Magic, Alchemy, and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages

HRS / LIBA 296a Fall Semester 2005

Candace Gregory Office: TAH 3059

Email: cgregory@csus.edu Tel# 278-3824

Webpage: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/g/gregoryc/ Office Hrs: MW 12:30-1:30

R 2-3 pm

Course Description:

Survey of belief in and practices of magic from the late antique era through the early Renaissance, with an emphasis on the Middle Ages. Individual case studies of magic, alchemy, astrology, divination, and witchcraft will be examined, as well as general theories about them in the Middle Ages.

Course Content and Objectives:

This course is designed to answer the question of what was magic in the European Middle Ages, including the topics of alchemy and witchcraft, as well as other ≥magics.≤ The course will begin with the pre-medieval cultures of the Near East, Greece, and Rome, to discern the origins of both medieval practices and theories about magic. The course will answer the question of who defined what magic was, what practices were acceptable, and who assigned the labels to people. Included will be a discussion of magic performed by the Catholic Church, the institution that most defined acceptability of practice and belief. The course will also examine how the definitions and views of magic changed over the period. Students will read extensively on the subject in both primary and secondary sources, discuss assigned readings in each class, write three book reviews, and give an oral presentation on one topic to the class.

Required Texts:

Karen Jolly, Catharina Raudvere, eds. Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: The Middle Ages

Robin Briggs, Witches and Neighbors

Richard Kieckhefer, Forbidden Rites: A Necromancerπs Manual of the Fifteenth Century

_________, Magic in the Middle Ages

Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, The Malleus Maleficarum

Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters, Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700, A Sourcebook

Georg Luck, Arcana Mundi

Marvin Meyer and Richard Smith, Ancient Christian Magic

Margaret Murray, Witch Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology

Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic

E. J. Holmyard, Alchemy

Stanton J. Linden, The Alchemy Reader

Christopher Faraone and Dirk Obbink, ed. Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion

Additional readings (books and articles) will be assigned to individual classes.

Requirements:

This is a discussion seminar. As graduate students you are expected to come to each class having read the assigned material and prepared to discuss it. Readings are assigned daily and are to be done BEFORE you come to class. All work is due on the assigned date; NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Assignments:

One Oral Report 15% Each

Three Book Reports 15% Each

Research Paper 20% Each

Seminar Participation 20% Each

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory and will be checked daily. You are allowed to miss Two classes over the course of the semester. Each subsequent absence will result in a loss of FIVE points from your final grade. If you miss more than four classes, you will receive an F for the course. Naturally, there are sometimes extenuating circumstances. Each student must see me personally (or via email) if that is the situation.

The book reports should be 4-5 pages each (typed, natch) and are due when the book is scheduled to be read. The research paper should be 10-15 pages (ditto). The oral report will be 15 minutes on a particular weekπs topic. Some weeks there will be more than one oral report; I will divide up the topics accordingly. In your oral report you should briefly summarize the topic and then present the assigned readings for that dayπs class. Explain the argument or thesis of the assigned reading, and discuss what evidence the author used to prove his / her argument. Or, if you feel the author was unsuccessful, explain why.

Tardy:

Tardiness will not be tolerated. You are allowed to be tardy three (which is defined as arriving after the class roll has been called); after three, you will lose five points from your final exam grade for each subsequent tardy. More than five tardies will result in an F for the course. If you are late to class, or must leave class early, please be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.

Grading Scale:

A 93-100 C 73-77

A- 90-92 C- 70-72

B+ 88-89 D+ 68-69

B 83-87 D 63-67

B- 80-82 D- 60-62

C+ 78-79 F 59 and below

Cell Phones:

Please turn off all cell phones or beepers before class begins. If your cell phone rings in class, you will be asked to leave and will be counted absent for that dayπs class.

Integrity and Scholarship:

DO NOT CHEAT! If you are caught cheating on a writing assignment, test, the final exam, or a daily quiz, or any other assigned work, you will receive an F for the course. You are held accountable for all university guidelines in regard to plagiarism and cheating.

