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131-085 Witches and Witch Hunting in Europe | |
Note | Formerly available as 131-445. Students who have completed 131-445 are not eligible to enrol in this subject. |
Credit Points | 12.5 |
HECS Band | 1 |
Coordinator | Assoc Prof C Zika |
Prerequisites | Usually 25 points of First Year History, see Prerequisites. |
Semester | 1 (view timetable) |
Contact | A 1.5-hour lecture/workshop and a 1-hour tutorial per week |
Subject Description | This subject is a study of beliefs about witches and witchcraft. The subject traces the social, political, legal and cultural changes which led to witch trials and witch-hunts in western Europe and New England between the late Middle Ages and the end of the 17th century. Students will focus on the transformation of popular sorcery and magic into the heresy and crime of witchcraft, the social dynamics of trials, regional variations throughout Europe, and the role of gender and sexuality in the creation of panics. On completion of the subject students should appreciate the ways in which the category of the 'witch' was historically constructed and understand the extent to which such large-scale moral panics are dependent on a range of cultural discourses and institutional supports. |
Assessment | Written work totalling 4000 words. |
Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : History
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