FYSP 164 - To Hell and Back: Religious Views of the Underworld

4 HU, CD, WRi
First Semester. In Dante’s Inferno, the portal to the underworld carries this inscription:

I am the way into eternal grief….
Abandon every hope, all you who enter.

This sentiment about the misery of hell is echoed in ancient polytheistic religions, monotheistic religions such as Christianity, and nontheistic religions such as Buddhism. In this course, we will descend into several hells in order to study how symbols of the underworld have been important factors in religious piety, art, psychological analysis, and theological debate.

Prerequisites & Notes
Enrollment Limit: 14.
Ms. Kamitsuka

Credits: 4 hours