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

4.6
stars
1,606 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

A

Feb 17, 2022

Thank you for preparing such an informative course from an objective perspective and allowing us students to gain a new view of seeing thi s still controversial-topic. It was well informative and fun!

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.

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51 - 75 of 524 Reviews for Magic in the Middle Ages

By Justin W

Sep 4, 2016

It was an incredibly interesting and insightful course, which opened up a lot of interesting avenues and ways of looking at medieval magic, the time and people and beliefs. The course was well organized, and the lectures were interesting and easy to follow along. I liked the course work with the quizzes and the written part and peer review as well. Thank you very much for the time and effort that went into this very cool and interesting course.

By Tania M

Nov 4, 2020

El curso es increible (a excepción de los vídeos sobre la Geomancia, no sé qué pasó allí). Me sirvió para descubrir que los conocimientos que tenía sobre el origen de las brujas y las practicas de nigromancias no eran más que patrañas. A partir de aquí, tengo los medios y recursos necesarios para seguir investigando el fascinante mundo de las artes mágicas de nuestros antepasados. Fuese increible si actualizarán este curso. Gracias.

By Heather w

Apr 27, 2017

loved it but have not received my certificate.

Dear Heather wright,

Thank you for your purchase.

RECEIPT

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04-06-2017

Order Number: 5419588

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TOTAL (USD): 49.00

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Happy Learning!

By Diana L

Sep 12, 2016

I have loved this course. Very interesting, informative, intellectually honest and rigorously taught; entertaining, as well. I am grateful for this opportunity. A dilettante in the study of history, I have been delighted to discover the many ways in which this study of magic in the Middle Ages has opened so many doors to a broader understanding of the forces at play in the human experience. Sincerest thanks!

By Feliza G B

Feb 23, 2017

A deeply satisfying course to anyone who is passionate about symbolism, magic and the occult, from a historical and anthropological perspective. The professors are quite passionate about the the subjects in the lectures, and the content is informative and well researched. This course provides a solid framework for finding accurate and objective information on the subject, and learning how to interpret this data.

By Elizabeth G

Mar 2, 2022

Very interesting survey of aspects of magic in the middle ages, including how the concept of magic developed over the centuries, aspects of witchcraft and the trials, magic in the Islamic world and its influence on Europe. The videos are interesting and the course is more entertaining than challenging. I especially enjoyed reviewing the videos from earlier editions of the course on the Resources page.

By Anna E B

Feb 14, 2021

A great small course that gives a complex and unbiased view on the history of magick and occult in the Middle Ages. It does not consist any of offensive or discriminatory opinions which is rare, because as usual magick is researched from the aggressive atheistic point of view. I would recommend it to everyone who wants to see the real picture, who is interested in occult history, and who is Pagan or Wiccan.

By IOANNA-ADELAIDA K

May 10, 2020

It was a really interesting course, that offered me a spherical and complete image of that period. Thanks to that course I've learned about the historical facts and personalities of that era, discovered the combination of different cultures not only in europe but also in a Arabic world of the Medieval period and also enriched my "poor" previous knowledges about the whole culture of magic and witchcraft.

By Mirdza A

May 5, 2021

It depends on your interest and your studying skills as everything. This is a perfect course for introducing yourself to the Middle Ages magical thinking. I myself had a lot of personal interest because I do have some of these mythical qualities witches were killed for and needed some historical background to understand where or when did I become a witch to be feared. :) Thank you to all teachers!

By Nazire C

Mar 5, 2017

This course was great! I thoroughly enjoyed my time and the information given in this course. The videos are short, maximum of about 10 minutes, but they're packed. I learned so much of what I had never known before. The videos were well formed and outlined, without leaving the student watching and rewatching the video to understand what was being said. I wish it was longer!

By bluebird S

Oct 28, 2021

I have always been interested in magic and witchcraft, but have only read standalone books addressing specific periods so I did not have a clear view of its history and the timeline of its development. This course was really helpful and I have learned quite a bit. I'm now intrigued by the Near East and the Islamic point of view on this topic. Thank you. I really enjoyed it.

By Evani R

Sep 12, 2023

I really enjoyed this course! I am a scientist who has always really enjoyed learning about history and lately I've been missing the classroom more. I liked that at the end of each video there was a list of citations related to the lesson -- I do wish that some of the excerpts and quotes in class were clearly cited so I can read more from those documents in my own time.

By Eduardo E M V

Mar 27, 2018

Very interesting course. It give the student a panoramic view of magic and witchcraft in the middle ages specially in the geographic locations of Europe (Spain, France and Italy) and the Arabic domains. I liked very much the course because It let me interact with ancient books and documents and also it let me know about arabic alchemy and some details of arabic Spain.

By Daniel F A

Apr 22, 2017

My ignorance or Magic, middle ages, early religions, is enormous. This course was a huge eye opener. In Stephen Kings novel, 11/22/63 he often writes about things turning on a dime. My brain was just spun like a top on the dime "Magic in the Middle Ages" and I will never be the same again, in a good enlightened way. Thanks to all involved with creating this course.

By Adam J

Sep 2, 2017

This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the fast pace of the course. The week on magic in Islam was nice to see because it introduced me to an unfamiliar aspect of the age. I particularly enjoyed the Geomancy module and found the general demonstration of the method interesting. Also, the peer graded assignments made me really consider the material in a different context.

By Elissavet M

Jan 3, 2021

I have a great interest in the history behind magic, so I was charmed by this course. The professors were excellent, understandable and well-educated. The content of the course was truly dedicated in remaining true to history values while exploring the way medieval people realised magic. All in all, fascinating! I am very satisfied, would do again!

By Andres F A G

Mar 25, 2020

Muy recomendado para quienes estén interesados en la historia medieval y la magia. Me pareció agradable, ameno e interesante en todas las temáticas. el módulo adicional de astrología y geomancia también fue grato así como los vídeos opcionales. Tiene una rica bibliografía y los temas son abordados en forma clara, concisa por varios docentes.

By Maria d l A R A

Jun 8, 2020

I really enjoy to take this course. The information was clear, complete and based on an extensive bibliography. The videos were interesting and entertaining. I liked the way of rating the course by peer-graded assignment because it gives you the opportunity to evaluate yourself when you are reviewing you classmates' essays.

By THELMA C S O

Jul 14, 2020

This was a great course that gives a general view of the magic, forms, and perception of it in the Medieval Times in the perspective of History. It is really interesting and gives you better explanation of some aspects of the Medieval Times. It also has good bibliographical recommendations that also recommend to check out.

By Deleted A

Dec 31, 2016

This course is super interesting and amazing!! The content is deep and complete. The instructors are engaging. I honestly think is one of the best courses I ever took here. I'm only sorry that they took out some videos available in the last edition and the page external to coursera where they were posted doesn't work =/

By Sergio A

Jan 14, 2023

I liked very much the presentation made by Dr. Callatay and Dr. Moureau from UCLovaina, they used some visual resources to keep the attention. Specilly the last video with a map, small figures and sense of humor.

I would like to see something similar with the presentation made by scholar from Barcelona University.

By Катерина Б

Nov 29, 2023

I've tried this course 2 times, loved it with all my heart. The videos are really interesting and give heaps of new information, although I thought I know enough, but no!) it was truly an inspiring experience! Loved the aestetics, the music, the lectors, I'm thankful to everyone who worked on this course, great job!

By Reetika G

Jan 27, 2017

The course material was quite insightful giving glimpses of what magic was perceived as during the Middle Ages. I particularly liked the material on witchcraft and Astrology. I hope there will be second part to this course! Thank you all the professors and other members of the team. I enjoyed every part of it!

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.