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

Instructor: Marta Vicente

Day & Time:
8-Week Online | 2nd Half

Core 34 Goal: GLBC
KU Core Goal: 1.1, 3H
Category Fulfillment: I
an image of a small, curvy figurine that represents fertility

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.

See How this Course Fits into Your Schedule  

Official Catalog Description:

  • This course examines the social, cultural, and political contexts of women's spirituality and their relations to gender relations in Europe from about 30,000 B.C.E. to the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

  • Lectures move both chronologically and topically, covering such subjects as goddess-worshiping cultures, women's roles in Christian and Jewish societies, symbols of women, and male attitudes toward women.

  • Students will be able to participate in weekly discussions of primary and secondary source readings about women.