WIN 182 - Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here. Not

Institution:

Franklin College - Indiana

Subject:

Description:

Mankind has been fascinated by Hell ever since the Sumerians first engraved the Epic of Gilgamesh on clay tablets nearly four thousand years ago. All major cultures have a concept of Hell embedded in their faiths. We all must admit that it would be interesting "to go to Hell for a look around and then come home both safe and sound." That's just what we'll do in this course. We'll study several different Hells from the Sumerians to the Greeks to the Hebrews, but focus primarily on the Christian concept by reading Dante's Inferno, one of the literary world's most magnificent works. This immortal, allegorical epic has spoken for over seven centuries, not just to the scholar, but also to every man and woman willing to delve into the mysteries of the human soul. It speaks to us of matters religious, political, philosophical and personal. What is our role in life? How do we become better people? Where can we find reliable answers to our most troubling concerns? I will be your Virgil and you can be my Dante. Take my hand and we'll just go to….Heck. As British poet T. S. Eliot once wrote: "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them-there is no third." In this course I plan on having my students read the John Ciardi translation of Dante's Inferno as well as several other shorter works ranging from Sumerian, Egyptian and Greek myths to Hebrew passages about Sheol. I will teach my students how Dante mirrors the epic characteristics and conventions first set down by Homer. Also, we will learn about the poetic structure of the poem along with the allegorical structure of the Underworld. Not only will I use quizzes, tests and essays to evaluate my students' performance, but I also plan on a group project that asks my students to get creative by placing fictional or historical people in Hell proving to me that they understand both the rules and symbolic nature of Dante's Comedy. In the past this project has generated a lot of spirited results ranging from Comic Book Character Hell to Video Game Character Hell. I believe it will be both instructional and fun.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.franklincollege.edu

Phone Number:

(317) 738-8000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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