A History of Magic: From the Magi to Merlin

• • 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:

• MAQ-AHIX2225-Rome and the Caesars

• MAQ-AHIX2250-Ancient Egypt: Culture and Society

Others

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 Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.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).