--- title: Rand Paul: Dystopia Course To Be Taught at George Washington description: The Senator will teach a course at George Washington University next fall called "Dystopian Visions," according to the course schedule. canonical: https://time.com/4758100/rand-paul-dystopian-novels-george-washington-class/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-27T19:14:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:38:34.615Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rand Paul Will Teach D.C. College Students About Dystopias og:description: "A history of dystopian attitudes and how they relate to current events." og:url: https://time.com/4758100/rand-paul-dystopian-novels-george-washington-class/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f68c0c97adb0c14/6988bd697cdbac1645d57633/rand-paul-healthcare-bill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Rand Paul And Chris Murphy Discuss Resolution Denouncing Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rand Paul Will Teach D.C. College Students About Dystopias twitter:description: "A history of dystopian attitudes and how they relate to current events." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f68c0c97adb0c14/6988bd697cdbac1645d57633/rand-paul-healthcare-bill.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rand Paul Will Teach D.C. College Students About Dystopias > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c8c10d65-a4b0-4ce2-ae87-0b8f82816669&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 27, 2017 7:14 PM UTC  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) participates in a discussion about legislation to halt the sale of some weapons to Saudi Arabia at the Center for the National Interest on Sept. 19, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) participates in a discussion about legislation to halt the sale of some weapons to Saudi Arabia at the Center for the National Interest on Sept. 19, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 27, 2017 7:14 PM UTC Sen. Rand Paul will teach students at George Washington University about dystopias next fall. The Kentucky Republican’s course will focus on “history of dystopian attitudes and how they relate to current events and political debates,” according to the college’s student newspaper, [The Hatchet](https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/04/27/rand-paul-to-teach-ccas-course-next-fall/). “I am thrilled to have an opportunity to join the faculty and students at the George Washington University for the upcoming fall semester,” Paul said through a spokesperson for the University, The Hatchet reports. “The George Washington University is one of our nation’s leading higher education institutions and I look forward to my time in Foggy Bottom.” **MORE:** [_Rand Paul Says Donald Trump Is Gollum_](http://time.com/4186728/rand-paul-donald-trump-gollum/) The course will be called “Dystopian Visions,” according to the George Washington course schedule. No books have been assigned yet, but Paul [quoted from George Orwell’s _1984_](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/03/rand-paul-filibuster-transcript-articles-reading-list.html) in his Senate filibuster on targeted killing of Americans on U.S. soil in 2013 and he [told VICE](https://www.vice.com/en%5Fdk/article/we-interviewed-rand-pauland-found-out-hes-not-as-annoying-as-his-dad) that same year that he has long wanted to teach a class on the dystopian novels. “I’ve talked about it, but unfortunately I keep developing other projects that get in the way,” he told VICE. “I would like to do it someday. I think dystopian novels are a discussion of politics, and sort of what happens if you let a government accumulate too much power.” He picked a good time for the course. Since the election, sales of dystopian novels such as _1984_ have spiked, with Hulu’s adaption of [_The Handmaid’s Tale_](http://time.com/4747102/margaret-atwood-time-100-handmaids-tale/) driving renewed interest as well. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4758100/rand-paul-dystopian-novels-george-washington-class/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4758100/rand-paul-dystopian-novels-george-washington-class/"},"headline":"Rand Paul Will Teach D.C. 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