MOOC COURSE

Dante and the Divine Comedy as a Spiritual Diary

A journey from sadness to happiness

Rediscover the Divine Comedy from a new perspective and explore the most intimate and spiritual dimension of Dante’s journey.

100% online

None

3 months

Italian

1 ECTS

Why choose this course

A different reading of the Comedy

Beyond the school study of Dante

The Divine Comedy is much more than a masterpiece of literature: it is the account of a personal and spiritual experience, shaped by the great questions of freedom, suffering, faith, and happiness.

The course introduces a theological and spiritual reading of the work, connecting Dante’s life with the symbolic journey narrated in the Comedy.

Through video lessons, supplementary materials, and self-assessment activities, you will be able to approach the text as a true spiritual diary, one that can also speak to your own experience.

Dante presents his work as a journey that leads from sadness to happiness.

Who is it for?

This course is designed for you if…

You love Dante and literature

You want to rediscover the Divine Comedy from a perspective different from the one usually presented at school.

You are looking for a path of personal growth

You want to engage with the spiritual and human questions present in the work.

You teach or work in education

You are looking for new interpretive approaches to use in educational, cultural, or pastoral contexts.

You want to study flexibly

You need an online course that can be followed independently, at your own pace.

Course program

A three-unit learning path

1
Unit 1

Reading the Divine Comedy Theologically

The first unit introduces a theological and spiritual reading of the work, moving beyond an exclusively literary approach.

By the end of the unit, you will be able to recognize the main reasons why the Comedy can also be read by contemporary Christians as a journey of faith and personal transformation.

2
Unit 2

Dante: Life, Experience, and Narrative

The second unit presents the most significant events in Dante Alighieri’s life and shows their relationship with the symbolic narrative of the Divine Comedy.

You will learn to connect the poet’s personal, cultural, and spiritual experience with the images, encounters, and stages of his journey.

3
Unit 3

The Moral and Spiritual Journey

The third unit explores the moral meaning of the places Dante travels through.

By the end, you will be able to interpret Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise as stages of a journey through which the truths of faith and the mysteries of Christ are progressively understood and made one’s own.

Methodology

A clear, progressive, self-paced learning path

The course is delivered entirely online and asynchronously. After enrolling, you will have three months to access the content and organize your study according to your own schedule.

Recorded video lessons, selected materials, and additional resources will gradually guide you through the topics. Quizzes in the different units allow you to check your learning throughout the course, while the final assessment verifies that the expected learning objectives have been achieved.

A flexible, self-managed format designed to offer autonomy without sacrificing clarity, instructional progression, or academic quality.

The instructor

Prof. Giovanni Malgaroli

Certification and academic value

Earn 1 ECTS credit

After completing the three units and passing the final assessment, you will receive the official document provided for the course, with the award of 1 ECTS credit.

The course corresponds to an overall workload of approximately 25–30 hours, including video lessons, individual study, teaching materials, and assessment activities.

Begin your journey through the Divine Comedy

Discover Dante beyond the school reading and approach his work as a human and spiritual journey that is still capable of speaking to the present.