HIS 1203 - Witchcraft, Magic, and Medicine

Credits: 4
In this course, we will examine three interrelated topics in premodern Europe. We will explore witchcraft and efforts to expose it as well as related themes of magic and religion. In considering medicine in conjunction with witchcraft and magic, we will see how the lines that distinguish these elements were often blurry. By studying various cultures and societies in premodern Europe and the Mediterranean, we will encounter diverse practices, belief systems, experiences, and social structures through the lens of these themes. We will engage with the production of knowledge as well as efforts to stifle knowledge deemed incompatible with that society’s values. By reading and analyzing primary sources, students will approach this topic from multiple viewpoints and acquaint themselves with the historian’s craft. With written assignments throughout the semester and playing a Reacting with the Past game, students will engage in historical inquiry and analysis while considering whether or not witchcraft, magic, and medicine were separate in the premodern European past.
McDaniel Plan: International; Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding