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

4.6
stars
1,747 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

HI

Jul 21, 2020

Excellent course. Although I knew a lot about this topic from different Tv series, novels, games etc., yet it digs deeper into those common conceptions which made it more interesting

MP

Mar 23, 2020

Excecllent introduction, lectures were engaging and gave just enough detail to whet the appetite for more offline reading. No wonder this is one of the top-rated MOOCs out there!

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501 - 525 of 562 Reviews for Magic in the Middle Ages

By Ashley M

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May 30, 2020

I thought that, while the entire course was insightful, it started to lose focus after week 3.

By Kalliopi N

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Feb 10, 2019

What a great course! It helped me gain a better understanding of that era! Happy learning! :D

By Loren K

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Dec 14, 2017

Great class with lots of practical knowledge of how magic came to be and how it was applied.

By Alice F

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May 5, 2020

Questions were overly complicated in some cases, course was interesting and well planned.

By Juan M R

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Nov 26, 2017

Great course, i would like to have reading material uploaded so students can download it.

By Rebeca P M

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Jul 25, 2017

It is an incredible and very useful course to know the world of magic in the Middle Ages.

By Dayna A

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Dec 20, 2019

Very interesting subject matter. The material was presented in a clear, concise matter.

By María S

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Nov 7, 2016

Clear, fast and a perfect introduction for those who are interested in the subject.

By Kate M

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Oct 13, 2020

Good course would be better if the links were updated regularly I’ve learnt a lot

By Ron Z

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May 18, 2020

Lots of great information about Magic when see through the eyes of history.

By Sharavanakkumar S K

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Aug 15, 2020

Fantastic course, gained lot of knowledge in history of medieval Europe.

By Natalia M A

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Aug 22, 2016

Un curso magnífico. Sólo señalaría la complejidad del tema del Islam...

By Brisilda P

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Dec 26, 2020

Its a very interesting course and gives you a good insight. Thank you

By Hermia T

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Mar 23, 2020

Great course, beginner level. Interesting and thought provoking.

By Cesar P

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Feb 6, 2018

i cant grade this course because i dont see the optional videos

By Rodopi K

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Jul 15, 2024

video quality is not very great but very interesting over all!

By Matheus V S

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Sep 2, 2020

Ótimo curso! porém, senti falta de mais textos e leituras!

By Aisha B

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Mar 10, 2018

really enjoying this - wish it has more reading material!

By Jorge L A R

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May 13, 2022

muy bonito, todo, muchas gracia spor hacer estos cursos.

By Stuart M

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Oct 18, 2020

images not easily viewable on astrological assignment

By Clara

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Jan 18, 2018

Really interesting and highly recommended course.

By ALESSANDRA M A

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Dec 17, 2017

Great course, the visual aids could be improved

By Sherin C

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Aug 7, 2020

This is an interesting course.. Worth the time

By michael g

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Jun 27, 2021

Very interesting facts. Better than expected

By Todd G P

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Jun 22, 2019

Excellent as an introduction to the subject.