This class promises to be a very rewarding experience for both the students and for myself as a teacher. It is my belief that by understanding a society's dreams and ideals that you can better understand its history. For that reason I am excited about teaching you to understand the cities by examining the way that people have imagined the future. The primary goal of this class is to encourage you to understand different ideas about how innovations in architecture, government, and technology can improve the world and lead to social change. In this course we will both study the ideas of the past, and propose new ideas for the future. I expect each student to not only read and understand the course material, but to engage creatively with it. That said, I hope that you all feel comfortable sharing your ideas and skills with your fellow students in a polite and encouraging fashion.

Students will study the city through its depiction in Utopian literature, architectural drawings, propaganda artwork, and science fiction films. In this course the students will participate in both individual and group assignments in order to understand and compare the urban environments depicted in these various media. Assignments will include analytical note taking, creative writing, persuasive debate, and visual presentation of ideas. In the final project, the students will have the opportunity to develop their own ideas for the ideal city in a creative project in the media of their choice: drawing, creative writing, or video.

Before we can start there are a few orders of business that must be addressed. Adjoining this letter you will find a class schedule, a list of the required readings you need to purchase, and your first assignment. The books for this course can be purchased at Ned's Books near the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Bancroft, in Berkeley. Unfortunately one of the books, Looking Backward, is not available at Ned's. It can be purchased online, or read directly from a free website. (See class syllabus for more information.) You should purchase the books as soon as possible to avoid any mishaps that may prevent you from completing your readings on time.

This class will be very active, and every meeting will include some sort of group assignment and/or class discussion of the readings. Therefore, regular attendance and timely completion of both reading and written assignments will be of utmost importance. More than two absences (for any reason including illness) will lead to a grade no higher than Pass and will prevent me from recommending credit for this course. All absences and late or missing work will also be detrimental to your grade. In order to ensure that you are prepared for class each day, I have included a syllabus that includes the course readings and major assignments. These assignments, as well as any changes or additions to them, will be discussed at the end of each class session.

There will be no classes on Tuesday July 4th, in observation of Independence Day. In order to make up this time we will hold a full day class (8:30-4:30) on Tuesday, July 18th. This will include a field trip walking tour of downtown Berkeley and Oakland. Please check your calendars to insure you can attend. A permission slip is included in this packet. Please complete and return this form as soon as possible. If you cannot attend, please inform me in advance so I can assign you an alternative project.

For the first day of class I would like each student to complete an assignment which will help me get to know you more about you, and where you are from. This will also allow me to observe how you express yourself visually and/or verbally. Please see the attached assignment description and bring your completed work to our first session. Our first class will be held Tuesday, June 20 at 8:30 am in 2325 Tolman. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,
Susanne Cowan