HSTEU 205 FINAL EXAM REVIEW ID list will be posted shortly.
Regular exam: THURSDAY,
Dec 16, 8:30 -10:30 AM, Savery 239 (BRING BLUEBOOKS)
Early final Monday Dec 12, 2:30-4:20, Smith 205(BRING BLUEBOOKS)
Please sign up in lecture for head count on
early final takers.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Final exam covers all course material from Malleus on, that
is all lecture and reading materials from Malleus to end of course,
including Levack,
Ginzburg's Night Battles, Salem Possessed and selections in
Kors & Peters. This means
all the reading except Cohn and pre-Malleus assignments in Kors and Peters,
and
all lectures since Malleus.
Format is similar to midterm: identifications, choice
of two essay questions (out of 4),
a short section of multiple choice questions. The following are some suggestions
for
organizing your review of the material.
Witchcraft theory:
Be familiar with the major writers of treatises for and against witch
beliefs from the
Malleus through the 17th century. You should know the authors, titles, dates,
historical
context and general arguments of such major such witch
theorists (see also ID list):
Kramer and Sprenger, Jean Bodin, Remy, De Lancre, James Stuart
Critics and skeptics against
witch beliefs: (see above paragraph)
16th C: Johann Brenz (or is he for?), Johann
Weyer, Reginald Scot, Montaigne
17th C: see reading assignment and lectures
for last week of course
Demon beliefs, possession,
exorcism:
What powers were attributed to demons? Use the Faust legend as example
of
invocation of demon and
formal pact with the devil as source of magical power.
What kind of weapons did Catholics and later Protestants have against demonic
possession?
What is the relationship between witch beliefs, demons, and demonic possession?
(Here need to distinguish
between pact and possession.)
Gender issues (will review this issue during last week of lectures)
Why are most accused witches women? A big, basic, central question.
Be able to discuss:
1) gender statistics on men vs women tried for w/c crimes (see Levack &
lectures to come);
2) social situations in which women were commonly
perceived as witches in everyday
situations (beggars,
midwives, magical healers, etc.);
3) recent historical explanations for predominance of women (eg Keith Thomas'
English beggar
witch, Hajnal's European
Marriage Pattern, Carol Karlsen's anomalous property inheritances,
Lyndal Roper's "split
image" of good vs bad mother, etc.)
If witchcraft is a stereotypically female crime, be able
to conduct an equal opportunity
discussion of corresponding male crimes (sorcery, learned invocation
of demons, Faust legend,)
What are circumstances in which men are accused of "normally"
female crime of witchcraft? (early
Swiss trials, large panic trials, priests causing possession in exorcism
cases, benandanti)
Witch trials:
mechanisms chronology, regional variation: another big basic topic
For each of the countries we have surveyed, be familiar with legislation,
judicial procedure,
rules of evidence, from the period of Malleus to end of witch trials. Give
particular attention to
differences in legal systems (e.g. England versus continent; countries with
and without central appeals
or review courts), differences in intensity and styles of witch-hunting in different
areas
(including England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, New
England/Salem).
Use Levack, articles in xerox packet and lecture notes to review this material.
Social and economic context
of witchcraft accusations:
Focus on the argument presented by Boyer and Nissenbaum for Salem,
but bring in other material where
relevant to assess impact of specific social and/or economic tensions on outbreak
of w/c accusations.
Be able to discuss the relative importance of these underlying social and economic
tensions versus that
of the theological and judicial motivations in specific cases, such as Salem.
Decline of witch trials:
Why do witch trials end in 17th C. Europe?
Distinguish between decline of witch trials and decline of witch beliefs.