“Histories of Tomorrow: Reading and Writing the Future”

Virtually from the moment that our species first became aware of living in time, human beings have speculated about the distant future that others like us might inhabit. Why do we give such a prominence to imagining our tomorrows? What does this impulse tell us about the lives we fashion for ourselves today? This seminar looks at these and related questions with a particular emphasis on the place of architecture and material culture in some of the futuristic visions proposed throughout the twentieth century. Through a series of case studies, including the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, the Disney amusement parks, and the evolution of the skyscraper as a defining element of urban experience, we will study both utopian and dystopian (positive and negative) conceptions of worlds to come—and what these might reveal about the world we live in at present. Readings include Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York; William J. Mitchell, City of Bits; and E. L. Doctorow’s novel, World’s Fair. Students will also be required to attend several evening film screenings, including such classics as Metropolis (1927) and Brazil (1986).