HIST 320: From Goddesses to Witches: Women in Pre-Modern Europe

From Goddesses to Witches: Women in Pre-modern Europe 
 

In this course students will examine shifting ideas about gender and sexuality in the Ancient Mediterranean and Western Europe from ca. 700 BCE to 1600 CE. Through the study of primary texts, from Euripide’s Medea to The Hammer of Witches, questions in class discussions, quizzes, assignments, and the final analytical paper students will analyze and evaluate assumptions, claims, evidence, arguments, and forms of expression, as well as select and apply appropriate interpretive tools. They will address questions such as: How do we best address the limitations of our evidence? What makes one interpretation better than another? How does studying the history of women and gender challenge us to re-valuate concepts like “civilization” and “progress”?

This course meets Goals 1.1 and 3H of the KU Core.