HIS 001 The Mysterious Knights Templars (1 cr) Brenda Williams
Short 4-week course covering the Templar history in a nutshell and exploring some of the theories that continue to circulate connecting them to Rosslyn Chapel, the Holy Grail, Freemasonry, and Rennes-le-Chateau.
Introduction to Celtic studies through reading and discussing the classic work on Celtic literature, Alwyn and Brinley Rees's Celtic Heritage, and one or more collections of Celtic myths and legends in translation. The goal of this course is to establish a foundation of knowledge in the literary and mythic traditions to enable further study.
The pre-history of the pagan cultures of the British Isles leading up to the conquest by Rome and the introduction of Greco-Roman forms of paganism. What we can determine about Druidic teachings prior to the Roman conquest. The distinctions among history based on texts, archaeology based on interpretation of artifacts, and modern speculation based on inner vision. Relationship of earliest British cultures to other early agricultural societies of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age.
HIS 103. Gaul and the Celtic World (3 cr) Dr. Maertens (Alferian)
The origins of the Celts. The La Tène period and archaeology of the early Celts. The Gauls and Rome, Greece and Galacia in Anatolia. Social organization. Three free classes of Warriors, Druids, and Freeman Farmers contrasted to the classes of Servants and Outsiders. Suggested Texts: Markale, The Celts. Cunliffe, The Ancient Celts.
This course is intended to introduce the field of Druid history. Students will consider what we know and can surmise about the ancient Druids and their origins, and also the history of the modern Druid revival and the neopagan and reconstructionist movements within Druidry. Students will leave this course with a firm understanding of various theories and speculations. We will consider the contributions made by myth, literature, and modern inventions, in addition to those by academic historians and archaeologists.
HIS 105. Hellenic and Roman Paganism (3 cr)
The Greek and Roman pantheons and their political history leading to the extension of Greek and Hellenistic philosophy over the Mediterranean world. Hellenistic connections to Egypt and its traditions. Plato, Heraclitis, Aristotle, Plotinus. Roman paganism and the ideology of Empire.
HIS 106. Introduction to the History of Magic (3 cr). Dr. Maertens (Alferian)
The aim of this course is to allow students to become familiar with the history and study of magic. This is not a course in practical magic. It will look at the history of those practices which have been called “magic” and what that labelling has meant. Beginning with an examination of the concept of magic from the point of view of anthropology, sociology and theology, it will chronologically examine magic from prehistory through European and North American history to the present day.
HIS 200 Great Wizards & Witches (3 cr). Various Teachers
The content of this course will vary and will focus on one or two famous historical witches or wizards, their lives and works. The approach will be historical and biographical. Subjects may include: Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly, Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, Nicholas Flamel, Eliphas Levi, Francis Barrett, Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, Madam Blavatsky, Annie Besant, Charles Leadbeater, Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente.
HIS 201 Ireland (3 cr).
The history of Ireland from the earliest legends of the Book of Invasions to the 21st century. Pagan and Druidic Ireland. The Christian conversion. Viking invasions and monasticism. Columba's mission to Iona. Influence of the Irish monks on continental Christianity, distinct attitudes toward nature and sex among early Celtic Christians, and their eventual submission to Catholic orthodoxy. The English colonial period of oppression and the emergence of the modern Republic of Ireland. Irish culture and the persistence of the Fairy Faith as well as the arts of conversation and storytelling.
HIS 202 Roman Britain to Medieval Wales (3 cr). Astrocelt
History of the Roman invasion of Britain and the wars between the Welsh princes and the Anglo-Saxons. The history of Wales through the Tudor dynasty and later persecutions.
Scotland's spirited history has given birth to a people with fierce pride for their homeland. The rugged beauty of its landscape is fertile ground for tales of Otherworld visits and guardians of magick. The sacred energy of this country will be our focus, while delving into the history that supports it. We will examine some famous Scots: the Celts, Templars, Thomas the Rhymer, William Wallace, William Blake, Mary Queen of Scots, and of course, Robert the Bruce. Supernatural beings, such as brownies, fairies, and kelpies will dance in and out of our discussions. We will also touch on Scotland's famous talismans, such as the Fairy Flag and Inchbrackie's Ring, as well as the mysterious Rosslyn Chapel.
HIS 204. Readings in Druid History (3 cr). Dr. Maertens (Alferian)
This course will focus on the historical study of the Druids of old, examining the range of contemporary scholarly opinion, some early histories of the Romantic Druid revival, and the implications for modern Druid practice. Texts will be engaged critically from both a spiritual and a scholarly standpoint. Suggested Reading: Ellis, The Druids. Markale, The Druids. Chadwick, The Druids. Rutherford, The Druids and Their Heritage. Bonwick, Irish Druids and the Old Irish Religions. Wright, Druidism.
HIS 205. The Historical Arthur (3 cr).
Examination of the evidence for the historical figure of Arthur and the history of early source material from which the Arthurian romances later developed. Reading: John Morris, The Age of Arthur. Geoffrey Ashe, The Search for Arthur's Britain. Richard Barber, The Figure of Arthur.
