About This Course

This course will explore the formation of self. Scripture has much to say about the nature of humanity. The specific area we will explore is the reflective nature of humanity as described in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” NRSV

A whole new branch of psychology developed around Girard’s understanding of the reflective quality of human desire. In short, desire is mimetic. Desire does not spontaneously arise between an object and the one desiring the object, but rather, desire is mediated.

This reflective capacity is a unique quality of human consciousness. The way we know ourselves and others are often expressed in the stories we tell. And so in this course we'll explore mimetic desire, narrative and the formation of self.