21A.211 | Fall 2003 | Undergraduate

Magic, Witchcraft, and the Spirit World

Readings

In addition to the following bibliography, a listing of the assigned readings by class session is available.

Required Readings

Covington, Dennis. Salvation on Sand Mountain. New York, NY: Penguin (Non Classics), 1996. ISBN: 9780140254587.

Braude, Ann. Radical Spirits. 2nd ed. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780253215024.

Levack, Brian. The Witch Hunt in Early Modern Europe. 2nd ed. New York, NY; London, UK: Longman Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780582080690.

Boyer, P., and S. Nissenbaum. Salem Posessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1974. ISBN: 9780674785328.

Slyomovich, Susan. “Ritual Grievance: the Language of Woman?” Woman and Performance 5, no. 1 (1990).

Ong, Aihwa. “The Production of Possession: Spirits and the Multinational Corporation in Malaysia.” American Ethnologist 15 (1987).

Christian, William. Visionaries: The Spanish Republic in the Reign of Christ. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999, pp. 13-40, 243-254, and 287-301. ISBN: 9780520219489.

Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1998, pp. 137-157, and 259-286. ISBN: 9780140144383.

Willis, Deborah. Malevolent Nurture. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1995, pp. 1-43. ISBN: 9780801481949.

Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 67-75. ISBN: 9780521558204.

Karlsen, Carol. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 1998, pp. 110-112. ISBN: 9780393317596.

Showalter, Elaine. Hystories. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1998, pp. 159-170, and 189-201. ISBN: 9780231104593.

Acocella, Joan. “The Politics of Hysteria,” The New Yorker, April 6, 1998.

Rothenberg, Daniel. Gringo Organ Sellers.

Grann, David. “Stalking Dr. Steere Over Lyme Disease.” The NY Times, June 17, 2001.

Loftus, Elizabeth, and Katherine Ketcham. The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1996, pp. 20-30. ISBN: 9780312141233.

Ofshe, Richard, and Ethan Watters. Making Monsters. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996, pp. 155-175. ISBN: 9780520205833.

Additional Readings

In addition to the required readings for the course, following sources for background reading and the assignment on witchcraft theories are suggested.

Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbors.

Cohn, Bernard. Europe’s Inner demons.

Demos, John. Entertaining Satan.

Levack, Brian, ed. Articles on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology, v.3, Witch-hunting in Early Modern Europe: General Studies.

Levack, Brian, ed. New Perspectives on Witchcraft, Magic, and Demonology, v.4, Gender and Witchcraft.

Rosenthal, Bernard. Salem Story.

Sharpe, James. Instruments of Darkness.

Willis, Deborah. Malevolent Nurture.

Readings by Class Session

SES # Topics Readings
1 Introduction  
2 Videos and Discussion, Spirit Possession

Class Reader: articles by Slyomovichs & Ong

Start Covington, Sand Mountain.

3 Film, The Holy Ghost people (PDF) Covington, all.
4 Discuss Film and Covington Reading (PDF)  
5 Film, Secrets of the Psychics Braude. Radical Spirits. Chapters 1-4.
6 Film, Telegrams From the Dead (PDF) Braude. Chapters 5-8.
7 Discuss Spiritualism  
8 Divination and Magic

Reader

Christian.

9 Discuss Visionaries (PDF)

Levack. Chapters 1-3

Reader

Briggs. “Projection of Evil.”

10

Witchcraft

Film, Strange Beliefs

Levack. Chapters 4-5.
11

Heresy, Millenialism and Witch Hunting

Class Reports

Levack. Chapters 6.

Reader

Briggs. “Men against Women.” Willis.

12

Discuss European Witch Hunt

Class Reports

 
13

Europe 2

Villages

Levack. Chapters 7-8.

Boyer & Nissenbaum. Chapter 1.

14

Europe 3

Gender

Class Reports

 
15 Film, Three Sovereigns for Sarah, Part I

B&N. Chapters 2-5

Reader

Karlsen & Rosenthal.

16 Three Sovereigns, part II  
17 Visit Salem Village (Danvers) (PDF) B&N. Chapters 6-8.
18

Discuss Salem

Class Reports

Reader

Showalter, Acocella, Rothenberg, Grann.

19

Salem 2

Class Reports

 
20 Film on Space Alien Possession (PDF)

Reader

Loftus & Ketcham, and Ofshe & Watters.

21 Discuss Space Aliens, Split Personality (PDF)  
22 Film, Search for Satan  
23 Satanic Conspiracies, Recovered Memory  
24 Film, Divided Memories  
25 Divided Memories, Discussion  
26 Wrap-up  

Course Info

Instructor
Departments
As Taught In
Fall 2003
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments