The Journey Within
The Journey Within: The Spiritual Pursuit in Literary and Mystical Traditions A fundamental teaching of the world’s religious and mystical traditions is that the source of love, the fulfillment of life, and the treasure of heaven are found within. With mystical and literary texts from antiquity to the present day as our guides, we shall explore themes such as the concept of the soul, the discovery of a deeper self, the spiritual awakening, and the nature of the mystical experience. Using both intellectual and experiential tools of inquiry, we shall consider questions related to religious and psychological experience such as: Where does the self reside? Why is it important to “know thyself”? What is the state of consciousness described as enlightenment? How does one rise above the sorrows and struggles of the world? Finally, we shall try to understand how ‘turning within’ may not mean fleeing away from the world; rather we shall explore the possibility that this direction might even mean engaging in the world around us in a more profound and meaningful way. Readings will include Plato, Marcus Aurelius, excerpts from the New Testament, Tolstoy, Emily Dickinson, Herman Hesse, J.D. Salinger, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mary Oliver.
The Journey Within: The Spiritual Pursuit in Literary and Mystical Traditions A fundamental teaching of the world’s religious and mystical traditions is that the source of love, the fulfillment of life, and the treasure of heaven are found within. With mystical and literary texts from antiquity to the present day as our guides, we shall explore themes such as the concept of the soul, the discovery of a deeper self, the spiritual awakening, and the nature of the mystical experience. Using both intellectual and experiential tools of inquiry, we shall consider questions related to religious and p …Read more
Professor Maria is extremely passionate about the materials she teaches and cares deeply about students about connecting with each and every one of her students. However, her classes lack direction, connection and purpose. She did not share ideas with the class clearly and often the purpose of the class was variable and confusing. It never felt like we were thinking about a larger idea. Deadlines were not structured or communicated and she refuses to use canvas and instead all assignments were shared through lengthy emails. I did not get as much as I could have out of this course because of her teaching style. She does choose very interesting texts though.
Professor Maria is extremely passionate about the materials she teaches and cares deeply about students about connecting with each and every one of her students. However, her classes lack direction, connection and purpose. She did not share ideas with the class clearly and often the purpose of the class was variable and confusing. It …Read more
Professor Maria is extremely passionate about the materials she teaches and cares deeply about students. That being said, this FYSE was very unorganized and lacked structure. Prof. Maria doesn't communicate ideas or deadlines with much clarity, and we didn't even have a Canvas page, with Prof. Maria instead emailing us what was due week to week. Extremely easy, but not academically stimulating in the classroom. Readings were very manageable and the content of the readings was always interesting.
Professor Maria is extremely passionate about the materials she teaches and cares deeply about students. That being said, this FYSE was very unorganized and lacked structure. Prof. Maria doesn't communicate ideas or deadlines with much clarity, and we didn't even have a Canvas page, with Prof. Maria instead emailing us what was due w …Read more
This class is good for a first year seminar, there's not a ton of work. The classes are completely discussion-based, you dont really even need to write notes. Professor Maria is VERY passionate about the material, and this can sometimes lead to the discussions kinda going off the rails. The work is very manageable, a couple essays and a book reading every week or two. Overall a good FYS course.
This class is good for a first year seminar, there's not a ton of work. The classes are completely discussion-based, you dont really even need to write notes. Professor Maria is VERY passionate about the material, and this can sometimes lead to the discussions kinda going off the rails. The work is very manageable, a couple essays an …Read more
The Journey Within is class that causes you to ponder the spiritual and yourself on a deeper level. Professor Maria cares deeply about the material and is very passionate about what she shares. There are no concrete deadlines for readings/essays, and the class ebbs and flows at its own unique pace. Oftentimes, as others have mentioned, due to this lack of structure, there is a lot of off-topic conversations and lectures that occur. However, if you are looking for a solid introduction to religion and philosophy in a low workload environment, this FYS is a good option to take.
The Journey Within is class that causes you to ponder the spiritual and yourself on a deeper level. Professor Maria cares deeply about the material and is very passionate about what she shares. There are no concrete deadlines for readings/essays, and the class ebbs and flows at its own unique pace. Oftentimes, as others have mentione …Read more
This is a great choice for a first-year seminar. Professor Maria is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the material, and there is little work each week, only a couple of outside-of-class readings. The class, however, is very unstructured which often leads to off-topic conversations and long rants, which are still interesting nonetheless.
I loved the course material and Professor Maria's passion and knowledge for the material. However there is little structure in the class which often leads to both deep conversations and irrelevant ones.