WEEK
1 INTRODUCTION: THEMES, ISSUES, DEFINITION OF
TERMS
Reading
for Wk 1: Cohn, Europe's Inner Demons, Ch 1 (on stereotype), pp. 1-15;
Ch 8
(on Margaret Murray), pp. 144-161
Levack, Ch 1 "Introduction," 4th
edition, pp. 1-26, (3rd ed, pp. 1-29; 2cd ed pp. 1-26)
M 3/27
Introduction to course: What was witchcraft? Who were the accused
witches?
Basic Themes: 1) witch beliefs versus witch
trials 2) learned and popular levels of witch belief
W 3/29 Witchcraft as a
belief system: anthropological approaches
Definition of terms: witchcraft, magic, sorcery,
superstition
F 3/31 SECTION DISCUSSION: Cohn, Ch 1 and 8,
also Purkiss Handout #1
PART
I. EUROPEAN WITCH BELIEFS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE REFORMATION
WEEK
2 Reading:
Levack, Ch 2,
"Intellectual Foundations," 4th edition, pp. 27-67 (3rd ed, pp. 30-73; 2cd ed
pp. 27-67)
Kors and Peters (2cd ed), pp. 42-47 (Augustine), pp. 60-67 (Canon Episcopi),
pp.
81-86 (St. Justina), 115-132 (Vox in Rama)
Cohn, Europe's Inner Demons, Ch 2 (on Devil), pp. 16-34
Ch
3-4 (on demonization of heretics), pp.
35-78
Ch 9 (on night-witch/striga),
pp. 162-180
M
4/3 The Problem of evil: Judaic, Classical and Christian versions
READ: selections from Book of Job (link from web
page), and Augustine, K&P, pp. 42-47
Christianity and
Paganism: the conversion of Europe:
READ: K&P, pp. 81-86 (St. Justina)
W
4/5 Early medieval witchcraft legislation
(Handout #3) and Canon Episcopi
EXPLANATION
AND DISCUSSION OF FIRST ESSAY TOPICS
13th C Heresy and the
medieval Inquisition
F 4/7 SECTION DISCUSSION:
What did people believe about witches in early Middle Ages?
Cohn Chap. 9 (on night witch or striga)
** FIRST SHORT ESSAY DUE WEDNESDAY
APRIL 12 at lecture (3-4 pp) see page 4 of syllabus
WEEK 3
Reading: Levack Ch 3
Legal Foundation, 4th edition, pp. 69-99 (3rd ed, pp. 74-108; 2cd ed, pp.
68-99);
Cohn, Europe's Inner Demons, Ch 6-7 (on ritual magic), 103-143
Kors
& Peters, pp. 133-37 (Bernardino), 180-204 (Malleus on
women)
M
4/10 Scholasticism and Demonology: Thomas Aquinas
on demons
SLIDES: Images
of demons in 15-16th C. art
Sorcery and
Politics in 14th Century Europe
W
4/12 Scapegoating: Demonization of the Jews
Women in Middle Ages: Attitudes and
images SLIDES
F
4/14 SECTION DISCUSSION: What image of women
emerges in sermons, treatises?
Malleus
Maleficarum on women as witches: K&P, 180-204
WEEK
4 Reading: Kors & Peters, pp. 204-229 (Malleus
on trial procedure)
pp. 155-159 (Johannes Nider),
pp. 176-180 (Papal Bull)
Cohn, Europe's
Inner Demons, Ch 11-12 (witch hunt), pp 202-233
M
4/17 Growth of witch trials & witch theory in 15th
century
Read
Nider, Formicarius in K&P, pp. 155-159
The
Inquisitor as Witch Hunter: Kramer and Sprenger, O.P.
Read
Innocent VIII, Papal Bull Summis desiderantes, K&P, 176-180
W
4/19 Malleus Maleficarum,
1486: Theory & practice of witch-hunting
MIDTERM REVIEW
Learned vs popular elements of witch beliefs & trials - 15th C.
