What makes a utopia? What kind of world do we want to live in, and how do we create a better society? The Dispossessed, often subtitled “An Ambiguous Utopia,” wrestles with weighty questions related to utopia, dystopia, and their relationship to the life of the individual. The novel approaches these questions through the themes of anarchism, socialism, capitalism, individualism, and solidarity. Unlike many utopian visions, Le Guin’s is as ambiguous as the title suggests, raising questions without pushing the reader toward a universal answer. In this module we will consider Shevek’s journey between worlds, including the literary, philosophical and political aspects of the novel, and will deepen our understanding via class discussion.