ATH 240 - Magic and Modernity

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirement HU.
Prerequisite(s): ATH 112 Cultural Anthropology or permission of the instructor.
This course will examine beliefs and practices of witchcraft, magic, and sorcery in both Euro-American and non-Western societies. Emphasis will be placed on comparative analysis of the dynamics and functions of magical practice in cross-cultural context. Special attention will be paid to answering the following questions: What sorts of cultural information are transmitted through acts of conjuring and witchcraft? What are the social functions of magical ritual? Why do cultures embrace notions of malevolent supernatural power? How is sorcery used to control social behavior? Topics to be addressed include the functions of ritual, shamanism, magic, sorcery, vampirism, divination, possession, sacrifice, and the use of oracles.