Love & Death (Eros & Thanatos) from Greece to Game of Thrones

This course will deal with love and death (Eros and Thanatos), two basic instincts in the human soul. We will read literary texts dealing with love and death, from Greek mythology and philosophy, through psychological and sociological theories. We will look at visual images of Eros, Aphrodite, Hades, and the underworld and how these images translated into contemporary art in the works of artists such as Tracy Emin, Tino Segal, Damian Hirst, and others. Throughout the course, we will investigate different types of love: self-love (narcissistic), romantic love, parental love, love for an object or a thing, platonic love, and love in a capitalist era. We will deal with death as a cause of aggression and destruction, the fear of death, and discuss other perceptions of death: those who see death as an absolute end and others who see death as an opening to the next life or reincarnation. The purpose of the course is to encourage dialogue and understanding on these topics and to develop self-awareness in our lives as human beings.