Plagiarism:

University policy on plagiarism states, ≥Plagiarism is a form of cheating. At CSUS plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or works belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that personπs contribution. Regardless of the means of appropriation, incorporation of anotherπs work into oneπs own requires adequate identification and acknowledgement. Plagiarism is doubly unethical because it deprives the author of rightful credit and gives credit to someone who has not earned it. Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge. Plagiarism at CSUS includes but is not limited to:

1. The act of incorporating into oneπs own work the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, or parts thereof, or the specific substance of anotherπs work without giving appropriate credit thereby representing the product as entirely one's own. Examples include not only word-for-word copying, but also the "mosaic" (i.e., interspersing a few of oneπs own words while, in essence, copying anotherπs work), the paraphrase (i.e., rewriting anotherπs work while still using the otherπs fundamental idea or theory); fabrication (i.e., inventing or counterfeiting sources), ghost-writing (i.e., submitting anotherπs work as oneπs own) and failure to include quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged; and

2. Representing as oneπs own anotherπs artistic or scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawing, sculptures, or similar works. For more information on plagiarism, and how to avoid it, go to: read the University Policy Manual, at http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/Uma00150.htm

Weekly Topics and Reading Assignments:

1 September: Introduction to Course

Assignment of Topics for Oral Presentations and Book Reports

Reading: Kieckhefer, Chapter 2: Classical Inheritance

Handout: Kieckhefer ≥Specific Rationality of Medieval Magic≤

8 September: Ancient Magic and the Pre-Christian origins

Reading: Georg Luck, Arcana Mundi, Chap. I ≥Magic,≤

C. Faraone and D. Obbink, Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion

Articles 1, 3, 4, and 9

15 September: Magic in the Early Christian Church

Reading: Luck, Chap. II

Marvin Meyer and Richard Smith, Ancient Christian Magic (Read generously.)

Kors and Peters, Witchcraft in Europe, pp. 41-57.

22 September: Magic and the Stars: Astrology and Divination

Reading: Kieckhefer, Magic, Chapters 6, part I.

Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 54-58.

Luck, Arcana Mundi, Chaps. IV and V ≥Divination≤ and ≥Astrology≤

Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Chapters 10-12.

29 September: Magic and the Other: Jewish and Muslim Traditions

Reading: Kieckhefer, Magic, Chapters 6, part I.

Kurt Seligmann, History of Magic, ≥Cabala≤ on reserve

Roger Chartier, ≥Culture as Appropriation,≤ on reserve

Kabbalah excerpts, on reserve

6 October: Magic and the Church: Theurgy, Saints, Eucharist and Miracles

Reading: Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Chapters 1-6, 8-9.

David Keck, Angels and Angelology in the Middle Ages, excerpts, on reserve

Claire Fanger, Conjuring Spirits, excerpts, on reserve

13 October: Magic and Immortality: Alchemy

Reading: Grillot de Givry, Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy, Book III: ≥Alchemists,≤

on reserve.

Kieckhefer, Magic, Chapter 6, Part II

E. J. Holmyard, Alchemy

20 October: Magic and Immortality: Alchemy II

Reading: Linden, Alchemy Reader, Parts I and I

Luck, Arcana Mundi, Chap. VI. ≤Alchemy≤

Presentation of Paper Topics to Class

27 October: Magic and the Dark Side: Necromancy

Reading: Luck, Arcana Mundi, Chap. III ≥Daemonology≤

Kieckhefer, Forbidden Rites

Kieckhefer, Magic, Chapter 7

Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 58-65.

Kors and Peters, Witchcraft in Europe, pp. 58-81.

3 November: Magic in Practice

Reading: de Givry, Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy, ≥Curative Virtues≤ excerpt, on reserve

Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 42-52.

Margaret Murray, Witch Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology

10 November: Magic and Healing

Reading: Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 30-41

Dawson, ed. A Leechbook or Collection of Medical Recipes of the 15^th Century,

excerpts on reserve

Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Chapter 7

Karen Jolly, Popular Religion in Late Saxon England: Elf Charms in Context,

excerpts, on reserve

17 November: Magic and Literature: Courtly Poetry, Merlin, and the Gentle Wizards

Reading: Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 27-29, 66-72

Marie de France, Bisclavret, on reserve

Merlin texts, on reserve

1 December: Magic and the Law

Reading: Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 194-218.

Kieckhefer, Magic, Chapter 8

Kors and Peters, Witchcraft in Europe, pp. 112-148.

Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Chapters 14-18.

Kramer and Sprenger, Malleus Maleficarum, Part III

8 December: Magic and Gender: Women and the Witch Hunts

Reading: Briggs, Witches and Neighbors

Jolly, The Middle Ages, pp. 223-245.

Kramer and Sprenger, Malleus Maleficarum, Parts I and II

Kors and Peters, Witchcraft in Europe, pp. 149-175.