We know as Catholics that “God is love.” We also know that it is our obligation to love God and to love our neighbors. We know that love, especially the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross, is central to the meaning of life. But what is love?
We know as Catholics that “God is love.” We also know that it is our obligation to love God and to love our neighbors. We know that love, especially the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross, is central to the meaning of life. But what is love? Is it an emotion, an action? How do romance and marriage fit into love? How does love determine our identities (who we are) and our vocations (what we are called to do)? Is there a connection between love and war, between love and desire, even between love and death? We will approach these questions, all of which are central to our lives as Christians, through great works of literature and philosophy, including Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical on love, Deus Caritas Est, selections from Socrates’ reflection on love, The Symposium, selections from great poems and stories of love, and more.
Week 1: Socrates and Diotima on Love
Week 2: The Four Loves by CS Lewis Part I
Week 3: The Four Loves by CS Lewis Part II
Week 4: St. Francis and Love
Week 5: Love in the Middle Ages
Week 6: Dante on Love
Week 7: Shakespeare on Love: Romeo and Juliet / West Side Story
Week 8: Shakespeare on Love: Much Ado about Nothing
Week 9: Flannery O’Connor on Love: “A Temple of the Holy Ghost”
Week 10: God is Love by Pope Benedict XVI
Week 11: Utopian Love
Week 12: Review
Course materials: Public domain material and Deus Caritas Est will be provided FREE as PDFs by the Instructor. In addition, students should purchase:
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, ISBN-10 : 0062565397 / ISBN-13 : 978-0062565396 (https://amzn.to/3rAAq5S)
Homework: Occasional quizzes and essays, with about three hours of reading outside of class each week.