| Unit name | Alchemy, Magic & Science in Early Modernity |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRSM0102 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Balserak |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
In Early Modern Europe, those who were educated possessed a worldview within which one found astrology, alchemy, and the magical arts as basic components. However, the rise of new modes of thought and particularly (what is now known as) the empirical sciences overturned such a conception of the world. This unit will examine the changes which brought this to pass and their impact on the way we think today.
On successful completion of this unit students will have
(1) developed a detailed knowledge and critical understanding of the relationship of alchemy, magic, astrology and science to modern day; (2) in-depth understanding of the intellectual, religious, and theoretical contexts informing this relationship; (3) demonstrated the ability to analyse and evaluate competing perceptions of ancient and modern sculpture; (4) demonstrated the ability to identify and evaluate pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate a cogent argument.
Additionally, as part of a level M/7 unit, students will be expected to (5) display high level skills in evaluating, analysing, synthesising and (where apt) critiquing ideas. (6) apply existing analytical strategies to new evidence with flexibility and creativity (7) demonstrate the capacity for independent research
20 hour seminars
One summative essay of 4000 words Measures ILOs 1-7
Thorndike, Lynn. History of Magic and Experimental Science. 8 vols. New York: Columbia University Press, 1923–1958.
Webster, Charles. The Great Instauration: Science, Medicine, and Reform, 1626–1660. 2d ed. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2002.
Shumaker, Wayne. The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance: A Study in Intellectual Patterns. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972.
Yates, Frances. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. London: Routledge, 2002.
Yates, Frances. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. University of Chicago Press, 1964.
Thomas, Keith. Religion and the Decline of Magic: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England. 3d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
