize your main points, move from details to generalizations that return you to the issues raised in the introduction, or end with an anecdote or visualization.