Start Date
6 February, 2025
There will be 5 weekly meetings on Thursday, 11am - 1pm, starting from 6 February.
Overview
Sigmund Freud is without doubt one of the most controversial thinkers of modern times. Enormously influential in 20th century art, literature and cinema, this most Shakespearean of psychologists was one of the heroes of Surrealism and has left his mark in culture and social philosophy across Europe and North America, and further afield. Detested by repressive regimes of every stripe, his books banned (and even burned) by fascism, Nazism and Communism, Freud has been condemned by materialistic ‘scientism’, simultaneously loved and loathed by different strands of feminism, and profoundly misunderstood by admirers and detractors alike.
In this course we will try to strip away the extreme accretions of reverence and abhorrence that have obscured Freud’s actual writings and ideas, to try to gain a purchase on what Freud really had to say, and achieve a balanced evaluation of his legacy.
The course follows on from last autumn’s ‘Discovery of the Unconscious’, but it is not necessary to have followed that course, as we shall begin with setting the scene at the turn of the 20th century, before exploring the development of Freud’s theories on the structure of the psyche and the drives that motivate us. We will then examine his work on neurosis and hysteria, and the main features of Freudian therapy, before mapping out his theory of the stages of child development, and unravelling the mysteries of the Oedipus complex.
We will conclude by evaluating Freud’s influence on clinical psychology and the study of child development, both of which bear his imprint to this day.
Syllabus
Week 1. The context for psychoanalysis – the 1890s/ the basic tenets of Freud’s early theory 1895-1915
Week 2. Freud’s later theory 1919-1939 – the structure of the psyche and unconscious drives.
Week 3. Neurosis and hysteria – psychoanalysis as therapy.
Week 4. Child development and the Oedipus complex.
Week 5. Freud’s professional influence – clinical psychology and child development.
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier if courses are over- or under-subscribed. In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: David Rice
David Rice has a BA (Hons) in psychology, and an MA in Cultural Studies, and has taught psychology at further and higher education levels for forty years. Retired from full time education, he has been teaching part-time at Continuing Education, University of Liverpool for nearly 10 years.
Courses fees: Full fee £80/Concession £40.
Back to: Continuing Education