I'll likely be constructing/teaching this for spring 2010 but I've started thinking about it. What would people recommend? The only two books I think I'm definitely going to include are Ishamel (since I've always wanted to teach that) and 1984. I may stick Johnny Got His Gun in as well

Are there any periods or types of politics that you want to focus on, stip?

Jumping in cold without knowing that, I'd suggest the short story 'One of These Days' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If it were my course, I'd teach '100 Years of Solitude,' but it's long and has stuff that probably wouldn't be related to your class.

Consider Jonathan Swift...pretty much anything by him.

Some selections from Joyce would be cool, too, I'll try to come up with specific passages for you.

For poetry, you should do you some WB Yeats. So many good ones: 'The Second Coming,' 'Easter 1916'...like I said, lots of good ones.

And if you wanted to get really freaky, you could do John Milton or Andrew Marvell. Ooo and you could do Shakespeare, too; do 'Richard II'!

I'm not sure how I want to structure it, which is part of the problem. Most of my classes are organized around the idea of power and myth, so that'll likely be a part of it.

The Wizard of Oz might be interesting considering that many people think it's about gilded age-era politics.

i've never read the book. That could be interesting too. I'm probably gonna show at least one movie too. Right now Cradle Will Rock is the most likely contender