HISTORY 260 · also MEDREN 287, SCISOC 260
Magic, Religion, and Science since 1400
Christopher John Coome
Description from DukeHub
The history of magic and witchcraft in western culture from the Renaissance to the present, with particular attention to the relationship of supernatural beliefs to religion and science. The renewal of magic, astrology, and alchemy in the Renaissance; early modern witch beliefs and the witch hunt; national skepticism in the Enlightenment; modern marginal sciences such as parapsychology; and adaptations of magical beliefs to modern culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Skills
No skill passed the confidence bar. Weak matches go to review instead of this page: an AI pass that has to quote the description, then a person.
AI-resilient: 1 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- Yes: Judgment someone is accountable for · "ethical"
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- No: Small, in-person format
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
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