Undergraduate MAQ-AHIX3202-2023
A History of Magic: From the Magi to Merlin
$1,950 $2,210
Your upfront cost: $0
Duration
18 weeks
Study method
100% Online
Available loans
- HECS-HELP
- FEE-HELP
Assessments
100% online
Prior study
Required
Start dates
- 24 Jul 2023
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Subject details
On successful completion of this subject, you will be able to:
- Analyse and critique primary sources about magic from the ancient to early modern periods with a view to understanding how different perspectives impact cultural phenomena.
- Understand key theoretical concepts and definitions used to describe magical practice over time, how these shape methods of analysis and what the advantages of such approaches might have.
- Consider critically the impact of later academic and popular discourses on the scholarly study and general understanding of ancient and medieval magic.
- Classify and interpret textual, documentary, and artifactual material in terms of technical or genre-based aspects, types of discourses, and their aims ad functions.
5. Effectively and with academic integrity use written and oral communication skills appropriate to professional research and in accordance with publication standards using professional guidelines. |
6.Work effectively as a team to apply knowledge of ancient practices and their socio-cultural settings to modern contexts
7.Navigate specialised databases and integrate search results into research reporting.
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- A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.
You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:
andOthers
NCCW (pre-2020 units) AHIS355 Pre-requisite: AHIX2225 and AHIX2250
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.
This unit surveys the history of magic from the ancient world to the present day, covering cultures from the Ancient Near East, Egypt and the Graeco-Roman world, Late Antiquity, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, down to the early modern world, as well as aspects of cognitive psychology such as perceptual illusions and delusional beliefs. It provides thorough coverage of the way magic has been defined, understood, and used in these civilisations, and the way it has been conceived and studied in the history of modern scholarship over the past two centuries. Students will focus closely on the material sources for ancient magic, especially handbooks of spells and amulets on papyrus. There will also be close consideration of the construction of magic as an antithesis to religion in the ancient and modern worlds, and a focus on the role, use, and understanding of magic in wider historical, literary, and scientific contexts.
- Mid Session Quiz (15%)
- Magical Spell (15%)
- Academic Integrity Quiz (0%)
- Take home examination (30%)
- Major Essay (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).