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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Magic in the Middle Ages by Universitat de Barcelona

4.6
stars
1,697 ratings

About the Course

Magical thought has always attracted human imagination. In this course we will introduce you to the Middle Ages through a wide conception of magic. Students will have an approach to medieval culture, beliefs and practices from the perspective of History and History of Science. Popular magic, as well as learned magic (alchemy, geomancy and necromancy) will be addressed. Moreover, we will also deal with how eastern practices and texts influenced western culture. In July 2016, the course will contain a brand-new module devoted to astrology. Magic in the Middle Ages offers a captivating overview of medieval society and promotes reflection about certain stereotypes associated with this period. At the end of the course, the students: a) will have overcome the usual prejudices about the Middle Ages, b) will be able to analyze historical documentation from the Middle Ages and recognize the most common patterns of juridical documents regarding witchcraft, and c) will be capable of distinguishing between popular magic and the magic of the learned people; will have a notion of which spiritual practices were allowed in medieval Europe and which ones were related to the devil, and will be aware of the link between a cultural product and the society that produced it. This course is taught in English, although subtitles in English, Catalan and Spanish will also be provided. COURSE SYLLABUS Week 1. Introduction to medieval magic (Pau Castell). Week 2. Magic & Heresy (Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel). Week 3. From Magic to Witchcraft (Pau Castell). Week 4. Magic in Islam (Godefroid de Callataÿ and Sébastien Moureau). Week 5. Astrology & Geomancy (Theo Loinaz, Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel, Godefroid de Callataÿ and Blanca Villuendas). © Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany Magic in the Middle Ages by Gemma Pellissa Prades (coord.), Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel and Joana Palau Mumany is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License....

Top reviews

BW

Mar 23, 2018

Helpful and insightful. I try to learn as much about witchcraft and all religions as I can. The first set of videos were well lit and well read. I recommend this for anyone who wants to learn more.

NM

Jul 14, 2020

This course was really thorough and interesting. I liked how it covered a range of religions and regions and I think it's great how there are interactive assignments which judge out writing.

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76 - 100 of 553 Reviews for Magic in the Middle Ages

By Leticia A

Nov 23, 2020

I found the contents of this course really amazing, the teachers are highly prepared and overall I just enjoyed it very much!

If I had to mention something to improve, I would say the way the course finishes, because I found it a little cold, without a proper ending for it.

But, to sum up, very recommendable!

By Kristína V

May 5, 2021

This is my first online course that I did to challenge myself. Even though my profession does not have anything to do with subject of the course, I really enjoyed and gained new knowledge about the history of magic. Very well explained. I also learned new vocabulary. Thank you for your effort in this course.

By Heather R

Jun 20, 2020

I really enjoyed the course. My favorite teachers were the first 2, Dr Pau Castell Granados and Delfi I. Nieto-Isabel. I would love to see more courses from these 2 amazing teachers. Courses on magic in Islam, Judaism,Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as other world religions would be fascinating.

By Pat B

Oct 18, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, it challenged me with writing essays to make me draw conclusions rather than just quizzes with multiple choice answers. I found I was thinking about the course material and the additional suggestions for further learning long after each module. Great course, great fun!

By Faith P

May 17, 2020

Great course. A lot of fellow students complained about the scoring method of the assignments, but if you know how to source more information then you will have trouble getting a perfect score. It is supposed to be challenging and it succeeds in developing a critical mind within beginner-level academia.

By Patricia H

Jan 12, 2023

What a great course. It was so insightful. The instructors were knowledgeable , and obviously had a passion for their field of study. I have learned a great deal and I am grateful for their effort, skill and willingness to provide such a course for the entire world to see and learn. Thank you.

By Myvanwy E

Dec 8, 2019

I really loved this course, it was really well structured and the content was fascinating. I liked that it created a well rounded picture and didn't just list a lot of facts to memorise. The instructors gave instruction about the practice of studying history and not just the history itself.

By Skylar S

Apr 12, 2020

A wonderful look into beliefs and practices in the past. I definitely learned a thing or two about putting my own biases away and looking at this time period through a strictly historical lens. It wasn't a big time commitment as well! It flowed nicely from one unit to the other.

