Is utopia possible? And if so, what shape might it take? Together, we’ll explore and study a dozen real-life attempts at utopia, with a particular focus on the Shakers. Students will use primary sources alongside works of art, literature, and social history to examine the history of utopias and the ways in which ideologies take shape in designed objects, spaces, and social systems. The centerpiece of the course is a weekend residency at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA. There, students will use archival materials to explore the Shakers’ ongoing impact on American material culture, urban planning, organizational design, and aesthetics. Students will then respond to today’s social, technological, environmental, economic, and political landscapes with their own material prototype of utopia.