1) To establish its relevance for us: our course theme, our concerns about our world today. Part of the fascination of literature, of the journey of reading old or ancient literature, is the discovery that people long ago felt what we feel now, thought about things we still think about now; their experiences, their visions, their feelings and thoughts still engage us. We can connect with the past through literature in a deep, unique way.

• We'll consider the timeliness of its subject, its themes.
• We'll form some questions that help us reflect meaningfully on our own time:
  o How do we define "sin"? Are we in agreement or disagreement with Dante?
  o What's our own "philosophy of punishment"?
  o Are we (individually, culturally, globally) in need of "salvation"? Do we define salvation differently than Dante does?
  o Where should we look for salvation, if we decide we're in need of it? (Religion? Science? Something other?)
  o We'll consider how Dante contributes to the "roundtable" discussion we've been inviting our authors to on the subject of "IMAGINATION" and "FANTASY."
  

2) To understand a little bit about the poem's "greatness"-its centrality in western literature. (John Ruskin called Dante "the central man of all the world." We'll try to understand why he might deserve such grand accolades.)

• How do we define "great literature," generally? How does Dante fit the description?
• We'll consider the medieval invention of the "self" and Dante's contribution; we'll observe the vividness of his portrait of the "individual" and the "contemporary" as proper subjects for serious art.
• We'll consider why Dante's work was popular with all levels of society.

3) To note some of Dante's more significant influences.

• Virgil
• The Bible and "The Vision of St. Paul" (a Gnostic gospel)
• St. Thomas Aquinas (Aristotle, Augustine)

4) A close reading, together, of the first portion of the book, to introduce significant themes and motifs. This may become lecture-heavy, but I'll be looking for your input as we step through the first several cantos. A literal understanding of the text and its relevance will be emphasized.

5) To form collaborative study groups to help you engage in an analysis of key cantos throughout the book.