Can art prepare Christians to face death with hope? In this course, we will identify key works of art and theological texts that depict suffering and death, exploring how they grapple with these realities, and come to appreciate how art may spiritually form us towards Christian hope. Artistic reflections will centre on paintings, medieval woodcuts, theatre, music, literature, and television. Along the way, we will be helped by readings from Gregory of Nyssa, Julian of Norwich, Bonaventure, Martha Nussbaum, Rowan Williams, David Bentley Hart, and more.
Class time for this course will be divided between pre-recorded lectures (~2 hours each week) and live tutorials via Zoom. Students should watch the lecture and complete the reading each week as outlined in the course syllabus. A weekly tutorial with the professor will take place on Zoom on Thursdays from 11:00 am–12:00 pm (Pacific Time). Alternative arrangements (such as reading discussions on Moodle) will be made for students who cannot join live tutorials due to time zone differences. Students for which this applies should contact the professor directly. Pre-recorded lectures will be available on the course Moodle page.