Professor: Deeana Klepper
Office Hours:
Tuesday 3:30 - 4:30
Wednesday 10:00-12:00
and by appointment
147 Bay State Road Room 408
(617) 358-0186
dklepper@bu.edu
Course Description
Texts
Course Requirements
Plagiarism Policy
Email Guidelines
Assignments
Schedule:
January
February
March
April
Course Description:
This course explores the ways in which boundaries defining and separating
magic, science, and religion emerged in western thought and culture from late
antiquity through the European Enlightenment, when the definitions generally
recognized in western culture today were delineated. We will consider the nature
of "magic," "science" and "religion" in historical context, the relationship
between learned and popular thought and practice, and the interplay of disciplines
we would define oppositionally (e.g., astrology and astral magic with astronomy,
medicine and healing), while exploring underlying assumptions about God, Nature
and natural forces.
Required Texts:
Francis Bacon, New Atlantis and The Great Instauration,
revised ed., Jerry Weinberger, ed.
Richard C. Dales, The Scientific Achievement of the Middle
Ages
Richard Kieckhefer, Magic in the Middle Ages
Voltaire, Candide, Zadig and Other Stories
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Also: a set of readings on our courseinfo site and selected internet documents linked to the syllabus
Students are expected to bring reading materials to class on the day(s) they are assigned.
Course Requirements: Students are expected to attend and participate in every class. All reading is to be completed before the class for which it is assigned. The class participation grade will be based on attendance and the level of your preparedness and involvement in discussion. In order to participate you must complete the reading and be prepared to discuss the issues raised by the readings. More than three unexcused absences may result in a lowered overall grade in addition to an unsatisfactory class participation grade.
Written work for the class will consist of 2 short papers based on the course readings, a midterm exam, and a final exam. The grading for the course will be as follows: 10% for class participation, 15% for each of the two papers, 30% for the midterm exam and 30% for the final.
Please note that students must complete all written work in order to receive a passing grade for the class.
Plagiarism Policy: Please read through my plagiarism policy and note that students found to have plagiarized will receive an F for the entire course, not just for the assignment in question.
Guidelines for email communication: Email is a wonderfully convenient form of communication, and it is often the easiest and quickest way to reach me, whether you want to schedule a face to face meeting, check your understanding of a problem, get feedback on a paper, or simply ask a quick question. I do ask you to be thoughtful in your email communication. I would remind you that it is important to develop appropriate styles of email composition for different contexts – I expect emails to be written in standard English, free of IM shorthand. I would also remind you that I am not on 24 hour duty, and while it is possible that I may respond to student email at midnight or on a weekend, I am not under an obligation to do so! In other words, please feel free to contact me outside of "business hours" but understand that I may not respond right away.
Paper I Guidelines
Paper II Guidelines
Th January 17 Introduction: Defining the Problem
T January 22 Magic, Science, and Religion as Cultural Constructs
Readings: Carl Sagan, The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Darkness, chapter 2 [Courseinfo]
Th January 24 Magic, Science, and Religion in Greek Antiquity
Readings: G. Luck, "Introduction," Arcana Mundi: Magic and Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds, 3-28 [Courseinfo]
T January 29 Magic, Miracle and Healing in Greek Antiquity
Readings: G. Luck, ed., "Magic" and "Pagan Miracles" in Arcana Mundi: Magic and Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds, 109-121; 135-152 [Courseinfo]
Web Resources: The Apuleius web site--have fun exploring! Look especially at the section called "Magic in the Daily Life..." You can also view an exhibit on Magic in Late Antiquity from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (optional)
