This course whisks us away to the middle ages in western Europe and England, and to an encounter with the most influential mystics of the 4th- to early 15th- centuries: Augustine, Pseudo-Dionysius, Hadewijch, Mechthild, Marguerite Porete, Hildegard, Eckhart, Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich, and others. Utilizing primary and secondary sources, we will interrogate differing definitions of mysticism; comb through mystical testimonies; analyze guides to contemplation; and decode visions and revelations. We will become familiar with the cataphatic and apophatic traditions (saying and unsaying); distinct and indistinct union; the role of suffering and Imitatio Dei/Christi; the arguments for and against the expression of ecstasy and rapture; and we will learn to identify the central literary tropes employed by these mystics: fire and light; the nuptial bed and the bridal chamber; union and exile; concealment and revelation; the throne and the crown; the mirror and the chalice; the knight and the lady love; the ascent and the darkness of the cloud. Particular attention will be paid to issues at the intersection of religion, gender, desire and the body, social status, and authority. Scholarly inquiry, textual analysis, and experiential learning will help us to meet these mystics in all their complexity, bridging the chasm between their worlds and ours. This course counts toward the Gender Studies minor.