ANTH 350 - Religion, Magic & Witchcraft

Focuses on understanding how the religious, magical, and witchcraft practices found in diverse cultures related to an overall attempt to explain the works beyond ordinary human understanding and to the pattern of social, psychological, or ecological needs of a society. We are not concerned with the competing notions of God and gods that are part of various traditional religions, rather we aim to understand the cultural circumstances that foster certain religious beliefs and practices, the use of magical rituals in confronting social problems, and the role of witchcraft in shaping the behaviors and responses of people within cultural groups.

3 credits