Article: “Ten Failed Utopian Cities That Influenced the Future” by Annalee Newitz and Emily Stamm
Examine utopian ideals in urban design / Respond to 1-3 cities (one city per body paragraph, or 3 different aspects of one “failed” city. Consider the problems that these cities aim to solve in order to achieve a ‘utopian ideal.’ What unintended consequences might result (or did result)? Personal experiences and observations, current urban design ideas (give credit) and your own ideals can be factored into your responses.
GUIDELINES
This is a 5-paragraph response essay. A response essay presents a writer’s response to a source — a story, article, lecture, film, etc. The goal is to cite meaningful ideas and/or arguments from that source and provide your own original argument in response.
(1) INTRODUCTION:
* Hook — start with a sentence that attracts interest in the topic
* Introduce the topic: utopian ideals
* Narrow the topic — the gist of the failed city — or — the gist of “Harrison Bergeron”
* Main Statement: Your argument in response
(2, 3, 4) BODY ONE / TWO / THREE: Each paragraph cites a statement from the original source.
* Topic Sentence: Write an arguable statement in response to an aspect of the city or story.
* Quote or Summarize a salient part of the story / aspect of the failed city.
* Explain / interpret the quote in support of your argument. Signal your interpretation with: In other words / What this means is that /
Provide concrete examples that support your topic sentence / consider analogies, i.e. similar practices or events that support your analysis. For example, an historical event that mirrors the action/ideal in the story or article.
Concluding Sentence: Affirm that the topic sentence has been ‘proven,’ then transition to the next paragraph.
(5) CONCLUSION
* Affirm the thesis statement
* End profoundly with a meaningful observation
FORMAT
* Name, course, semester, instructor single-spaced in the upper left corner
* Page numbers bottom right
* Center an original title over the body of the essay, or to start: Response to “Title of Story or Article”
* Double-space / size 11 or 12 type
* Indent the first sentence of each new paragraph five spaces. Do not put four spaces between paragraphs.
