Spanish Mystics

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course offers an in-depth study of the great Spanish mystics of the Counter Reformation: Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Saint John of the Cross. Students will analyze selected works by these authors with particular attention to the language of spirituality, questions of power and authority, the multiple dimensions of the dark night of the soul, and the interplay of historical, philosophical, and rhetorical elements. Students will view the readings from diverse perspectives: as historical documents, literary creations, and spiritual testimonials pertinent to modern readers. Guest speakers will include a Jesuit theologian and an experienced spiritual director, who will guide the students through a meditation from St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. Class activities will include trips to a semi-cloistered convent and to a Carmelite monastery to meet present-day members of the order of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross; visits to the library to see original letters of St. Ignatius and St. Francisco de Borja, early editions of St. Ignatius and St. Teresa, and other pertinent documents. Taught in English; counts toward major/minor in Spanish and in Theology.