The Anatomy of Melancholy (UNIB20026)

What is melancholy exactly? An emotion? An illness? A temperament? Melancholy has been characterised throughout history by its deep ambiguity. Associated with fear and fertility, madness and genius, manic creativity and aphasic stupor, melancholy is a powerful inspiration for a range of expressions of thought and art. This subject will foster an adventurous approach to new knowledge and explore the different meanings of melancholy, from antiquity to the present day.    

Three distinct components will inform the learning experience. A module titled ‘The Psychology of Melancholy’ will be dedicated to psychological theories of sadness and depression, psychiatric definitions of clinical depression, and the potential benefits of melancholy at the individual and group level. Literature, in particular poetry, and visual art will balance science. A second module titled ‘The Melancholy of the Modern Worker’ will be devoted to the ‘pathologies’ of modern work life in contemporary organisations (i.e. stress, burnout, depression), exploring institutional responses and alternative grassroot strategies to work through melancholy. Film and video analysis will provide a crucial counterpoint. A third module titled ‘Contemplating melancholy: Meditations on experience’ will be devoted to exploring the ways in which contemplative practices explore self-awareness and embrace the uncertainties of life. Here music will bring an essential complement. Each module will be co-taught, creating up a productive dialogue between HASS and STEM experts. The subject will offer students opportunities to reflect on their own experience of melancholy, interrogate its contextual causes, reappraise its value and critically evaluate various remedial tools and interventions.  

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Describe and compare different disciplinary approaches to the study of melancholy.
• Engage in cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration.
• Discuss the broad cultural, artistic, social, and medical contexts of melancholy from ancient Greece to the present.
• Evaluate the differential moral judgements faced by sufferers depending upon gender or social status. 
• Identify individual and cultural motivations for experiencing melancholy and understand potential benefits for individuals and groups.
• Apply and evaluate tools and practices for melancholic reanimation and restoration.

Generic skills