CHID 270 A: Special Topics

"WITCHCRAFT" TAUGHT BY ANNEGRET OEHME. *OFFERED JOINTLY WITH GERMAN 298A. DUE TO THE "POWER TO CREATE LIFE", WOMAN HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIAL POWERS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY. THIS CLASS EXPLORES GENDER CONSTRUCTIONS BASED ON HOW WOMEN HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIAL POWERS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES AND LANGUAGES WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE GERMAN MIDDLE AGES AND MODERN POP-CULTURE. THIS COURSE DISCUSSES THE DEMONETIZATION OF FEMININITY AS WELL AS THE FASCINATION WITH IT THROUGH THE CONCEPT OF ASCRIBING SPECIAL POWERS TO WOMEN. THE TEXTS INCLUDE GERMAN FAIRY TALES, ART BY ALBRECHT DURER AND HANS BALDUNG, AND MODERN POP-CULTURE APPROPRIATIONS SUCH AS "THE LAST WITCH HUNTER".