What is love? And how do we learn to love and be loved in ways that lead to full human development? What does love of self, of others and of God signify and how are these ‘aspects’ of love undergone? Love manifests in diverse forms, parental, erotic, in friendship, compassion for strangers and in religious experience. The course will be an exploration of the many meanings of love as well as of its mysterious unity. This exploration will be made through literature, music and the arts as well as through philosophy and scriptural texts. Additionally, there will be an important experiential element of the course in the form of meditation. This is based on the conviction that interiority and self-knowledge are necessary for developing the capacity to love and that love, in a primary form, is precisely what we find in the depth of human being. The class will meditate together at the beginning of each class and students will be encouraged (though obviously not evaluated on this) to develop a personal practice of meditation and will be offered support if needed. This diverse approach to the meaning of love requires a certain depth of interest and consistency, willingness to practice intelligence in complementary ways and openness to a group learning experience.
The course is open to all students. A short personal letter describing the student’s interest in the course is requested and should be sent to Fr Laurence: (Laurence.Freeman@gmail.com).
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Other academic years There is information about this course number in other academic years:
