Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convener
Malcolm Choat
Tutor
Rachel Yuen-Collingridge
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above or (20cp in AHIS or AHST units at 2000 level)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit surveys the history of magic from the ancient world to the present day, covering cultures from the Ancient Near East, Egypt and the Graeco-Roman world, Late Antiquity, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, down to the early modern world, as well as aspects of cognitive psychology such as perceptual illusions and delusional beliefs. It provides thorough coverage of the way magic has been defined, understood, and used in these civilisations, and the way it has been conceived and studied in the history of modern scholarship over the past two centuries. Students will focus closely on the material sources for ancient magic, especially handbooks of spells and amulets on papyrus. There will also be close consideration of the construction of magic as an antithesis to religion in the ancient and modern worlds, and a focus on the role, use, and understanding of magic in wider historical, literary, and scientific contexts.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Guidelines on the criteria and standards required for assessment tasks, as well as rubrics where appropriate, will be placed on the iLearn site.
ALL written assignments must be submitted via Turnitin within iLearn.
ALL deadlines are firm unless an extension has been requested in writing one (1) week before the due date. All requests for extensions must be submitted via ask.mq.edu.au and be supported by appropriate documentation. A penalty for lateness (see below) will apply unless a medical certificate or other written substantiation is supplied. Assignments handed in early will not be marked and returned before the due date. Always retain a copy of work you submit in case it is lost in the online system.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100* will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
*"100" is to be understood as 100% of the marks for that task, not the entire unit.
In order to complete this unit satisfactorily students must gain a mark of 50% or more, and attempt all assessment tasks.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Academic Integrity Quiz | 0% | Yes | Friday Week 3 |
Mid-Session Quiz | 15% | No | Week 7 |
Essay | 40% | No | Week 9 |
Magical Spell | 15% | No | Week 13 |
Online Test | 30% | No | Exam period |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Friday Week 3
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students will complete a short quiz that gives examples of academic dishonesty. Students must gain full marks in this quiz to progress to the other assessment.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 15%
An online quiz covering the material from the first half of the unit.
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 40%
A major essay of 2000 words (+/- 10%).
Assessment Type 1: Creative work
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 15%
Students work in small groups to create a magical spell and upload a video of its performance to an online forum.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 30%
An online test covering material from the whole unit.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Readings required for each week's tutorial and for the essay will be placed on the iLearn site or be available electronically or in hard copy though the library.
The unit has an iLearn page which can be accessed at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. PC and internet access are therefore required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Content, readings, and discussions for this unit will be delivered via the unit iLearn page. The lectures for this unit will be recorded and the audio recordings and accompanying slides will be available on the Echo 360 system. Readings will be available via the library and iLearn; other digital resources will also be placed on the iLearn site.
There will two one-hour lectures per week.
Discussions in which we will focus on the historical interpretation of the sources for magic and assessment of the modern scholarship on it will take place in two formats: in face-to-face on-campus or zoom tutorials for internal students, and online discussions for external students.
Tutorials (on-campus or zoom) will be held on Wednesday at 2 and 3 pm. Note that there are tutorials in week 1.
Online discussions will be posted weekly on the iLearn page under the relevant week.
Week |
Lecture 1 |
Lecture 2 |
Tutorial |
1 |
Setting the scene
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Conceptualising Magic
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Introductions |
2 |
Magic and religion: ancient views
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Magic and religion: modern views
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Definitions of magic |
3 |
Magic in the Ancient Near East
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Magic in Ancient Egypt
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Material, format, and classification |
4 |
Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Herodotus.
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Magic in Greece
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The structure of rituals |
5 |
Magic in Rome
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Judeo-Christian Magic
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The Construction of the magician |
6 |
Magic in Graeco-Roman Egypt
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Magic in Graeco-Roman Egypt
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Language and Images |
7 |
Magic in Late Antique Egypt
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Magic in Late Antique Egypt
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Healing |
8 |
Merlin and the inheritance of magic in Medieval traditions
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Merlin and the inheritance of magic in Medieval traditions
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Love |
9 |
Natural Magic in the Renaissance
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Witchcraft
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Curses |
10 |
Receptions of Magic
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Magic in TV, Film, and Games
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Protection |
11 |
Contemporary Magic
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Contemporary Magic
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Planning the spells |
12 |
Magic, Delusion, and Psychology
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Magic, Delusion, and Psychology
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The writing of the spells |
13 |
Conclusions
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Conclusions
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The casting of the spells |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
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