The Supernatural World (P00874)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P00874

The course examines magico-religious belief, witchcraft and supernatural entities in Scotland. In particular, it deals with material on traditional cosmology, witchcraft, ritual language and divinatory customs. A dominant theme will be the identification and interpretation of vestiges of supernatural belief still extant and deeply embedded in Scottish cultural life. Comparative material from other Celtic-language cultures and Scandinavia will also feature. This complex and much-neglected aspect of our cultural heritage is explored through a combination of empirical data (provided by case studies and archive holdings) and theoretical contextualisation.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Admission to MSc (T) Scottish Studies.

? Co-requisites : Custom and Belief (PG) Traditional Drama (PG) Scotland in the 20th Century (PG)

? Costs : None.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Scottish Ethnology, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
09/01/2008	11:10	13:00	Room 1.09, 27-29 George Square	Central	Conference Room

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The intended learning outcomes of the course are:
- expertise in the interpretation and understanding of magico-religious belief and the supernatural in Scotland from the earliest sources to the modern period;
- an awareness of the range and variety of approaches to studying the supernatural and knowledge of a substantial number of critical texts;
- knowledge of linguistic, literary, cultural, psychological and socio-historical contexts in which supernatural belief is found and knowledge of useful and precise critical terminology.