COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objective of this course will be to explore different aspects of a unique form of Christian asceticism, iurodstvo, or foolishness for Christ`s sake, which had an immense impact on Eastern Slavic spirituality and culture.
By the end of this course you should expect to have
-become acquainted with the concept and phenomenologies of foolishness for Christ`s sake in a variety of Christian traditions;
-become acquainted with important religious and cultural aspects of Russian Christian spirituality vis-à-vis its Western counterparts;
-thought deeply about the social, historical, and cultural bearings of several cultural (including ascetic) traditions;
-thought deeply about national aspects of such important issues of Christian spirituality and culture as the ascetic ideal, sanctity, devotion, canon and marginality.
-learned about perceptions and conceptualizations of madness and folly in several Christian cultural traditions;
-critically assessed and analyzed a number of textual representations of ascetic and holy foolish phenomenology and spirituality.
