Utopia Map Assignment | Online Homework Help

project three: utopia map The visual map project may be completed by individuals or pairs of students but each student must write and submit their own paper. Phase 1: Read and discuss / write Read article, “Utopian virtues.” Prepare to answer the following questions for class discussion. What are the meanings of utopia/eutopia? How can utopian principles be implemented in a real place? What challenges did the Vilanovins face? How do values, institutions and practices shape place in Vilanova i la Geltru? Phase 2: Write Write Utopian Manifesto [Limit 350 words, not including references] See sample on iLearn: Create an outline to insure your manifesto is complete and logically coherent. Begin with a paragraph defining the overarching societal problems your utopia will solve. Identify the negative consequences of these problems. Succinctly state the values that will guide your solutions. Succinctly state your theory of change: what will drive societal transformation? Outline a radical plan to realize your utopian vision that solves the problems you identified and embodies the values you espoused. Include systems, institutions, and socio-cultural relationships and practices. See examples below.* Appropriately apply concepts from at least two course readings and cite sources. In addition, you may cite outside sources to support your proposal. Phase 3: Map Create a visual map (large enough for your classmates to see and understand clearly) to present in class. Give your utopia a name that evokes its key features. Illustrate the features that implement your goals and values. ———————————————————————————————————— *Elements of utopian plan: Examples Systems Economic systems: capitalism, socialism, communism, barter, gift exchange, mixed economy, etc. Political systems: dictatorship, representative democracy, direct democracy, consensus, anarchy, etc. Environmental systems: energy, water, food production, waste, etc. Justice systems: restorative justice, punitive justice, incarceration, police, courts, village councils, etc. Institutions Schools and universities, clinics and hospitals, corporations, collectives, community gardens and kitchens, neighborhood councils, museums, libraries, police, prisons, courts, houses of worship, etc. Socio-cultural relationships and practices Gender roles and norms, holiday celebrations, cooking and eating, forms of greeting, monogamy, celibacy, polyamory, religious observance, clothing styles, language use, artistic expression, healing circles, massage, athletics, forms of entertainment,

sample utopian manifesto

plutopia

Problems

Our Plutopia will eliminate the profit-reducing evils of democracy and unions, and banish unsightly citizens (homeless, protesters) that make us look bad.

Values

We value the accumulation of wealth above all. We enshrine the sacredness of corporate personhood, free markets, and “the virtue of selfishness” (Rand 1964: 1).

Theory of change

Our political system is plutocracy, or government by the wealthy (Freeland 2012).

We will achieve this through manipulating public opinion, prison labor and violence.

Program

1. Government of, by, and for the wealthy
   1. Voting is restricted to major property and large business owners.
   2. Candidates for political office must earn at least ten million dollars per year.
2. Poverty tax: the less you earn, the more you pay
   1. Discourage poverty by making poor people pay the highest tax rate.
   2. No tax on investments, real estate, inheritance or profits.
3. Gentrification for all
   1. Deport unsightly citizens such as the homeless, mentally ill, or disabled to offshore US colonies.
   2. Seize the poorly maintained housing owned by elderly or low-income people and convert it to luxury condos and high-end boutiques.
4. Unity through suppression
   1. Protest is unpleasant, thus illegal. Sentence protestors to our innovative labor camps where they generate profits for investors.
5. Free market policies
   1. Abolish all environmental, health and labor protections as these reduce profits (Miller and Sexton 2004).
   2. Cut all government services and sell the buildings.
6. Freedom to work for us
   1. Unions constrain profits and are thus illegal terrorist organizations.
   2. Reinstate the most efficient and profitable labor system: slavery!
7. Education for all: for a price
   1. Privatize schools and universities to make them profitable.
   2. Those who cannot afford a high quality education can attend innovative factory schools where children learn to work as they work, generating profits for investors.
8. Corporations are people: people are not
   1. Corporations are entitled to more rights than citizens (Montagne 2014).
   2. People, however, have no rights except as corporate stockholders or CEOs.

[Word count: 326]

References

Freeland, Chrystia. 2012. Plutocrats: The rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else. New York: Penguin.

Miller, Roger and Sexton, Robert. 2004. Issues in American economic history. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Montagne, Renee. 2014. “When did companies become people?” National Public Radio [Transcript]. Available at https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=335288388

Rand, Ayn. 1964. The virtue of selfishness. New York: New American Library.

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