We know as Catholics that God is Love. Guided by great Christian writers and philosophers, learn what it means to love, why it is central to our faith, and how we can live it out each day.
How to get the most out of Love and the Meaning of Life with Kevin O’Brien:
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First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.
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Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.
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Read assignments before class meetings
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Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.
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Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.
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Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
Total classes: 12
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested high school credit: One full semester Literature, Theology, or Philosophy
Instructors: Kevin O’Brien
Instructor email: kevin@classeswithkevin.
Course description: We know as Catholics that “God is love.” We also know that it is our obligation to love God and to love our neighbors. We know that love, especially the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross, is central to the meaning of life. But what is love? Is it an emotion, an action? How do romance and marriage fit into love? How does love determine our identities (who we are) and our vocations (what we are called to do)? Is there a connection between love and war, between love and desire, even between love and death? We will approach these questions, all of which are central to our lives as Christians, through great works of literature and philosophy, including Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical on love, Deus Caritas Est, selections from Socrates’ reflection on love, The Symposium, selections from great poems and stories of love, The Surprise by G.K. Chesterton, and notions of love in psychology and the popular culture.
Course outline:
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Socrates and Diotima on Love
Week 3: The Four Loves by CS Lewis Part I
Week 4: The Four Loves by CS Lewis Part II
Week 5: The Saints Who Show Us Love
Week 6: Dante on Love
Week 7: Shakespeare on Love
Week 8: Tolkien and Other Modern Writers on Love
Week 9: God is Love by Pope Benedict XVI
Week 10: “The Call” - Love and Vocation
Week 11: Highlights from “Love and the Western World” by Denis de Rougemont
Week 12: Review
Course materials: Public domain material and Deus Caritas Est will be provided FREE as PDFs by the Instructor. In addition, students should purchase:
The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, ISBN-10 : 0062565397 / ISBN-13 : 978-0062565396 (https://amzn.to/3rAAq5S)
Homework: Occasional quizzes and essays, with about three hours of reading outside of class each week.
- Teacher: Kevin OBrien