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Madness: Society and the Psyche

Explore the evolving concept of madness from the Classical world to the Enlightenment, examining its roots in culture, medicine, and philosophy. Through texts from Aristotle to Foucault, uncover how societies interpreted deviance, from demonic possession to medical diagnoses, and their impact on social order. Engage with critical theories to reimagine the boundaries of sanity and disturbance.

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  • 21 and older
  • $335
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  • Online Classroom
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions

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  • $335/person
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions
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  • Sun, Mar 09 at 2:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Sun, Mar 16 at 2:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Sun, Mar 23 at 2:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Sun, Mar 30 at 2:00pm - 5:00pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this philosophy class:

From the start, Western philosophy, literature, and medicine have been preoccupied—and haunted—with the figure of the mad and the idea of madness. What lies at the root of seemingly strange irruptions of emotion, speech, and erratic behavior? Do they arise by happenstance, or are they symptoms of disturbances in the body, the mind, the psyche, the soul, humours, and the like? Does the behavior of the mad reveal secret messages, canny prophecies, the inspiration of muses, or something else entirely? Do the mad and eccentric provoke social accommodation and care, or does their deviance constitute a dangerous threat to social order? Do concepts like “hysteria” and “melancholia” clarify certain historical eras and conditions of suffering, or are they merely dead-end diagnostic artifacts? And what does it even mean to think about sanity and disturbance, the normal and the abnormal, or what is currently termed “mental health” across cultures and millennia?

In this course, we will track the emergence of “madness” as a complex human phenomenon and object of cultural reflection from the Classical world to the Enlightenment. Starting with Hippocrates, Aristotle, Sophocles, and more, and proceeding through Aquinas, Margery Kempe, Medieval chansons, Shakespeare, Montaigne, and others, we will explore different representations of social deviance that draw on explanations from berserker wilding to demonic possession to disturbances of the humours to manifestations of sexual sin.

Our trajectory will bring us to the Early Modern era, where we will critically evaluate Michel Foucault’s famous History of Madness and reflect on how much, or how little, the first systematic accounts of madness as a medicalized problem implicate the emergence of the nation-state, capitalism, and theories of market rationality. An abundance of primary sources, from hypnotist’s manuals to the Malleus Maleficarum, will be paired with theoretical readings by Henri Ellenberger, Tanya Luhrmann, Paul Veyne, Petteri Pietikainen, Silvia Federici, and more.

There *is* no physical Brooklyn Institute. We hold our classes all over (thus far) Brooklyn and Manhattan, in alternative spaces ranging from the back rooms of bars to bookstores to spaces in cultural centers, including the Center for Jewish History, the Goethe-Institut, and the Barnard Center for Research on Women. We can (and do) turn any space into a classroom. You will be notified of the exact location when you register for a class.


Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

  • Upon request, we will refund less 5% cancellation fee of a course up until 6 business days before its start date.
  • Students who withdraw after that point but before the first class are entitled to 75% refund or full course credit.
  • After the first class: 50% refund or 75% course credit.
  • No refunds or credits will be given after the second class.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

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