HIS 206 The Shaping of Modern Wales (3 cr). Astrocelt.
History of Wales from the Medieval Period through the Romantic Druid movement and Welsh nationalism to the present.
HIS 301 Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, and the Isle of Man (3 cr)
History of these other enclaves of Celtic language and culture. Particular emphasis on the resurrection of the Cornish language, the importance of Man as an enclave of Druidry, and the preservation of the Arthurian traditions in Brittany. Consideration of other areas of Gaul in which Celts established a lasting presence and their probable influence on Roman culture.
HIS 302. Women in Celtic Pagan Society (3 cr).
Focused study on the role of women in Celtic society, their legal status, religious participation and leadership roles. The divine feminine in Celtic paganism and its modern re-emergence. Special consideration of Brigit, Boann, Danu, Boadicca, Branwen, Arianrhod, Rhiannon, Epona, and Bloduedd as mythic and historical figures exemplifying women's roles and relationships to men and the Sovereignty of the land. Discussion of women as Druids, healers, bards, and seers, as well as mothers, artisans, farmers, and warriors. The role of the king's sister in Celtic inheritance through the female line.
HIS 303 Men in Celtic Pagan Society (3 cr).
Focused study on the roles of men in Celtic society, the role of warrior, king, farmer, and craftsman. The divine masculine in Celtic paganism in the figures of Lugh, Dagda, Bran, Oenghus, Gwydion, Bile, Mannanan MacLir, Cernunnos, Herne, Mabon, and Arthur.
HIS 304 The Knights Templar and Rosslyn Chapel (3 cr). Brenda Williams.
An exploration of the myterious Rosslyn Chapel and its connection to the medieval order of the Knights Templar.
HIS 401 Chinese Magic and Religion (3 cr).
The broadest strokes of China's long history with a focus on the historical placement of Taoism and its magical system. Qi and healing. Chinese divinities and spirits. Ancestor worship. Influence on Buddhism.
HIS 402. Indian Magic and Religion (3 cr).
India represents one of the greatest pagan cultures still thriving in the 21st century. This course explores its rich pantheon of divinities and spirits, its long history, and the expression of its spirituality in yoga, Tantrism, and Buddhist meditation. The great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata will be studied and possible Indo-European connections between Indian and Celtic culture.
HIS 403. Native American Magic and Religion (3 cr)
In a broad survey, several of the tribes of Native Americans will be studied, from the Maya and Inca civilizations of the south to the woodland and prairie tribes of North America. Their tribal societies, relationship to their lands, and spiritual practices will be considered in comparison and contrast to those of the ancient Celtic tribes and those of the Siberian shamans.
HIS 404. Magic in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (3 cr)
Our modern western ideas of magic, its practitioners, and its viability as a system for ordering and understanding worldly phenomena were formed during the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe. From approximately 350 CE through roughly 1450 CE, the definition of what magic was, what purposes it served, and what exactly a magician could DO underwent radical changes. The rise of magic as we know it was inextricably intertwined with the development and spread of Christianity and Islam, with the convergence and conflict between pagan ideas and Christian and Muslim ones. Our interpretations of what magic is were colored by some new epistemologies that arose in this era. We need to study the history of religion, science, philosophy, medicine, and sometimes even technology to understand much of what we now call magic.
HIS 405. Modern Magical Revival (3 cr).
History of post-Enlightenment magic including the work of Francis Barret, Eliphas Levi, Macgregor Mathers, Aliester Crowley, Doreen Valiente, Gerald Gardner, the Farrars, Ross Nichols, Philip Carr-Gomm, Isaac Bonewits, and the plethora of modern Wiccan writers. Consideration of the parallel evolution of "occultism" and hermeticism alongside the revival of Druidry and the search for a religion of the Goddess. Suggested Reading: Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon. Philip Carr-Gomm, ed. The Druid Renaissance. Doreen Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow. Starhawk, The Spiral Dance. Farrar and Farrar, The Witches Way. Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn. Francis King and Isabel Sutherland, The Rebirth of Magic. Colin Wilson, The Occult: A History. Francis Barrett, The Magus.
HIS 406. History of Witchcraft (3 cr) . Ann Rowe, M.A.
A detailed study of witches and cunning folk in European and North American history. The aim of this course is to provide a solid grounding of historical witchcraft and the history of the modern movement in its various branches and schools. The lives and work of major figures and traditions will be covered. Texts: Russel, A History of Witchcraft. Isaac Bonewits, Witchcraft: A Concise Guide. Ronald Hutton, Triumph of the Moon.
HIS 501. Egyptian and Chaldean Magic and Religion (3 cr)
The history of the earliest river cultures and their concepts of deity and kingship as well as magic and spirit. Egyptian influences on doctrines of rebirth and Chaldean influences on astrology. Emergence of writing and literacy prior to the Greek alphabetic form of literacy and its abstraction of ideas from Nature.
HIS 502. Magic of Africa, Australia, Oceania (3 cr)
History and anthropology of African and Australian tribes and peoples of Polynesia and Indonesia. Animism, the Dreamtime, myths and legends. Magical practices. Shamanism. Studied comparatively and for the unique qualities of each culture.
