REL 120 MAGIC

Wizards and Wicca, angels and demons, entertainers and con-artists – the words and the worlds of magic beckon to us from television sets and new-age stores, speak in the language of children’s books and church sermons. But what is magic? And, more importantly, whose traditions and practices get called “magic”? This course examines the debates over magic in historic and contemporary contexts, examining traditions from Vodou to Islam. As we pay particular attention to the lines between the rational and the irrational, the authentic and the fake, and between commitment and entertainment our investigations will ultimately lead us to ask: what is religion?