Magick and Her Practices, of Late
RELI 277
Spring 2024
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
FGSS 278, AMST 171 |
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. We examine the force of agency and its relation to ritual magic.
We then dive into the purported roots of several modern magic traditions, including Wicca, Dianic witchcraft, Feri traditions, and Haitian Vodou, among others, and ask how these cosmovisions define and/or transcend our gendered personhoods.
As we find our way back to a renewed understanding of modern paganisms, students will design individual or small group projects wherein they experience, ethnographically consider and/or perform extant manifestations of magic and ritual, bringing peoples lived experiences into conversation with course readings. This class is taught as a twice-weekly seminar designed around written assignments and engaged discussions, while inviting but not requiring students to engage in phenomenological experiences outside of class that may inform their written work. Students will produce ethnographic essays that are both analytical and personally reflective. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | 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: 75% - 89% |
| 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." Also "New Age, Wicca & Paganism."
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Examinations and Assignments:
three response papers;
one paired discussion panel/presentation (=midterm);
one final project, written or audio.
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Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Historical Traditions" requirement for the Religion major/minor
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| Instructor(s): Cavagnaro,Kellie Times: ..T.R.. 10:20AM-11:40AM; Location: SCIE405; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 2 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | 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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