European History: Witches, Wizards and the Rise of Scientific Thought

Catalog description

The fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries produced some of the great intellectual milestones in European history: the Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. Yet during this same period, Europeans also became increasingly fascinated with (or terrified of) magic and the occult. This fascination manifested itself in witchcraft hysteria among the general population, as well as in an interest in the study of divination, astrology and alchemy among the intellectual elite. This course will examine the social, cultural, political and economic trends which produced this apparent dichotomy, and seek to identify those forces which ultimately led to victory of science over magic.