Instructor: Kathleen Cruz
Lecture/Discussion TR 10:30 AM 11:50 AM
Course Description: In this course, we will explore the practices and theories of Greco-Roman magic, including how to cast love charms and spells, binding curses to defeat one's enemies, and incantations to raise the dead. In doing so, we'll explore what exactly "magic" is, who used it and why, and what place magical practices held in the social life and creative imagination of ancient Greece and Rome. As we encounter some surprisingly familiar witches and learn the origin of the ever-present "'hocus pocus," we will also consider how Greco-Roman practices have been mimicked, manipulated, and at times given new life throughout history and up until today.
- General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).