History: Global Witchcraft

Topics examining historical themes and questions on a global scale. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: Three hours of History.

Prerequisite: three hours History PACE students by permission and override

Why does the history of magic go back deeper in time than the history of witches? How did witchcraft fit into the worldview of those who believed in it? How did “the witch” evolve as a social category, and how can it have been so universal, yet so changeable? Why did the witch craze end – or did it? This class seeks to answer these questions and more by tracing the history of witch hunts throughout the late medieval and early modern period. The course begins with the great witch hunts of Europe and America in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries, but we will also incorporate comparative studies from around the world during the same period. We will read primary and secondary sources that discuss the social, cultural, literary, judicial, religious, gendered, economic, and environmental aspects of the belief in magic and witchcraft on a global scale. Throughout the semester, students will document their progress on a research assignment of their own design. A final paper (8-10 pages) and oral presentation (10-15 min) that synthesizes their findings will be due at the end of the semester in lieu of an exam. Prerequisite: Three credits History Concentration: The Americas (HI05), Europe (HI02), Africa/Asia/Middle East/Global (HI04)