Chabot College
Fall 2002
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for Anthropology 12
MAGIC, RELIGION, WITCHCRAFT AND HEALING
Catalog Description:
12 - Magic, Religion, Witchcraft and Healing
3 units
Cross-cultural perspectives on spirituality, religious practice, myth, ancestor beliefs,
witchcraft and the variety of religious rituals and practitioners found in the cultures of the
world. Examination of the cosmologies of different cultures through the anthropological
perspective. Emphasis is placed on how knowledge of the religious practices and beliefs of
others can help us to understand the multicultural world in which we live. Comparison of
the ways in which diverse cultures confront the large and fundamental questions of
existence: those dealing with the meaning of life, birth and death, and with the relationship
of humans to each other and to their universe. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1.
describe the methodology of cultural anthropology inquiry;
2.
identify the variety of religious beliefs and practices on a world scale as well as
within our own pluralistic society;
3.
discuss the complex relationship between religious cosmology and other important
cultural practices and institutions in a society.
Course Content:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Brief historical overview of the development of the field, its scope, aims, methods,
and relationship with other disciplines of scientific inquiry
Nature of belief systems cross-culturally
Universal patterns of spiritual belief and variations in religious perspective
The study of myth and ritual on a world scale
Religion and healing in small-scale societies
Beliefs in ghosts, powerful ancestors, the spirits of the dead
Witchcraft and sorcery beliefs; their cultural, economic and political functions
Religious revitalization movements, old and new
Varieties of religious practitioners, from shaman to priests
The arts and religion
Problems of evil, the ethical dimensions of religious belief and practice
The human search for transcendence through ritual, spiritual journey, prayer and
trance
Chabot College
Course Outline for Anthropology 12
Fall 2002
Page 2
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
Lecture, discussion, collaborative learning
Multi-media materials, oral presentations
Instructor conferences
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
Typical Assignments
a.
Observe, record, and analyze ethnographic material.
b.
Answer study questions relating to religion, magic, and witchcraft.
2.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
a.
Essays and other assigned writings
b.
Oral presentations
c.
Quizzes and exams, including final examinations
d.
Ethnographic observation/interview project
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural,
Lehmann and Myers, 2001, or latest edition.
Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture, Harris Books, latest ed.
In Sorcery's Shadow, Stoller, 2001, or latest edition.
Field Working: Reading and Writing Research, Chiseri-Strater and Sunstein, 2001, or latest
editiom.
Special Student Materials:
None.
tf A:\Word\ANTHRO.12.doc
Revised 2-5-2002