Magic, Religion, and Science since 1400

HISTORY 260

The history of magic and witchcraft in western culture from the Renaissance to the present, with particular attention to the relationship of supernatural beliefs to religion and science. The renewal of magic, astrology, and alchemy in the Renaissance; early modern witch beliefs and the witch hunt; national skepticism in the Enlightenment; modern marginal sciences such as parapsychology; and adaptations of magical beliefs to modern culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Curriculum Codes
  • CCI
  • EI
  • STS
  • CZ
Cross-Listed As
  • MEDREN 287
  • SCISOC 260
Typically Offered
Spring Only