Witches, Druids, Modern Vikings and other Contemporary Pagans in a course,

PAGAN STUDIES– A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Summer term, 30 hrs. 4 ECTS creditsEvery Tuesday, 11:30 – 13:00 Room 13, Institute of Religious Studies

Course descriptionThe course covers some crucial topics in the emerging sub-discipline of Reli-gious Studies, namely “Pagan Studies”, from the cultural psychology of religion perspective. Some classes will be devoted to historical aspects of contemporary Paganism or Neo-Paganism (Romantic revival, Pagan inspirations in Germany in the early XXth century, history of Wicca and Druidry), and other will present the image of Pagan diaspora all around the World, including cultural and local peculiarities (Contemporary Druidry, Neo-Paganism in Poland, Lithuania and Scandinavia, Paganism in the USA and Europe: similarities and differences, recognition of contemporary Paganism in various social context). The emphasis will be put not only on the cultural history, but also on the psychosocial aspects of the movement, therefore during our classes a socio-psychological image of contemporary Pagans will emerge, as we will discuss such topics as: converting to Paganism, Pagan ethics, Paganism and ecology, Pagan themes in Pop-cul-ture. The course aims at providing participants with general knowledge about contemporary Paganism; participants will acquire knowledge on Paganism in all major aspects of the phenomenon – from historical roots to the psychological portrait of a follower; also, an emphasis will be put on the practical skills: how to conduct research in the field of New Religious Movements (field research, analysis of the cultural material: movies, fiction etc.).

Do you want to know

WHICH WITCH IS WHICH?

About the LecturerDR ADAM ANCZYK, PH.D.Researcher and lecturer in psychol-ogy of religion and religious stud-ies. His academic interests include cultural psychology of religion and spirituality (conversion, religious discrimination), new religious move-ments (esp. contemporary Druidry), dream studies, religions of ancient Europe and methodology in psychol-ogy of religion. Enjoys a good book (preferably a horror or a crime nov-el), ethnic and neo-folk music, and board games.Enroll via the Secretary: Institute of Religious Studies, Grodzka Str. 52

Methods of assessment1. Class participation (if all “present” = 0.1 points, 1 absence is allowed during the semester*) and active participation in the course, homework done for tuto-rials (if all “done” = 0.1 points, if not 0.0 points). 2. Written essay/empirical work on a subject chosen by the student (the best pa-pers will be considered for publication) submitted until the end of the semester or summer exam session (a paper approx. 2000-5000 words, academic research paper or an essay with proper methodological apparatus and appropriate ref-erences; citation format as in the Chicago Manual of Style). Topics should be presented and discussed during methodological classes. There is a possibility of working in teams of 2. (0.3 – 0.6 points). 3. Mmeeting the Pagan: an empirical fieldwork exercise (0.1 – 0.2 points).

Course grading. The passing grade is over 50%.90% A 5.0 80% B 4.5 70% C 4.0 60% D 3.5

OutcomesThe course aims at providing students with general knowledge about contem-porary Paganism; students will acquire knowledge on Paganism in all aspects of the phenomenon – from historical roots to the psychological portrait of a follower; also, an emphasis will be put on the practical skills: how to conduct research in the field of New Religious Movements (field research, analysis of the cultural material: movies, fiction etc.).

Course outlineThe course consist of class hours and readings & empirical exercises done at home. Most of the classes will follow a schema of 1hrs (45 minutes) lecture & 1hrs (45 minutes) seminar on the readings. Each seminar has keywords on which we will concentrate our analysis and discussion. They will form a thread linking the discussion over presented Pagan topics with psychological theories and research.

1. Introductory classes. Pagan Studies in the field of contemporary Religious Studies. Psychology of religion and researching contemporary Paganisms. Con-troversies over Pagan Studies.

Markus Altena Davidsen, “What Is Wrong with Pagan Studies?,” Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 24, no. 2 (January 01, 2012): 183–199.

