Description:

This course centers on seven Christian Women Mystics: Hildegard of Bingen, Clare of Assisi, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux. For each mystic, students will be asked to read introductory material and a selection from the mystic’s own writings. The goal of the course is to enable the student to study mystics’ reports of their own experience in order to explore the relationship between the women’s religious experience and their culture, the ethical content and implications of their mystical experience, and the theological content of the women’s religious experience, in particular as this relates to the articulation of God, self and other.

Tasks

Having completed their reading about and from each of the mystics, students are asked to write a 1000 word essay in which they discuss the mystics’ ideas on one of the themes: religious experience and culture, ethical content, or their understanding of God, self or other people. These essays are to be mailed or e-mailed to the instructor, who will respond to them within a week.

The course is the equivalent of a 2 semester hour upper division undergraduate course. The course is the same whether for credit or non-credit. If for credit, student’s papers will be graded and they will receive a grade from the University of Mary. If students do not take the course for credit, they may work at their own level. Although students have a year to complete the course, it is important to work steadily and not lose momentum.

Book List

The majority of these texts are from a series, The Classics of Western Spirituality. Most libraries should carry them, and they will be relatively easy to get through inter-library loan. If you run into difficulties finding a text, let me know. The Underhill text is very inexpensive, and it is worth owning. The Flinders text is also worth having for your own use. Amazon.com should carry them.