Small Russell Grimwade Theatre. Either 2.15pm, 3.15pm or 4.15pm Monday to Friday. Assessment Class participation and written work totalling 4000 words.
Details are still to be confirmed.
The subject traces the social, political, legal and cultural changes which led to witch trials and witch-hunts in western Europe and New England between the late middle ages and the end of the 17th century. Students will focus on the transformation of popular sorcery and magic into the heresy and crime of witchcraft, the social dynamics of trials, regional variations throughout Europe, and the role of gender and sexuality in the creation of panics. On completion of the subject students should appreciate the ways in which the category of the 'witch' was historically constructed and understand the extent to which such large-scale moral panics are dependent on a range of cultural discourses and institutional supports. In addition there will be a research essay. Disclaimer and Copyright Information.