Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This subject examines the nature of mystical discourse through comparison of specific religious and mystical traditions within medieval Europe and the East, with particular attention to India. Common themes to be explored with respect to both Western and Eastern traditions include the role of asceticism in the search for enlightenment, the contrast between intellectual and affective knowledge of the divine, and the tension between images of collective and of individual enlightenment. A range of mystical writings, from different religious traditions will be studied from a variety of possible viewpoints, and the relative value of these interpretations compared.
Assessment + Five exercises (500 words each) and essay (4500 words): 60% + Examination (take home): 40%