Once upon a time, there was a girl. There was a boy.
A girl with hair like silk and cobwebs, a boy with callouses on his fingers.
She wore tattered black satin or sensible cotton and a smudged apron or jeans and a t-shirt.
A black cat or a white crow kept watch as he wrote longhand in a book, minced herbs, and typed at his computer.
They were beautiful and powerful. They were frightening and dangerous. They were everything people feared… and everything they wanted to be.
The Carterhaugh School is proud to present a 6-lesson course (including a bonus “book club” day!) on “Witches in Folklore and Literature.” Through a combination of lectures, supplemental readings, discussion, and creative responses, we will explore the strange and enchanting concept of witches and provide the history, context, and tools to begin analyzing their stories.
The course will be conducted through video lectures that will be accessible on the dates listed below, but all the materials will be yours to download and interact with whenever you choose (so don’t worry if you can’t play on those specific dates!) Full payment must be complete by the time registration closes on September 30th at midnight. Aside from the videos you will also receive the PowerPoint presentations featured in the video lectures, a beautifully made PDF “grimoire page” summary of each lesson, and any supplementary reading. This material is yours to keep and download for personal use!
There will be a final assignment prompt for which you may choose the path of the scholar, the path of the writer, or the path of the artist. Personal feedback on completed final assignments is available upon request – we would love to see what you come up with!
This course will feature a bonus 6th class devoted to Alice Hoffman’s novel Practical Magic conducted in a “book club” like style. More details on this are forthcoming! If you would like to participate in this part of the class, you will need to purchase a copy of the book (currently as little as $4 on Amazon!)
Tentative Course Schedule:
Lesson 1. Witches in Folklore
Lesson 2. Witches in Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Lesson 3. Witches in Fairy Tales Around the World
Lesson 4. The Witch Hunts
Lesson 5. Modern Witches
BONUS Lesson 6. Practical Magic Book Club Day!
Dates: Oct 1st, Oct 8th, Oct 15th, Oct 22nd, Oct 29th, & Nov 5th – note that these are simply the dates that materials will be posted! You will be able to download everything and watch whenever is most convenient to you.
Total Number of Lessons: 5 (+1!)
What’s Included: Welcome Letter, 5 Video Lectures, 5 PowerPoint Presentations, 6 Beautiful PDF “Grimoire Page” Lesson Summaries, PDFs or Links to Any Supplementary Reading, Access to Our Book Club Discussion, Personal Feedback on Completed Final Assignment if Desired
Any Additional Materials Needed: If you’d like to participate in our final “book club” style class, you will need to purchase a copy of the book Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Everything else you need will be provided!
Registration Closes: September 30th at Midnight!
[Image by John William Waterhouse]