A History of Western Magic: Magic, Meaning and Ritual (RELN2512)
Course level
Undergraduate
Units
2
Duration
One Semester
Class hours
2L 1T
Restricted
Class offered only in Internal mode (classroom lectures) at St Lucia in Semester 2, 2014.
Assessment methods
Three debates, one essay proposal, two peer reviews, one essay, tutorial participation, discussion board postings
Course enquiries
Study Abroad
This course is pre-approved for Study Abroad and Exchange students.
This course is not currently offered, please contact the school or faculty of your program.
Course description
This course will examine the nature and the use of magic, both positive and negative from the Graeco-Roman period to the present day. It will examine how and why magical ideology operated within Western cultures; how it interacted with religious and scientific ideologies; magical healing and harm; magical deviance and social control; the ritual process; the roles of magical practitioners; entities of the supernatural worlds; magic in history; and magical practice within contemporary culture. This course may not run if there are fewer than 20 enrolments.