Cross-listed with CMLT398G. Credit only granted for PERS398M or CMLT398G.

Sufis and mystics like Rumi, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Francisof Assisi, and others like them are among the most influential figures in human history. Although they lived in different times and cultures, they shared the belief that the purpose of human creation is love, and they expressed their thoughts in their love poetry. In this course, we explore the life experiences of these mystics as we read their poems in English translation. We ask questions such as "What is experience?", "When can experience be called mystical?", "Is there a special connection between love and poetry?", and "Why did these thinkers express their mystical encounter with love in poetry?".