Magick and Her Practices, of Late: A Digital Humanities Course
RELI 278
Spring 2024
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
FGSS 279, AMST 172 |
As soon as you step foot into this course, you will become an active member of a podcasting production team, and the teaching modalities and weekly DH seminar format of this course are designed to promote small team engagement, pre-and post-production workshops, and an approach to aural argumentation that moves from written reflective essay to effective audio storytelling intended for public engagement.
In this course we ask why paganism and Goddess worship have become "the fastest growing American religion," examining the tensions between science and society that so often provoke magic-infused social resistance movements. We explore the rise of Goddess worship in the Americas since the 1970s, considering its ties to ecofeminist, womanist, indigenous, and environmentalist movements. Student teams will then dive differentially into case studies that explore the purported roots of these reclaiming traditions, including Wicca, Dianic Witchcraft, Feri traditions, and Haitian Vodou, among others, and produce podcast episodes for the broader University community that ponder where our human practices of magic originated, and why. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)(FGSS)(RELI-MN)(RELI) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Magliore, Marina. 2023. WE PURSUE OUR MAGIC: A SPIRITUAL HISTORY OF BLACK FEMINISM. Chapel Hill: UNC Press.
Pike, Sarah. 2017. FOR THE WILD: RITUAL AND COMMITMENT IN RADICAL ECO-ACTIVISM. Oakland: University of California Press.
Starhawk. 1979. THE SPIRAL DANCE: A REBIRTH OF THE ANCIENT RELIGION OF THE GREAT GODDESS. 20th ann. edition, 1999. New York: Harper One.
Minor readings will include, among others:
Feraro, Shai.
2020. "'The Goddess is Alive, Magic is Afoot.' Radical and Cultural Feminist Influences on Z. Budapest's Dianic Witchcraft during the 1970s- 1980s."
Magliocco, Sabina
2004. "Witching Culture."
2020. "Witchcraft as Political Resistance: Magical Responses to the 2016 Presidential Election in the United States."
Zwissler, Laurel.
2018. "In the Study of the Witch."
"New Age, Wicca & Paganism." (encyclopedia of anthropology)
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Examinations and Assignments:
three voice memos (audio shorts) of varying audio complexity;
one paired discussion podcast episode/presentation (=midterm);
one final podcast episode, you as solo researcher; welcome to include voices external to class.
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Historical Traditions" requirement for the Religion Major/Minor. |
| Instructor(s): Cavagnaro,Kellie Times: ...W... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: BOGH110; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 20 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 4 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 5 | FR: 5 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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