Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series in
which reporters drop in on interesting classes throughout
the university's eight academic divisions. Suggestions are
welcome at
gazette@jhu.edu.
The course: The Uses of Evil: Historical Encounters
With the Devil. The course explores the presence and role
of demonic and diabolical supernatural figures — most
often described as "the devil" — in the natural world
throughout history, using philosophy, theology, education,
arts, literature and film as a lens. Limited to 20
students. 3 credits. Department of the History of Science
and Technology in the Krieger School of Arts and
Sciences.
The instructor: Mark Waddell, graduate student in
the Department of the History of Science and Technology.
Meeting time: 10:30 to 11:50 a.m., Thursdays and
Fridays.
Syllabus: For more than 2,000 years, humans have
believed that supernatural beings could manipulate nature
with miraculous ease. This course examines, through careful
reading of works devoted to science, philosophy and
theology, humanity's changing conceptions of these
supernatural figures' presence in the world.
Course work: This class demands active
participation, and 25 percent of a student's final grade
depends on that. Students also are required to write three
papers. There are no exams.
Required reading: The Inferno, by Dante;
Doctor Faustus, by Christopher Marlowe; and The
Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Students also read
selections from Acts or Disputation Against Fortunatus
the Manichean, by St. Augustine; "Treatise on the
Angels and the Cause of Sin, as regards the Devil," from
Summa Theologica, by St. Thomas Aquinas; The
Cathars: Dualist Heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle
Ages, by Malcolm Barber; The Book of John the
Evangelist, Cathar Gospel; On the Accusations Against the
Albigensians, by Raynaldus; The Trial of Jeanne
d'Arc by W.P Barrett; The Malleus Maleficarum; Demon
Lovers: Witchcraft, Sex and the Crisis of Belief, by
Walter Stephens; A Discourse on the Subtill Practices of
Devilles by Witches and Sorcerers, by G. Gyfford;
The Divel's Delusions, by B. Misodaimon; The
Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe, by Brian Levack;
Signes and Wonders from Heaven; A True and Faithful
Relation of What Passed for Many Years Between Dr. John Dee
... and Some Spirits; Symbiosis, or the Ultimate Converse
of Pope and Devil attended by a Cardinal and Buffoon,
by James Selgado; and more.
Films viewed in class: The Messenger, The
Crucible and The Ninth Gate.
Overheard in class: "A lot of concerns were brought
up by the scientific notions of how things actually work in
the 1660s. They wrestled with the question of whether the
devil existed or not. Some people believed that there were
evil happenings and that they were real. Others did not so
much argue that these things did not exist as that a
scientific revolution was going on and that there could be
less belief without proof. That meant, to some, that if
witchcraft did not exist, then there was no need for
God."
— Mark Waddell
Students say: "Being Jewish, I never had to deal
with the concept of the devil as anything more than a
figure like the bogeyman — Judaism has no real
analogy to Satan. So far this semester, I have been nothing
but enthralled by the course, due to the captivating
readings, engaging discussions and an impassioned and
intelligent teacher. Mr. Waddell's enthusiasm is contagious
and definitely drives the students. Overall, I would say
that this course is one of the most interesting and
thought-provoking humanities courses I have ever
taken."
— Daniel Lamphier, 21, senior biology
major from Middlefield, Conn.