3 credits
Fall 2026 Lecture Lower DivisionHumanities
This course surveys stories of elves, fairies, wizards, witches, etc., and explores the allure of all things marvelous, strange, and magical. It considers how language itself constitutes a kind of magic; examines magic as technology and vice versa, since, as Arthur C. Clarke famously declared: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"; and seeks to understand how people across history have used stories of magic to reinforce (mystify) or upend (defamiliarize) the status quo.
Learning Outcomes1Compare a variety of imaginative texts from Anglophone and other cultures, and be able to analyze them critically.
2Define how both magic and science are not fixed but rather variable and culturally specific.
3Demonstrate knowledge of how stories code difference, and either reinforce (mystify) or upend (defamiliarize) the status quo.
4Argue through textual evidence across a variety of media.
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