Magic in the Middle Ages
Magical thought has always attracted human imagination. In this course we will introduce you to the Middle Ages through a wide conception of magic. Students will have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science. Popular magic, as well as learned magic (alchemy, geomancy and necromancy) will be addressed. Moreover, we will also deal with how eastern practices and texts influenced western culture. In July 2016, the course will contain a brand-new module devoted to astrology. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection about certain stereotypes associated with this period.At the end of the course, the students:
a) will have overcome the usual prejudices about the Middle Ages,
b) will be able to analyze historical documentation from the Middle Ages and recognize the most common patterns of juridical documents regarding witchcraft, and
c) will be capable of distinguishing between popular magic and the magic of the learned people; will have a notion of which spiritual practices were allowed in medieval Europe and which ones were related to the devil, and will be aware of the link between a cultural product and the society that produced it.
This course is taught in English, although subtitles in English, Catalan and Spanish will also be provided.
COURSE SYLLABUS
Week 1. Introduction to medieval magic (Pau Castell).
Week 2. Magic & Heresy (Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel).
Week 3. From Magic to Witchcraft (Pau Castell).
Week 4. Magic in Islam (Godefroid de Callataÿ and Sébastien Moureau).
Week 5. Astrology & Geomancy (Theo Loinaz, Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel, Godefroid de Callataÿ and Blanca Villuendas).
© Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany
Magic in the Middle Ages by Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Syllabus
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO MEDIEVAL MAGIC
Week 2
UNIT 2: MAGIC & HERESY
Week 3
UNIT 3: FROM MAGIC TO WITCHCRAFT
Week 4
UNIT 4: MAGIC IN ISLAM
Week 5
UNIT 5: ASTROLOGY & GEOMANCY
FAQ
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Reviews
Helpful and insightful. I try to learn as much about witchcraft and all religions as I can. The first set of videos were well lit and well read. I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn more.
Very interesting and I love that all the information is free if you don't want to pay for a professional certificate. There are still a few spelling errors but this is to be expected I suppose.
Excecllent introduction, lectures were engaging and gave just enough detail to whet the appetite for more offline reading. No wonder this is one of the top-rated MOOCs out there!
Excellent course. Although I knew a lot about this topic from different Tv series, novels, games etc., yet it digs deeper into those common conceptions which made it more interesting