F
4/21 Discussion: Malleus on how to conduct a
witch trial: K&P, 204-229;
Review for Midterm
Weekend
of 4/22-23: Start reading Doctor Faustus if you have time; not on midterm
but
it will be discussed in section Fri 5/5
WEEK V
M 4/24 MIDTERM EXAM (BRING BLUE BOOKS) covers lectures & reading
material through Week 4
WEEK
V PART II: EUROPEAN WITCH
PANIC OF THE 16TH & 17TH CENTURIES
Levack, Ch. 4 "Impact of Reformation," 4th
edition, pp. 100-121 (3rd ed. pp. 109-133).
W 4/26 Natural magic in the Renaissance
learned tradition
Reformation theology & the myth of Faust
Fr 4/28
SECTION DISCUSSION: Marlowe's Doctor Faustus
WEEK VI Reading:
XEROX PACKET: #l Weyer, Bodin & Brenz;
Levack, Ch 5-6, 4th
edition, pp. 122-183 (3rd ed. pp 134-203; 2cd ed. pp. 125-184)
Kors & Peters (2cd ed), pp.
280-281, 287-302 (Weyer & Bodin), optional 394-401 (Scot),
M 5/1 Impact of the Reformation on European
witch beliefs
16th century witch
debate: Weyer, Bodin, Brenz, & Scot
W
5/3 English witch trials: a separate
case? Handout on English statutes Xerox packet #2
Matthew Hopkins: the
“Witchfinder General” and the English Civil War
READ: K&P
Chelmsford trials, pp. 302-308
Fr
5/5 SECTION DISCUSSION: 16th century
witch debate: Weyer, Bodin, Brenz, & Reginald Scot
WEEK
7 Reading: Kors &
Peters, pp 345-55, 359-67, 425-29;
Levack Ch 7, 4th
edition, pp. 184-229 (3rd ed. pp. 204-252; 2cd ed. pp. 185-232)
XEROX
PACKET: Selections #3 - 5 Germany, France & Italy
M
5/8 Scottish witch hunt and King James
Stuart (VI & I) Read K&P, Scotland 318-322
France & Switzerland READ
K&P, 345-48 (Marie Cornu), 359-367 (Suzanne Gaudry)
W 5/10 German witch panic READ XEROX
PACKET, #3 Germany (Trial of Walpurga Hausmannin)
Kors & Peters, pp 348-55 (Bamberg, Wurzburg, Bonn), pp.
425-429 (von Spee)
Fr 5/12
Discussion: Reading witch trials:
sections will discuss the trials read for this week
WEEK
8 Reading: Godbeer, The Salem
Witch Hunt: a Brief History with Documents
pp. 1-41, 48-92, 143-151,158-164, 174-177, chronology 185-186
XEROX PACKET #7 SALEM (Medical theories)
Kors & Peters, 367-70 (Cotton Mather),
436-37 (Salem jurors)
M 5/15 Possession and
exorcism in France, England and Italy
Th 5/17 Salem Witch
Trials of 1692: The social context of witchcraft accusations
Puritan New England :
theological and procedural issues; historical interpretations
READ: XEROX PACKET #7 SALEM (Medical theories)
Fr
5/19 SECTION: Godbeer The Salem Witch Hunt: What happened at
Salem?
