POETRY & CREATIVE INTUITION (PHRA-4310)

Students in this seminar course will examine the relationship between creative intuition (sometimes called connatural knowledge) and the fine arts, particularly poetry. Focusing on the work of Jacques Maritain, students will develop a scholastic understanding of how this kind of knowledge is engaged during the creative act. Using contemporary authors, students will then examine how poetry functions to bring humans towards a deeper (connatural) knowledge of transcendent aspects of key human experiences such as suffering, death, resurrection, and the environment. Students will engage the material through seminar discussion. A research paper and class presentations will be used to assess mastery of the material. Intended audience:  advanced MA or PhD; others may inquire from professor.