HIST 3001: Topics in European History: Fear and Fantasy: Witches and Wicked Women in the Historical Imagination
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Examination of a topic in European History. Section information text: This course will explore case studies in the history of women and gender relations in the European world between the early modern and modern periods. We will, for example, investigate the gendered concept of the “witch” (supposed practitioners, frequently female, of malefic magic) from the “witch craze” of the 16th and 17th centuries to contemporary horror movies and Halloween costumes. The premise of the class is that cultural perceptions of witches and other potentially “wicked” women through history offer unique windows for understanding many aspects of historical change. For instance, changes in stereotypes about witches help to illustrate a long-term societal shift from early modern occultist worldviews to more modern naturalistic ones. At the same time, the historic fears and fantasies surrounding witches also help to show societal problems and preoccupations, from past to present, with such things as gender, social class, and morality. The main goal of the course is for students to gain a solid understanding of how historic cultural imaginings about witches and other women of “fear and fantasy” relate to many attitudes and constructs that continue to shape contemporary society.
Average GPA: 3.17
Grade distribution records: 611 students across 20 terms.
Grade distribution
| Grade | Students | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| A | 257 | 42.1% |
| B | 196 | 32.1% |
| C | 62 | 10.1% |
| D | 8 | 1.3% |
| F | 29 | 4.7% |
| W | 31 | 5.1% |
Based on 611 student grade records across 20 terms and 13 professors.
Instructors
- Peter Thorsheim 151 students, Average GPA 3.41
- Robert Mceachnie 113 students, Average GPA 2.94
- David Johnson 69 students, Average GPA 3.10
- Amanda Anderson 57 students, Average GPA 2.75
- Christine Haynes 43 students, Average GPA 2.69
- Richard Lockton 39 students, Average GPA 3.39
- Jill Massino 33 students, Average GPA 3.33
- Maria Labbato 33 students, Average GPA 3.17
- Oscar Lansen 23 students, Average GPA 3.17
- John Cox 10 students, Average GPA 3.62
- Heather Mode 9 students, Average GPA 3.75
- Heather Perry 8 students, Average GPA 2.57
- Phillip Mcreynolds 1 students, Average GPA 4.00