Occultism in Popular Culture

Course Code: CC 176 NE (online-English)

Course Dates: Commences January 17th 2011

Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade

Description:

For many, popular culture often provides an introduction to the occult, whether through a Ouija board, an astrology column, a Tarot card reading, a comic book, or a Harry Potter novel. Popular literature, films, television, music, video games, comics – all are full of magic and mysticism. But what separates mere occult content from cultural artifacts that actually resonate with the philosophies and themes of Western Esotericism? This course will look more closely at these media manifestations of occultism, providing a foundation for further explorations of occulture. We will trace the connections between popular culture and the spread of occultism itself and analyze certain works of pop culture for their thematic and practical use of the ideas of occultism. We will also examine how some occultists have incorporated popular culture and mass media into their magical practice.

Required texts (tentative):

The Re-Enchantment of the West, Vol. 1, Christopher Partridge, Continuum Press, 2004.

Modern Occult Rhetoric: Mass Media and the Drama of Secrecy in the Twentieth Century, Joshua Gunn, University of Alabama Press, 2005.

Multi-Media Magic: Further Explorations of Identity and Pop Culture in Magical Practice, Taylor Ellwood, Megalithica Books, 2008.

Various essays, articles, and selections will be made available online

Prerequisites: None . This course is a prerequisite for several of our other courses in more specialized areas exploring the manifestations of occult and esoteric motifs in popular culture.

Languages: English only. Our English language requirements do apply to this course.

Delivery: Online only. A substantial amount of reading material will be made available to students through our online learning centre.

Students may also choose to audit this course.
Scholarships apply for this course.

Week 1	Introduction to popular culture: Disenchantment and Re-enchantment Alternative religion and pop culture What is occulture?
Week 2	19th and 20th Century Occulture Stage Magic and Science Shows Occulture in the late 20th century Satanic Panic
Week 3	Occult Film Paganism and Wicker Man Satanism and Rosemary’s Baby Secret societies, conspiracy and modern film
Week 4 Response paper due	Occult Television Kabbalah and The X-Files Witchcraft, Magick and Buffy Hermeticism and Carnivale
Week 5	Occult Music in the 20th and 21st Century Led Zeppelin and rock music Psychic TV and trance culture Goth and post-punk
Week 6	Occult Comic Books Occult Superheroes Alan Moore’s Promethea Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles
Week 7	Material Culture Ouija Boards, Tarot Cards, and Games Commercialization of magic and witchcraft The Harry Potter phenomenon
Week 8	21st Century Popular Occulture Fandom and video games Festival culture Pop Magick
Week 9	Research Paper due. Final Exam. Learning Journal due