By Beatriz m d

Jan 31, 2023

El curso,que terminé hace mucho tiempo,es excepcional.Impartido por la Universitat de Barcelona,la ciudad dónde nací y vivo,no comprendo que los profesores den las clases en inglés.Comprendo que no sean en català,pocos hablamos el idioma,pero tendrían que ser clases en castellano.

By Nicole D

Aug 30, 2016

Very accessible and insightful course. I do wish that suggested prompts were created for the forums, that's my only "complaint." I found the videos rich with historical context and the list of resources to be very valuable. I have already recommended the course to my friends.

By Luz M G F

Dec 16, 2020

Excelente curso!! amo los temas históricos que tengan que ver con cosmogonías y esta fue una gran oportunidad de aprender en la época de la edad media - periodo en el cual recientemente culminé un curso de historia del arte pues soy estudiante de Artes Plásticas en Colombia!!

By Adrian G

Aug 23, 2021

A beautiful way of learning and knowing in an academic way, a knowledge that has unfortunately been highly ridiculed by the mass media. I congratulate the teachers and the institution, which in such a professional way, makes such valuable information available to humanity.

By zeta_laz@windowslive.com

Mar 19, 2020

Excellent lectures and readings. I also had fun during the assignments. It is overall a very well made course with lots of historical information, that is easy to research and understand even if you have a different educational background. Thank you for making it possible!

By Karen S

May 19, 2020

This was a great course. It expanded my understanding of magic in the middle ages and also of the Medieval world in general. I particularly enjoyed the two peer-graded assignments as they were challenging and gave me a chance to engage more deeply with the material.

By Jessica B

Jul 25, 2021

This course was excellent! The subjects were well-laid out, each week had incredibly engaging videos, and the way the content was presented made me feel as if I was in a lecture hall with other students. If you like Medieval history, I highly recommend this course!

By Michelle M

Apr 4, 2021

Es un curso increíble, debería continuarse con magia en la edad media en América. Lo penoso es que me sentí discriminada ya que las pruebas estuvieron todas en Inglés y se me complicó el estudio, principalmente la magia en el Islám. Pero un bello curso gracias.

By Thais M

Oct 21, 2020

This course has contributed immensely to my personal and academic perspectives. I'm very grateful for all the elaborated knowledge shared with us and the discussed topics that enriched, even more, the whole learning process. I definitely recommend this course!

By Éwerton C

Feb 10, 2020

Excelente curso! Os professores envolvidos no projeto são grandes especialistas, respaldados por uma ampla gama de referências bibliográficas riquíssimas. Recomendo o curso, especialmente para quem está cursando Bacharel/Licenciatura em História, vale a pena.

By Ruth R

Feb 28, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, the content was far more interesting than I thought it would be. I was particularly intrigued by the mathematical-based instruments (astrolabes) and the divination technique of geomancy. A very worthwhile course, thank you.

By Hagai P

Nov 29, 2016

I really liked the course.

It was very interesting and the two instructors conveyed the information in an interesting way, highlighting the important topics/keywords/people..

It showed another aspect of the middle ages that I was not aware off.

Hagai Pettel

By Cat Y

Nov 23, 2024

It's a fun course to learn. Note that there are many scholarly terms and foreign names throughout the entire course, could take a while to memorize these knowledge. Yet as someone who's interested in the subject, this course is definitely recommended.

By Russell B

May 25, 2020

This was a lovely course, and I truly enjoyed it. I only wish it had contained more topics and been a bit longer. I hope it will keep growing. E.g. the optional material on the Great Year doctrine could be developed further and added as an extra week.

By Raul M P d l C

Mar 10, 2020

I really enjoyed this course and learned a lot about the topic, from a neutral and accurate point of view. I recommend this course for those interested in medieval history as magic was an intrinsical part of that particular time in history.

By Nadia R A

Nov 21, 2018

A beautiful walk through history. The current conception of magic and witches comes from all the real fear and beliefs of the society during the late middle age, the mysticism about it makes this one of the most interesting courses offered.