3-3-1

According to Dante none of us can save the wound in our souls without taking our own pilgrimage to hell, without purging our sins and without letting go of ourselves such as to experience ecstatic union with the foundations of all reality. This is perhaps what James Joyce meant when he said that Dante is his spiritual food and that reading Dante is like looking at the sun. This course will explore some of the philosophical, poetic, religious, political and historical richness of Dantes allegorical masterpiece and lead each student on his/her personal journey through Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. This course will be taught in English. Students who wish to count the course for Italian credit will submit their assignments in Italian and participate in *one-hour discussion in Italian that will take place on alternating weeks.