Please Note:
DVD's are provided with the course; access to a TV and DVD player is required
DescriptionThis course will explore the phenomenon of the 'witch-hunts' in early modern Europe through a focus on Scotland in the period 1560-1700. In doing so it will provide students with a background on the history of Scotland during the early modern period and introduce them to the considerable body of historical writing on the subject of the witch-hunts. In addition, students will explore notions of both elite culture and the 'popular culture' of those elements of society frequently neglected by historians. Due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of the accused witches were women, the course will include examinations of gender history and its contributions to our understandings of the period.
(Offered through distance education format only.)
Course Topics
Unit 1: A Realm in Crisis? Scotland, 1560-1707
Unit 2: Interpretations of the Witch-Hunts
Unit 3: Daemonologie: Elite Conceptions of Witchcraft
Unit 4: Faeries, Green Men and Cunning Folk: Popular Culture and Witchcraft
Unit 5: Putting It All Together: The Trials of Thomas & Jane Weir (1670)
Unit 6: The End of the Witch-Hunts?
Course Prerequisites
7.50 credits including HIST*1010
Required Materials Provided:
- Manual
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DVD: Witch-Hunts and Popular Culture
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DVD: The Burning Times
Required Materials Not Provided:
Textbooks
The Witch-hunt in Early Modern Europe (Confirmed)
Edition: 3rd Edition
Author(s): Brian Levack
Published by: London in 2006
Required Textbook
Witch-hunts and Popular Culture Course Reader (Confirmed)
Edition: Revised March 2003
Required Textbook
These course details are based on information provided to date by the associated academic department or the course instructor. Course specific information remains subject to change until the actual date of course commencement. In the event of a discrepancy between the course information provided here and on the course website, the course website will be taken as official.