What is Utopia? Centre College Invites Public to Vote
DANVILLE, Ky, Feb. 20, 2006 — In the immortal words of ex-Go-Go Belinda Carlisle, "Heaven is a place on Earth." Or is it?
Centre College is giving the public an opportunity to vote on that question via the Internet, thanks to Milton Reigleman's CentreTerm class, "In Search of Utopia."
In that class, 15 freshmen students studied a dozen American utopian experiments. For their final projects, the students, working in teams of three, constructed their own utopias.
Which is the most-perfect ideal society? The Centre community (in itself a utopian place to many), along with the general public, is invited to choose by voting at the following web site: http://www.centre.edu/utopia/ .
Each member of the winning team will receive a grab bag of utopian goodies, including the classic Fountains of Wayne album Utopia Parkway; dinner on the Communications Office at Lynn's Paradise Café in Louisville; a fruitcake from Gethsemani Abbey (one of the utopian communities visited by the class); and if we can find one, a souvenir of Paradise, Pa.
The criteria for these utopian societies are simple in concept (if difficult in practice): the idealized community must be workable, self-sustaining, and present a convincing picture of "the good life."
Web voters will be asked to choose among three utopias created by Centre students and judged by the class to be most compelling:
Tolerance, Nevada. (Or "Pax per patientia"—Peace through tolerance) - Matthew Howell, Lisa Notier, Ginny Reynolds, architects
- Practice communalism and celibacy
- Worship with a different faith twice a month
- 90 percent of members' money is contributed to charity
The Bouncers (or The Church of the New Tradition) - Laura Behrendt, Chase Martin, Chris Williamson, architects
- Wild, charismatic, and musical worship services featuring "bouncing" (thus the name)
- Faith in dual male and female deities (symbolized by drum and drumsticks)
- Communal, agricultural groups, attracting those disadvantaged by sexual and racial biases
Concord Circle, Concord, Georgia - Vince Kline, Elizabeth Pulliam, Mari Rayl, architects
- Offers harmonious family relationships and a strong educational program
- Economy based on high-quality, niche products (locally brewed beer, hand-crafted baskets, and freshly baked goods)
- Blissapalooze Festival featuring art, music, food, and family activities
Watch the Web site for a follow-up story next week, the debut of the Pick the Ultimate Utopia Web pages, and instructions on how to vote.
The winning team will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/
