This Engagement course will offer a close reading of Dante’s Inferno, the most intricate portrayal of the afterlife ever written. We will explore Dante’s presentation of Hell, its inhabitants, his self-presentation, the relationship between sin and punishment, political division in Dante’s Italy, and the visual material the poem has inspired. Students will learn strategies for analyzing poetic texts, artistic images, and how to compare texts and images. You will learn how Dante imagines hell, characterizes its inhabitants, and portrays the relationship between sin and punishment. The course will help you develop strategies for analyzing literary and artistic works, offer guidelines on how do a close reading of an article, refine writing of papers, and familiarize you with the dynamics of artistic adaptation.