ETMB73 Magic, witchcraft and vampirism in Europe

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2013
Extent and Intensity
4/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
doc. Giuseppe Maiello, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Miroslav Válka, Ph.D.
Department of European Ethnology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Martina Maradová
Supplier department: Department of European Ethnology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Monday 11:40–14:55 J31
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/70, only registered: 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The definition of magic has been the subject of many discussions. Numerous informations about magical practices are given us by archaeologists and historians of Paleolithic art. We found written documents related to the European magic, in the Babylonian and Egyptian literature. Numerous documents are also preserved in Latin, in Greek, in Old Church Slavonic, in old Icelandic and other modern European languages, until to the systematic researches of the 19th and 20 century. By studying judicial documents, medical writings and ethnographic reports from the 15th to 19 century, is now possible to reconstruct a number of scenarios, how could the belief in the magic, influence after centuries, the whole European culture. It’s also partially possible to understand why today It’s the magic still a very interesting and not entirely forgotten phenomenon. The aim of the course is to acquaint students - with the archaeological interpretation of likely magical practices; - with the most important literary monuments of antiquity and the Middle Ages regarding magic, witchcraft and vampirism; - with the Christian interpretation of its; - with the contemporary theories related to the done issue.
Syllabus
  • The definition of magic in modern science Magical practices in prehistory Mesopotamian and Egyptian Witchcraft Magic in ancient Rome and Greece. The skeptics Magic, witchcraft and vampirism in medieval Europe Witch Trials Theological and medical literature of the 18th century Magic, witchcraft and vampirism in ethnography   19th century Magic and spiritualism in the 19th and 20 century The current perception of magic
Literature
    required literature
  • Il mondo magico (Orig.) : Magický svět : prolegomena k dějinám magična. info
  • GINZBURG, Carlo. Storia notturna : una decifrazione sel sabba. Torino: Giulio Einaudi editore, 2008, xlv, 319. ISBN 9788806193072. info
  • MUCHEMBLED, Robert. Magie a čarodějnictví v Evropě : od středověku po současnost. Translated by Jiří Našinec. Vyd. 1. Praha: Volvox Globator, 1997, 298 s. ISBN 8072070355. info
    recommended literature
  • I benandanti : stregoneria e culti agrari tra Cinquecento e Seicento (Orig.) : Benandanti : čarodějnictví a venkovské kulty v 16. a 17. století. info
  • ECO, Umberto. Il cimitero di Praga. 1. ed. Milano: Bompiani, 2010, 520 s. ISBN 9788845268960. info
  • Witchcraft mythologies and persecutions. Edited by âEva Pâocs - Gâabor Klaniczay - Eszter Csonka-Takâacs. New York: Central European University Press, 2008, 351 p. ISBN 9789637326875. info
  • LEXA, František. Staroegyptské čarodějnictví. Vyd. 1. Praha: Anomal, 1996, 327 s., [2. ISBN 80-901474-3-7. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussions, readings
Assessment methods
oral exam
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on the per-term frequency of the course: jeden semestr.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2013, recent)
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