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Magic in the Middle Ages 

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Magic in the Middle Ages
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Coursera 
Overview

Duration

9 hours

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Total fee

Free

Mode of learning

Online

Difficulty level

Beginner

Official Website

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Credential

Certificate

Magic in the Middle Ages
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Coursera 
Highlights

  • Shareable Certificate Earn a Certificate upon completion
  • 100% online Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
  • Flexible deadlines Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
  • Beginner Level
  • Approx. 9 hours to complete
  • English Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Romanian
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Magic in the Middle Ages
 at 
Coursera 
Course details

Skills you will learn
More about this course
  • Magical thought has always attracted human imagination. In this course we will introduce you to the Middle Ages through a wide conception of magic. Students will have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science. Popular magic, as well as learned magic (alchemy, geomancy and necromancy) will be addressed. Moreover, we will also deal with how eastern practices and texts influenced western culture. In July 2016, the course will contain a brand-new module devoted to astrology. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection about certain stereotypes associated with this period.
  • At the end of the course, the students:
  • a) will have overcome the usual prejudices about the Middle Ages,
  • b) will be able to analyze historical documentation from the Middle Ages and recognize the most common patterns of juridical documents regarding witchcraft, and
  • c) will be capable of distinguishing between popular magic and the magic of the learned people; will have a notion of which spiritual practices were allowed in medieval Europe and which ones were related to the devil, and will be aware of the link between a cultural product and the society that produced it.
  • This course is taught in English, although subtitles in English, Catalan and Spanish will also be provided.
  • COURSE SYLLABUS
  • Week 1. Introduction to medieval magic (Pau Castell).
  • Week 2. Magic & Heresy (Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel).
  • Week 3. From Magic to Witchcraft (Pau Castell).
  • Week 4. Magic in Islam (Godefroid de Callataÿ and Sébastien Moureau).
  • Week 5. Astrology & Geomancy (Theo Loinaz, Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel, Godefroid de Callataÿ and Blanca Villuendas).
  • © Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany
  • Magic in the Middle Ages by Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Magic in the Middle Ages
 at 
Coursera 
Curriculum

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO MEDIEVAL MAGIC

Introduction

The Idea of Magic

The Ancient Precedents

Magic and Superstition in Christian Europe

The Decline of Magic

Weekly Video 1 (2015)

Unit 1 Quiz

UNIT 2: MAGIC & HERESY

Church versus Magic: The Early Middle Ages (8:04)

The Rise and Fall of Natural Magic (5:56)

Persecution Unleashed (6:23)

The Tale of the Not-So-Evil Inquisitor (7:18)

Necromancy: When Demons Spoke Latin (7:11)

Optional video I: Eastern Jewish Communities: A Bit of Context (7:45)

Optional video II: The Jewish Idea of Magic (6:38)

Weekly Video 2 (2015)

Unit 2 Quiz

UNIT 3: FROM MAGIC TO WITCHCRAFT

The Medieval Origin of the Crime of Witchcraft (3:46)

Witchcraft and Maleficent Magic (7:18)

The Mythology of Witchcraft (8:04)

Medieval Witchcraft Trials (I) (5:58)

Medieval Witchcraft Trials (II) (6:34)

Optional video: Medieval Sources on Witchcraft (I) (6:19)

Optional video: Medieval Sources on Witchcraft (II) (5:53)

Weekly Video 3 (2015)

Unit 3 Quiz

UNIT 4: MAGIC IN ISLAM

The Varieties of Magic in Islam

How Was Magic Received in Islam?(8:51)

The Ikhw?n al- ?af?? on Magic and the Occult (8:29)

The Science of the Letters (10:01)

Alchemy I: Arabic Alchemy

Alchemy II: Arabo-Latin Alchemy (9:55)

Weekly Video 4 (2015)

Unit 4 Quiz

UNIT 5: ASTROLOGY & GEOMANCY

Medieval Astrology: Between Science and Magic

The Melting Pot of Medieval Astrology

Early Medieval Astronomy: the Moon, the Zodiac, Thunders and Dreams

Horoscopes and World Events: the Doings of High-End Astrology

Geomancy

Optional video-On World Cycles 1: The Great Year Doctrine in Antiquity (1)

Optional video-On World Cycles 1: The Great Year Doctrine in Antiquity (2)

Optional video-On World Cycles 2: The Great Year Doctrine in the Middle Ages (1)

Optional video-On World Cycles 2: The Great Year Doctrine in the Middle Ages (2)

Unit 5 Quiz

Magic in the Middle Ages
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Coursera 
Admission Process

    Important Dates

    May 25, 2024
    Course Commencement Date

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