7-week online class via Zoom

Monday and Wednesdays, April 15 – May 6, 2024
7:00 pm EST – 8:30 Ppm EST (Last class might run over to accommodate presentations)
$175 Paid Patreon Members / $195 General Admission

PLEASE NOTE: All classes will be recorded for those who cannot attend live

The unicorn embodies rich and enduring symbolism, carrying diverse personal and cultural meanings deeply intertwined with its unique historical imagery. How does this symbol, spanning from alchemy to the medieval Catholic Church and extending to the 1980s "space unicorns" and pre-teen stickers, resonate with the modern psyche? Why is it still such a popular and enduring symbol? And what ailment might it be seeking to heal within the modern mind?

This class will take a deep dive into the unicorn in all its manifestations and meanings, with an eye toward its healing potential. We will begin with the history of the unicorn, and look at the evolution of its symbolism throughout time. To amplify the symbol in its modern context, we will closely examine Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn. Using visual imagery, poetry, film, and fairy tale, we will tease out the potential cultural and personal meanings for the symbol. In the last session, students will have the opportunity to showcase their final projects, engaging with both the class material and the multifaceted symbol of the unicorn, and explore its significance within the context of their own lives.

Each session will include heavily illustrated lectures focusing on the art and history of the unicorn, as well as discussion and amplification of the themes. Students will be able to access a virtual classroom that will include an archive of all videos, additional resources for homework between sessions, as well as links and downloads of supporting materials and suggested reading. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

A Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology, Alicia K. Anderson is a writer, researcher, and storyteller. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies by Improbable Press, World Weaver Press, Autonomous Press, Roi Faeneant Press, and No Bad Books Press. Her academic writing will be published in two books by Vernon Press in the coming year. Alicia is based in the Land of Enchantment – steeped in the magic of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Images:

1. Detail of The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries); French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven), 1495–1505, via Met Museum

2. Unicorn sticker from the 1980s

3. Gustave Moreau, “The Unicorns”