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2. Course Overview
Abstract: This course introduces students to John Cassian’s Collationes, a foundational text of Latin monastic thought and a key witness to the ancient psychology of attention, discipline, and interior struggle. Through close reading of selected conferences, students will explore how Cassian transforms monastic experience into a systematic reflection on focus, distraction, and the governance of the mind.
Comprehensive Description: Students will read selections from John Cassian’s Collationes alongside a carefully curated corpus of Latin intertexts that illuminate the development of monastic and late antique theories of attention. The course situates Cassian within a Latin intellectual continuum that includes Augustine’s Confessiones, Jerome’s epistolary writings, and the Regula Benedicti, allowing students to trace how attention, distraction, and discipline become central concerns of late antique thought. Cassian’s dialogues with the Egyptian desert fathers articulate a sophisticated vocabulary for interior experience, including the management of thoughts (logismoi), the instability of attention, and the cultivation of mental stability through disciplined practice. These reflections are read not as isolated spiritual advice but as part of a broader Latin tradition of cognitive and ethical formation.
3. Proficiency & Requirements
Language Level:
Framework Reference: This course is intended for students with an intermediate level of Latin. If you have completed Chapter 41 of Roma Aeterna, the course is appropriate for you.
General Description: Intermediate: For students who can comfortably read simple prose and engage in basic active dialogue.
Estimated Self-Study Time:
Time Commitment: 3-4 hours per week.
Preparation Type: Students are expected to have performed a first reading of the text or the assigned secondary reading prior to class although close readings and discussions will occur also during class.
4. Materials & Bibliography
Required Textbooks:
Primary Text:
Cassian, John. Ioannis Cassiani Collationes Patrum. Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 13. Turnhout: Brepols, 1954.
Cassian, John. Conferences. Translated by Colm Luibheid. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.
Disclaimer: "The acquisition of the physical or digital textbook is mandatory for course attendance. Please ensure you have your copy before the first session."
Further Reading:
o Augustine. Confessiones. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.
o Benedict of Nursia. Regula Benedicti. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1981.
o Cassian, John. Conferences. Translated by Colm Luibheid. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.
o Harmless, William. Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
o Kreiner, Jamie. How to Focus: A Monastic Guide for an Age of Distraction. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2024.
o Rubenson, Samuel. The Letters of St. Antony: Monastic Spirituality and Early Egyptian Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.
o Shaw, Teresa. The Burden of the Flesh: Fasting and Sexuality in Early Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.
5. ATTENDANCE, CERTIFICATION AND RECORDINGS
By enrolling, you agree to our standard academic regulations. These guidelines include the minimum attendance required to earn a Certificate of Completion, policies regarding lesson recording availability, mandatory parental consent for minors, and intellectual property protections. Please read our complete Attendance, Certifications, and Recordings Policy herefor full details on attendance, certifications, session recordings, user privacy, intellectual property rights, and special learning accommodations.