Th January 31 Magic, Miracle and Healing in Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity
Readings: R. Kieckhefer, Magic in the Middle Ages, chapters 1 & 2; The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles Peter and Paul
T February 5 Paganism, Christianization and Magic in the Early Middle Ages:
Readings: E. James, "A Sense of Wonder: Gregory of Tours, Medicine and Science" [Courseinfo] ; Gregory of Tours, Eight Books of Miracles
Th February 7 Paganism, Christianization and Common Magic in the Middle Ages:
Readings: R. Kieckhefer, Magic, Ch. 3 & 4 ; Anglo Saxon Charms: Field Remedy Ritual ; Lacnunga Elf Charms ; Leechbook, Book 3 Elf Charms
T February 12 Learning, "Science," and the Church in the Early Middle Ages
Readings: R. C. Dales, The Scientific Achievement of the Middle Ages, Introduction and Ch. 1; Richer of Rheims' Journey to the School at Chartres (10th century)
Th February 14 Twelfth Century Learning and Arabic Science
Readings: R. C. Dales, Scientific Achievement Ch. 2; E. Grant, The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages, 18-32 [Courseinfo]; Excerpt from Peter Abelard, Sic et Non ; Baghdad in the eleventh-century
T February 19 NO CLASS: BU ON MONDAY SCHEDULE
BEGIN READING THE NAME OF THE ROSE
Th February 21 The Rise of Universities and Control of Knowledge
Readings: E. Grant, The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages, 33-53 [Courseinfo] ; Stephen of Tournai, An Invective Against the New Learning ; Jacques de Vitry's description of students
T February 26 Observing the Natural World and Experimental Science
Readings: R. C. Dales, Scientific Achievement Ch. 3; Roger Bacon, On Experimental Science
Th
February 28 The Medieval Cosmos
Readings: E. Grant, "Cosmology" [Courseinfo] Genesis 1:1 ; Plato, The Timaeus ; Aristotle, On the Heavens, Book I, Parts 9-12
T March 4 Astronomy, Astrology, and Astral Magic
Readings: Dales, Scientific Achievement, Ch.7 and also Ch.8, pp. 139-146; 151 (last two lines on page)-157; Marsilio Ficino: Three Books of Life
Th
March 6 MIDTERM EXAM
T March 11 SPRING BREAK
Th March 13 SPRING BREAK
T March 18 Medieval Medicine & Healing
Readings: excerpt from N. Siraisi, Medieval and Early Renaissance Medicine [Courseinfo] ; Abu Ali al-Hussain Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina on Medicine
Th March 20 Alchemy and Alchemists
Readings: R. P. Multhauf, "The Science of Matter"; Roger Bacon, excerpts from Radix mundi (Root of the world), in Stanton J. Linden, The Alchemy Reader, 111-122 [Courseinfo]
T March 25 Putting Things Together: The Name of the Rose
PAPER I DUE
Th March 27 Common Magic and the Inquisition
Readings: Stephen of Bourbon's account of the Holy Greyhound (St. Guinefort); The Inquisition
T April 1 Learned Magic and the Inquisition
Readings: R. Kieckhefer, Magic, Ch. 7; Honorius of Thebes, The Sworn Book
Th April 3 Learned Magic, Common Magic and the Inquisition: The Invention of witchcraft
Readings: Michael Bailey, "From Sorcery to Witchcraft: Clerical Conceptions of Magic in the Later Middle Ages," Speculum, vol. 76 no. 4 (October, 2001), pp. 960-990 [access on JSTOR].
T April 8 Witchcraft and Magic in the Early Modern Period
Readings: Stuart Clark, "Witchcraft and Magic in Early Modern Culture. Chapter 3: Intellectual Magic" [Courseinfo]
Th April 10 From Magus to Scientist: The Yates Thesis
Readings: F. Yates, "The Hermetic Tradition in Renaissance Science," Art, Science and History in the Renaissance, C. S. Singleton, ed., 255-274 [Courseinfo]
T April 15 The Great Instauration: The Promise of New Learning
Readings: Francis Bacon, New Atlantis and The Great Instauration, 1-17; 35-83
Web Doc: Bacon, Aphorisms
Th April 17 Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and the new Cosmos
Readings: Excerpts from Galileo's Letter to Duchess Christina of Tuscany
T April 22 Isaac Newton and the Meaning of Science
Readings: John Henry, "Newton, Matter and Magic" [Courseinfo]Web Docs: Isaac Newton, Excerpts from Principia (1687) and General Scholium, published as an appendix to the second edition of the Principia (1713).
Th April 24 The Decline of Magic in Learned Society
Readings: Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, 641-668 [Courseinfo]
T April 29 The Enlightenment Invention of the Scientific Revolution
Th May 1 The Enlightened Rationalist in a Superstitious World
Readings: Voltaire, Zadig
PAPER II DUE
FINAL EXAM : Friday, May 9, 9:00-11:00 CAS 316