CLASS DESCRIPTION

In this class, we will read the whole of Dante's Comedy, with a particularly focus on how Dante used the "great books" of his own day to construct a deeply spiritual and psychological journey, from despair and loss and divisiveness to a happiness so bright and full the human mind cannot take it all in. We will see how Dante drew from Virgil, Boethius, Dionysius the Areopagite (the doctor of mystical theology), medieval lyric, and Franciscan spirituality to construct a masterpiece which still feels deeply relevant in our own day.

All of our classes are available as self-paced classes. The self-paced option allows a student to view the classes on their own time. The content of the course is exactly the same, but there are no writing assignments and no grades issued for the high school courses. The self-paced option gives a student access to the streaming videos of the course for a full year. The classes are not discussion based and focus rather on the art and skill of reading well, and in the high school classes, on the Intellectual Tradition of a work. Students from all over the world choose the self-paced option.

Who is this class for?

This is a college-level course suitable for adults, gap year students, and mature high school students.