Dante’s Divine Comedy

Preview Video

Course Description

This twelve-session course invites classical educators and lovers of great literature to journey through Dante’s Divine Comedy—a poetic and theological masterpiece that has shaped the social imagination for over 700 years. With scholarly insight and contagious enthusiasm, Dr. Louis Markos guides participants through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, illuminating Dante’s vision of sin, sanctification, and beatitude through the lens of classical virtue, Christian doctrine, and poetic beauty. This course also complements a forthcoming book by Dr. Markos in the voice of Dante and scheduled to release from Classical Academic Press in 2026.

Blending literary analysis with theological reflection, Dr. Markos unpacks the Comedy’s rich symbolism, moral architecture, and philosophical sources—from Aristotle and Augustine to Virgil and Boethius. Along the way, he highlights Dante’s use of character, image, and narrative structure to train the moral imagination and awaken the affections toward truth, goodness, and beauty. Educators will gain tools for teaching the Comedy with clarity and depth, while also rediscovering its power to shape their own hearts and habits.

Each lecture builds on the last to form a comprehensive vision of Dante’s poetic cosmos—a vision that is intellectually rigorous, spiritually formative, and pedagogically fruitful. By the end of the course, participants will not only understand Dante’s epic more deeply, but will also be equipped to teach it as a transformative journey for students across the classical curriculum.

Louis Markos (PhD, University of Michigan), Professor in English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Christian University, holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. He speaks widely on ancient Greece and Rome, Lewis and Tolkien, and apologetics and classical education. His 30 books include The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes, Passing the Torch: An Apology for Classical Christian Education, From Aristotle to Christ, From Plato to Christ, From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics, Heaven and Hell: Visions of the Afterlife in the Western Poetic Tradition, Ancient Voices: An Insider’s Look at the Early Church, On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis, Apologetics for the 21st Century, Worldview Guides to the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, and a trilogy of children’s novels, The Dreaming Stone, In the Shadow of Troy, and The Gates of Freedom, in which his kids become part of Greek mythology, the epics of Homer, and ancient Greek history. His son and daughter teach ancient history and music at classical schools in Texas.

To learn more about earning a certificate for this course, please visit “How do I Obtain a Course Certificate?” on our FAQ page. Our course certificates are valued by classical schools and co-ops worldwide. Teachers certified with either ACSI or ACCS will see continuing education unit (CEU) credits listed on our course certificate for you to submit to either organization (with more information on certification credit here).