Psychoanalysis - The Unconscious as Seen Through the Visual Arts and Literature

Overview

For many branches of psychoanalysis, the arts play a special role. This is because art – apart from science and in contradistinction to religion – can be seen as a major cultural technique for self-knowledge and self-enlightenment. More than a mere representation of an outer or inner reality, it serves as a tool for the discovery of unconscious feeling and thought.

Consequently, the seminar approaches psychoanalytic concepts via the analysis and interpretation of works of art, particularly visual artworks (film, painting, sculpture). Hence concepts which in theory may seem abstract become clear, concrete and intuitively graspable once they are pinpointed in e.g. contemporary film or literary texts.

Outcomes

By attending the Psychoanalysis - The Unconscious as Seen Through the Visual Arts and Literature course at Freie Universität Berlin, participants get a state-of-the-art introduction to classical Freudian and contemporary psychoanalysis through the lens of the arts.

They will be able to detect, analyze and interpret unconscious structures in visual arts and literature and will be able to transfer the psychoanalytic approach to their respective field of study or work. As tapping the unconscious dimension of human reality indeed is crucial to any human reality, participants acquire insights and tools for true innovation in their profession.

Housing

Wheelchair-accessible housing is available upon request. Please see our website for a full description of the furnished single-occupancy studio apartment and note that the registration deadline for this housing option is one month before the regular registration deadline!