'Slaves of the Devil' and Other Witches: A History of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST2043 | History | 2 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST2043
- School
- History
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
The module offers an overview of the history of witchcraft and covers a wide geographical area spreading from Scotland to the Italian peninsula and from Spain to Russia. Such breadth of reference is of vital importance because, in contrast to the uniform theology-based approach to witch persecution in Western and Central Europe, the world of Eastern Orthodox Christianity represented a very different system of beliefs that challenged western perceptions of witchcraft as a gendered crime and lacked their preoccupation with the diabolical aspect of sorcery. The module’s geographical breadth is complemented by thematic depth across a range of primary sources and case studies exploring the issues of religion, politics, and social structure.
Target Students
Only available to level 2 single or joint honours History students, Liberal Arts students or Exchange students hosted by the Department of History.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: 2,500 word essay
- 50% Coursework 2: 2,500 word source analysis
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
To explore the ideas of witchcraft and sorcery from the late medieval period, when the pattern of prosecuting witches as sinners against a Christian God in the Western Church had been set, to the eighteenth century, when witch persecutions across Europe declined. In addition to students’ recognition of chronological developments, their appreciation of regional variation and contingent social factors across Western and Eastern Christendom is another primary aim.Learning Outcomes
Assessment Period Learning Outcomes By end of Autumn Semester
a. Knowledge and understanding. By the end of the module you should be able to:
- think critically and imaginatively about the history of witchcraft beliefs in the early modern period, along with an understanding of their social, religious and intellectual contexts;
- be aware of the principal elements of Catholic and Protestant teaching on witchcraft as a diabolical crime, and their notable absence in Orthodox Christianity; in general, appreciate varying patterns of witchcraft prosecution across early modern Europe;
b. Intellectual skills. By the end of the module you should be able to:
- assess and evaluate competing historical interpretations of witchcraft beliefs found in literature, and then form independent judgments based on the evidence acquired in the process of learning;
- be able critically to analyse primary sources (both in the original early-modern English and in modern translations);
c. Transferable skills. By the end of the module you should be able to:
- take responsibility for own learning, while working as part of a team when appropriate;
- communicate thoughts in an articulate and concise manner orally and in writing, while demonstrating essential footnoting and bibliographical skills in line with the conventions adopted by the Department of History.