The scariest courses you can study at university
Are you brave enough to enrol on one of these university courses on witches, ghosts, paranormal activity or demons?听
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Are you fascinated by the idea of witches and magic? Do stories about the Devil pique your interest? And do you often spend time wondering if there are supernatural realms beyond our own?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then taking one of the courses below听could be right up your street.听
You will learn about the origins of supernatural beings, how humans related to them and how the social constructs of ghosts and spirits have evolved over time.听
Enrol yourself on one of these courses 鈥 if you鈥檙e feeling brave enough.听
听鈥撎University of Edinburgh
If you鈥檙e interested in studying things such as magic and the paranormal, than a parapsychology degree might be a good choice for you.听
罢丑别听University of Edinburgh鈥檚 Koestler Parapsychology Unit conducts research into many different areas of parapsychology, including the historical context, out-of-body experiences, experiences of hauntings, dreaming, psychic ability and many other things.听
Students are also able to study courses in many of these topics across all study levels.听
罢丑别听University of Edinburgh听has been offering this course for the past 50 years, but there are a number of other universities that also offer the course.听
鈥 University of Exeter
In this new MA introduced this year by the University of Exeter, students will learn about the diverse history of esotericism, witchcraft, ritual magic, occult science and many other related topics.听
Academics from a range of different areas, including history, literature, philosophy and sociology, will lead classes analysing the role of magic throughout history in the East and the West.听
Students will have the freedom to build their own programmes based on their interests, by choosing from a wide range of modules including the Western Dragon in Lore, Literature and Art, magic in literature and folklore, and the history of science and medicine.
Students are also expected to conduct their own research projects and will be able to take part in monthly meetings and field trips as part of the course.听
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听鈥撎University of Oslo
This course at the听University of Oslo听looks at the cultural history of magic and witchcraft, specifically the early modern witch-hunts in Europe. Students can either take the course in person or online.听
It explores how concepts of magic and witchcraft have changed over time and how this was recorded in demonological manuals, literature and legislative texts.听
Students will also be able to specialise as the course goes on to look at occultism and neopaganism. A perfect course choice for students who love anything to do with witches.
听鈥撎Harvard University
This module is offered as part of the wider humanities course at听Harvard University听and looks at William 厂丑补办别蝉辫别补谤别鈥檚听贬补尘濒别迟听and the ghost of the dead King of Denmark as he appears to his son. This begins a chain of events that lead to the gruesome ending of the play.听
As students explore the ghost in Hamlet, they will look at the historical context that helped to shape the narrative. They will also consider how religion and the afterlife were understood during 厂丑补办别蝉辫别补谤别鈥檚 time and the way the play would have been staged in the Globe to create an impactful performance.听
听鈥撎Tulane University听
Within the history department,听Tulane University听offers a seminar for first-year students to study pain and torture throughout history.
Students will explore what torture is and whether it can ever be justified. Students will also study various methods of torture through history, consider whether pain is an entity and look at torturers themselves and how they have developed throughout history.听
听鈥撎Dartmouth College听
The English department at听Dartmouth College听offers a course that explores how race, culture, history, economics and politics led to horror and haunting in the southern states of America.听
Exploring the idea of the 鈥渦ndead鈥, students will explore posthumous horrors such as rising from the grave, funeral practices, lost causes vs heroes and repressed crime.
Students will also have the opportunity to compare traditional gothic horror to that of the contemporary representation in literature, TV, film and media.听
鈥 Utah State University
This module, which can be taken as part of the film studies degree, examines how Hollywood movies deal with the concept of an apocalypse through a range of difference scenarios.听
These include war, famine and alien invasion.听
鈥 University of Toronto
This course unpicks the notion of a 鈥渕onster鈥 and how monsters have been depicted in film and literature throughout the years.听
Classes compare ancient and mythological monsters with what is considered monstrosity in the modern world.听
It also looks at human 鈥渕onsters鈥 throughout history, such as tyrants or world leaders who have carried out acts that are considered beyond acceptable human behaviour.听
It is also interested in places where one entertains the idea that there are real monsters such as witches, werewolves and vampires lurking within our world.
鈥 University of Kent
The devil is a figure that symbolises pure evil and the antithesis to god and religion. It has been depicted in many ways throughout the years as a figure of temptation and has moved beyond its biblical origins.听
This module explores the appearance of the devil across a range of literary texts and films, how that has evolved over time and considers an understanding of the wider historical and philosophical contexts of such depictions.听