WEEK
9 Reading: on the benandanti from Ginzburg,
Night Battles, pp 1-39, 69-97, 147-171
M
5/22 Spain: The Basque trials and the
Spanish Inquisition
READ:
K&P, Salazar, 407-419; XEROX PACKET #6 SPAIN (Henningsen)
W
5/24 Roman Inquisition trials in Italy:
heresy versus "superstition" & witchcraft and benandanti
Benandanti
as “counter-witches”
READ:
Ginzburg, Night Battles, pp 1-39, 147-171; Packet O’Neil
article
F
5/26 SECTION DISCUSSION: The benandanti
and the Roman Inquisition
**
SECOND PAPER DUE WEDNESDAY MAY 31 AT LECTURE**
WEEK
10 Reading: Levack, Ch 8-9, 4th
edition, pp. 230-278 (3rd ed, pp. 252—308;
2cd ed 233-260)
XEROX
PACKET: #8 Skeptics; Kors & Peters, pp. 402-406, 429-435, 438-444
M 5/29 HOLIDAY FOR MEMORIAL DAY -- NO LECTURE
W 5/31 17th C: Skepticism,
materialism and the Scientific Revolution
20th C Anthropological
& feminist interpretations; "Witch revivals"
“Witch-hunting"
analogues: 1) McCarthyism 2) child abuse cases 3) misogyny
F 6/2
SECTION DISCUSSION: Why did Europe
stop believing in witches?
XEROX PACKET #8 Skeptics
(Cyrano & Malebranche)
Kors
& Peters, pp. 402-06 (Montaigne), 438-444 (Bayle)
FINAL
EXAM: WEDNESDAY
JUNE 7 at 2:30-4:30 in our REGULAR CLASSROOM
************************************************************************************************************
HSTEU305
FIRST SHORT ASSIGNMENT
Topic: Analysis of documents
concerning early medieval witch beliefs discussed in Week 2.
Due Date: WEDNESDAY APRIL 12
(3rd week) Late penalty: -.1 per day late
Length: 3-4 pages, typed, double spaced; reasonable font and
margins
Purpose: Exercise in close reading
of primary documents and texts from early Middle Ages.
Historical analysis is based on
reading and interpretation of original historical texts from a
specific time period. These
are called “primary documents.” Here is what you need to write about:
1) Historical context: where, when & why was this written? This question overlaps with the next:
2)
Whose point of view does it
represent? What genre (type of document) best describes the text?
3) What does the text of the document actually say about witch beliefs?
The first paper will focus on this kind of basic explanation and analysis of
early witchcraft texts.
Primary Sources: The
central primary documents will be in Kors & Peters anthology:
Canon Episcopi, pp. 60-63 and/or
Burchard's Corrector of Rustics (espec. pp. 65-67)
Related documents will be included
on Handout in Week Two, and will be discussed in class.
Most of these very short documents are included in Norman Cohn, Chapter
9
Secondary Source:
Norman Cohn, Europe’s Inner Demons, Ch 9,
“Nightwitch" pp. 162-180
on early medieval witch
documents. Be sure to read this before starting your
paper.
Question: Choose one of the
following (note that these topics are variations on the same issues).
1) Analyze the text of
the Canon Episcopi, explaining what position this document takes
on the
beliefs it describes. What do the authors believe
about witchcraft and what do they reject in the
popular beliefs held by ordinary people of their time?
2) Burchard's
Corrector of Rustics (paragraphs #90, 170) present the Church's approach to dealing
with popular belief in
the striga. (see K&P, pp.65- 67) How does Burchard's s attitude compare with
those expressed in the earlier
barbarian legal codes? What kind of people believe in the striga,
and
how do the legal
approaches of the church and of secular rulers (Salic Law, Lombard
Code etc.)
agree or differ?
3) Compare the images of the
witch reflected in these sources:
the documents
discussed by Cohn (Chapter 9)
those included on
the Handout on Early Witchcraft Legislation (Week 2)
the Canon
Episcopi (in Kors & Peters, pp. 60-63)
What are the differences in the kinds of witch images
in these documents?
Points to consider for the Canon Episcopi and/or Burchard’s
Corrector:
What kind of documents are these?
“canon versus ”penitential” (Genres to be discussed in lecture.)
Whose point of view does the document represent, and to whom is it addressed?
What
exactly is the popular belief being discussed? Who believes these things?
What
is the official interpretation of this belief, and what action is recommended?
What
attitude does the document take towards the people whose beliefs it describes?