Syllabus for 12/4-8
LAST WEEK: We finished a first draft of the essay relating to the Ramayana. This week we will embark seriously upon an overview of Jungian psychology. Two texts that you will need: Jung: A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stevens and Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Obtain both of these asap.
Monday
Watching the Great Books: Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. Exploring Freud's concept of ego, id, and superego and dreams, "the royal road to the unconscious," as Freud described dreams, "the transformation of desire." After the documentary, I will collect the Ramayana essays.
HW: Review and annotate the Boeree overview on Jung. We will start discussing these this week.
Tuesday
Watching the Biography of Freud. Who was he as a man, and why does Jung come to disagree so strongly with Freud?
HW: Read chapter one of Like Water for Chocolate (LWC) for class on Thursday.
Wednesday
Lecture on Boeree's description of Jung's theory, including the ego, the personal unconsciousness, and the collective unconsciousness (and I will add to this something Boeree leaves aside, complexes/archetypes).
HW: Read chapter one of LWC.
Thursday
- Analysis of chapter one of LWC. What do we learn about Tita? What are her essential traits as a hero? As a person in conflict? When reading this novel, we will examine Tita through the monomyth lens (as the hero on her journey), and as a conflicted person attempting to achieve Jungian individuation.
- HW: Read the first part of Jung's biography, chapter one of Stevens, pages 1-10.
Friday
- Q&A on part one of Jung's biography in Stevens. Beginning to read aloud student papers on Ramayana.
- HW: Finish reading chapter one of Stevens. Also read chapter two in LWC.