Open to current undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. Registration is capped at 20. Students who register after capacity has been reached will be put on a waitlist. All registrants will be provided with a free copy of the text.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has been called the oldest surviving book in the history of Earth. Originating thousands of years ago, the story continues to offer profound insights for modern readers about essential human desires for love, power, and everlasting life. Whether you are encountering the book for the first time or re-visiting it, the tale of Gilgamesh promises to teach you something new about your life.
This event is part of Lumen Christi’s Fundamental Questions seminar, a quarterly reading group designed for undergraduate students at the University of Chicago. By fostering intellectually rigorous conversation around culturally resonant texts, we aim to allow students to experience the force of the deep existential concerns which animate our lives: “Where do my values come from? What is the good life? How can I become happy?” Our aim is not to answer such fundamental questions, but rather to equip students with the intellectual skills needed to recognize and articulate them for themselves.
This fundamental questions seminar meets three times during the quarter. For each session, we will meet and discuss over dinner. Dinner is served at 6:00pm. Discussion begins at 6:15.
SCHEDULE
6:00 PM Dinner | 6:15 PM Discussion
Week 3 : Wednesday, April 5: Is power the most fundamental human desire? (Prologue-Book II)
Week 5 : Wednesday, April 19: What qualities make a true friend? (Books III-IV)
Week 7 : Wednesday, May 3: What can humans hope for after death? (Books V-VII)
Image: “Alte Flagge Aramäer” by TruthWin47 via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International