GER 1501 - WORLD OF WITCHES: WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Long Description The witch is arguably the most enduring and prominent supernatural figures in not only the American or 'western' collective consciousness, but also globally. While we might consider vampires, werewolves, and fairies as stiff competition in this regard - especially when we take recent decades of U.S. pop-culture into account - the witch distinguishes itself from other 'fantastical' creatures in her (their) historical, ontological, socio-political complexity, and contemporary relevance. Thousands of predominantly women and girls have been, and still are in some parts of the world, persecuted, tortured, and killed for being accused of witchcraft, or believing themselves to be capable of it. Yet, the best documented and most severe period of witch hunting falls between the 15th and 18th century in Europe, with its peak - the so-called witch craze - taking place between 1560 and 1650, with the German speaking countries at its epicenter. There are multiple and complex reasons for this outbreak of mass-suspicion and violence, but one decisive factor was that not only the uneducated masses believed in witches, but the political, religious, and intellectual elites did, too. Consequently, the witch has not only left its mark in folklore, but is also well traceable through legal, ecclesiastical, and other official documents. However, it is not only the history of violence and persecution that sets the witch apart from other supernatural beings: her (their) name is also extremely overdetermined, which makes it difficult to establish common ground when we talk about witches. Depending on historical, social, and cultural contexts our answer to the question "What is a witch?" will vary widely. The spectrum reaches from evil incarnate in league with malicious forces to wise healer and spiritual leader, to tragically innocent victim of larger power dynamics (expressed in terms of misogyny, ageism, ableism, and religious intolerance etc.). They are represented in tales, art, and pop-culture as monsters, old hags, beautiful temptresses, cute girls, ordinary or undistinguishable neighbors, and sometimes even as men! On top of everything, historians, ethnographers, anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, as well as legal, literary, folklore, and media scholars have and continue to research the subject through a multitude of academic lenses (such as women, gender, disability, critical race, and religious studies).
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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