This course offers an in-depth exploration of personal identity, transcendence, and the role of culture from classical and contemporary humanistic perspectives. It integrates philosophical reflection, religious studies, and cultural history to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of personal identity, the human desire for transcendence, and the formation of Western civilization.

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Audience

University students belonging to the Regnum Christi (RIU) network of universities, as well as from other Catholic and non-Catholic universities.

Methodology and structure

Structured in two phases, one online and in Rome, the course combines theoretical learning with experiential education. During the online phase, students participate in synchronous and asynchronous lectures that introduce the main topics. The face-to-face phase includes lectures in the morning and cultural visits in the afternoon, taking advantage of Italy’s rich historical and religious heritage. Visits to Florence and Assisi, along with the many activities in Rome, are key components, as they offer students direct contact with the cultural and religious legacies that have shaped Western thought.

The course is divided into two thematic sections. The first, “Person and Transcendence,” focuses on personal identity and philosophical concepts of being, with references to thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle, Buddha and Nietzsche, Marx and Jesus Christ, Guardini, and Spaemann (among many others). It also explores religious responses to human transcendence in various traditions. The second section, “Classical and Contemporary Humanism”, examines the evolution of Western culture, analyzing the most important historical and cultural changes, from antiquity to postmodernity.