There’s no sorting hat, wands or flying brooms, but magical mysteries still await.
A UK university will offer the country’s first postgraduate degree in magic and occult sciences, according to a report.
The University of Exeter will offer the master’s degree starting in September 2024 amid a recent surge of interest in the history of witchcraft and magic, Emily Selove, an associate professor of medieval Arabic literature who directs the program, told the New York Times.
The course will explore the influence of magic on society and science through the lens of Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions, the Times reported.
While students will not attend Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, the program offers unique courses such as the study of dragons in Western culture, literature and art and the depiction of women and witches in the Middle Ages.
Selove said she has already been contacted by hundreds of potential witches and wizards who are interested in the opportunity to explore these topics across academic fields.
The program will study magic and its influence on society across various academic fields. Getty Images
“If we are looking for truly new and creative solutions to the problems we face as a society, then we must be honest and brave about the fact that some of our tried and true methodologies have a limit,” he told the newspaper. . “Let’s cautiously and responsibly try some new or old ideas that we have discarded.”
Interest in magic and the occult has become widespread, especially among younger and less religious generations, as demonstrated by numerous TikToks, where the hashtag #WitchTok has videos viewed more than 50 billion times on how to identify the characteristics of witches and how to rid homes of bad energy. according to the times.
Witches have also emerged as feminist symbols, according to Dr Christina Oakley Harrington, a retired academic of medieval history and founder of the London bookstore Treadwell’s, which specializes in literature on magic and spiritualism.
Hundreds of people have already asked about the program, according to professor Emily Selove.
In her bookstore, young women in their teens and 20s read feminist literature about magic and the history of witchcraft, “which they wouldn’t have done 10 years ago,” she said.
Harrington said she and others in her circle with similar interests are considering enrolling in Exter’s program.
“Not because they’re idiots and think it’s going to teach them how to wave a wand and do a spell,” he said. “They are people who have enormous curiosity about the world and the way we perceive the visible and invisible world.”
Pam Grossman, host of the popular podcast “The Witch Wave” and leader of this weekend’s Occult Humaties Conference at New York University, told The Times that interest in magic isn’t just for Harry Potter fans. .
“Whether we believe in magic or not, it is still worthy of academic rigor because humans have practiced magic for thousands and thousands of years and, therefore, it is worthy of study and attention,” he said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn