Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Malcolm Choat
Contact via Email
By appointment
Tutor
Rachel Yuen-Collingridge
Contact via Email
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above or (6cp in AHIS or AHST units at 200 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 will survey magic in the ancient world, from the Ancient Near Eastern civilisations, through the Egyptian and Graeco-Roman worlds, to Late Antiquity, Byzantium, and early Medieval Europe. It will provide 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. As a coda, the unit will look beyond the ancient world to the role, use, and understanding of magic in wider historical, literary, and scientific contexts. This will include not only consideration of magic (and things which might be considered 'magic') in the Renaissance and modern worlds, but aspects of cognitive psychology such as perceptual illusions and delusional beliefs.
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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. Marks given for individual items of assessment are indicative only; final marks will be determined after moderation.
ALL written assignments must be submitted via Turnitin within iLearn.
You are required to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The only exception to sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances, please consult University Policy for the available procedure.
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 Honesty Quiz | 0% | Yes | Week 3 Friday 17/8 |
Essay Bibliography | 10% | No | Friday Week 5 31/8 |
Essay | 40% | No | Week 7 Friday 14/9 |
Magical Spell | 15% | No | Week 13 Tutorial |
Exam | 35% | No | Exam period |
Due: Week 3 Friday 17/8
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 pass the unit. Students may attempt the quiz as many times as they wish.
Due: Friday Week 5 31/8
Weighting: 10%
Students must submit a bibliography for their essay. It will be assessed on the relevance of the items to their question and the sources, and the formatting of the bibliography, which must be consistent, and follow a standard disciplinary practice. An ‘Essay Presentation & Conventions: Style Guide’ produced by the Department of Ancient History is available online: one of the systems laid out there be followed, or students may use another system, but it must be applied consistently.
Due: Week 7 Friday 14/9
Weighting: 40%
Students will submit a 2000 word essay: a choice of questions and further guidance may be found on the iLearn site. Note that the word count does not include footnotes and bibliography.
Due: Week 13 Tutorial
Weighting: 15%
In small groups over weeks 11–13, students will construct a magical ritual, and perform it in tutorials in Week 13. Further details will be placed on the iLearn site. External Students will undertake a similar task individually and post the results in an iLearn discussion forum.
Due: Exam period
Weighting: 35%
There will be a two (2) hour examination during the exam period at the end of semester. Further guidance on the exam will be provided during the session.
The textbook for this unit is Hans Dieter Betz, The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells, 2nd edition (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1996), available from the Co-Op bookshop.
Further 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, on Wednesday at 1-3 pm.
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 tutorials for internal students, and online discussions for external students.
Tutorials will be held on Wednesday at 3 and 4 pm. Note that there are tutorials in week 1.
Online discussions will be posted weekly on the iLearn page under the relevant week.
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Lecture I |
Lecture II |
Tutorial |
1 (1/8) |
Setting the scene Malcolm Choat |
Conceptualising Magic Malcolm Choat |
Introductions |
2 (8/8) |
Magic and religion: ancient views Malcolm Choat |
Magic and religion: modern views Malcolm Choat |
Definitions of magic |
3 (15/8) |
Magic in the Ancient Near East Javier Alverez-Mon |
Magic in Ancient Egypt Boyo Ockinga |
Material, format, and classification |
4 (22/8) |
Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Herodotus. Rachel Yuen-Collingridge |
Magic in Greece Rachel Yuen-Collingridge |
The structure of rituals |
5 (29/8) |
Magic in Rome Malcolm Choat |
Judeo-Christian Magic Malcolm Choat |
The Construction of the magician |
6 (5/9) |
Magic in Graeco-Roman Egypt Malcolm Choat |
Magic in Graeco-Roman Egypt Malcolm Choat |
Language and Images |
7 (12/9) |
Magic in Late Antique Egypt Malcolm Choat |
Magic in Late Antique Egypt Malcolm Choat |
Healing |
8 (3/10) |
Merlin and the inheritance of magic in Medieval traditions Rachel Yuen-Collingridge |
Merlin and the inheritance of magic in Medieval traditions Rachel Yuen-Collingridge |
Love |
9 (10/10) |
Natural Magic in the Renaissance Nicholas Baker |
Witchcraft Nicholas Baker |
Curses |
10 (17/10) |
Receptions of Magic Louise D’Arcens |
Magic in TV, Film, and Games Clare Monagle |
Protection |
11 (24/10) |
Contemporary Magic Jay Johnston |
Contemporary Magic Jay Johnston |
Planning the spells |
12 (31/10) |
Magic, Delusion, and Psychology Amanda Barnier |
Magic, Delusion, and Psychology Amanda Barnier |
The writing of the spells |
13 (7/11) |
Conclusions Malcolm Choat |
Conclusions Malcolm Choat |
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:
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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
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Since the last offering, some lecture and tutorial content, and the nature of some assessment tasks, has been updated.