(cross-leveled with HIST 7645). The surviving evidence indicates that between 1400 and 1700, at least 50,000 women, men, and children were executed for practicing witchcraft. Is there an explanation for this? Does it make any sense in terms of the intellectual, religious, social, political, and economic contexts of this period in European history? Fundamental to this course are the assumptions that there are many, not one, reasonable explanations for witchcraft beliefs and persecutions, and that when studied in terms of the various historical contexts this phenomenon must be understood as an integral part of European society during these centuries. Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required.