2. The roots of contemporary Paganism: Romantic revival, nationalism and Paganism. Defining “Paganism(s)”, the history of the notion and typology: Paleo-Paganism, Neo-Paganism, Meso-Paganism, Ethno-Paganism, Natio-Pa-ganism, Magical Paganism. The overview of contemporary Pagan religious movements.

Adam Anczyk, The Golden Sickle: An Introduction to Contemporary Druidry (Katowice: Sacrum Publishing House, 2014), 124–141.

3. Which witch is which? Cultural history of modern witchcraft and Wicca.Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 205–252.

*Participants with more than 2 absences and those enrolled on the Individual Pro-gramme will have to pass the Pagan Quiz additionally during the exam session (the content of which is covered by lectures).

Keywords: research methodology

Keywords: typology & taxonomies

Keywords: stereotypes, the occult, initiation, secret societies

Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America (New York: Penguin Books, 2006), 90–139.

Isaac Bonewits, Bonewits’s Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca (New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006), 87–132.

4. (Re)Searching Wicca. Contemporary Paganism as a subject of research: methods & methodologies. Wicca in the social context.

Gary F. Jensen and Ashley Thompson, “‘Out of the Broom Closet’: The Social Ecology of American Wicca,” Journal for the Scientific Study of … 47, no. 4 (2008): 753–766.

Jo Pearson, “‘Going Native in Reverse’: The Insider as Researcher in British Wicca,” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions 5, no. 1 (2001): 52–63.

Maciej Witulski, “‘Imported’ Paganisms in Poland in the Twenty-First Century: A Sketch of the Developing Landscape,” in Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, ed. Kaarina Airtamurto and Scott Simpson (Durham: Acumen Pub-lishing Limited, 2013), 298–314.

5. Conducting research in the field of Pagan Studies: project discussion, meth-odology & methods.

For the particular methods see: Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion. (Routledge, 2011).

6. Reconstructing the Past? Pagan movements in Poland and Lithuania. The need for roots and tradition in religion.

Scott Simpson, “Strategies for (Re) Constructing Religious Practice in Polish Rodzimow-ierstwo,” in Walking the Old Ways. Studies in Contemporary European Paganism, ed. Adam Anczyk and Halina Grzymała-Moszczyńska (Katowice: Sacrum Publishing House, 2012), 11–34.

Rasa Pranskevičiūtė, “Contemporary Paganism in Lithuanian Context: Prinicpal Beliefs and Practices of Romuva,” in Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, ed. Kaarina Aitamurto and Scott Simpson (Durham: Acumen Publishing Limited, 2013), 77–94.

Caroline Jane Tully, “Researching the Past Is a Foreign Country: Cognitive Dissonance as a Response by Practitioner Pagans to Academic Research on the History of Pagan Reli-gions,” Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies 13, no. 1 (March 09, 2011): 98–105.

7. Transcultural quest for identity: the cases of Ásatrú and Hellenism. Religios-ity and identity. Acculturating Paganisms: the influence of culture on religious movements and individual attitudes.

Marek Job, “The Rebirth of Ancient Greek Religion: Prolegomena to the Hellenic Polythe-istic Reconstructionism,” in Walking the Old Ways. Studies in Contemporary European Paganism, ed. Adam Anczyk and Halina Grzymała-Moszczyńska (Katowice: Sacrum Pub-lishing, 2012), 61–80.

Egil Asprem, “Heathens up North: Politics, Polemics, and Contemporary Norse Paganism in Norway,” Pomegranate 10 (2008): 41–69.

Sabrina Magliocco, Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America (Philadel-phia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001), 205–237.

8. History of Druidry: from para-masonic organizations to contemporary Pa-gan movements. The history and psychology of a myth.

Anczyk, The Golden Sickle: An Introduction to Contemporary Druidry, 73–118.

Keywords: quantitative and qualitative research, etic vs emic,insider vs outsider

Keywords: tradition, native faith and world religions, cognitive dissonance

Keywords: identity, cultural psychology, migration

Keywords: psychology of myth, mythical think-ing, the invention of tradition

9. Druidry in Great Britain and USA: rituals, beliefs, organizations.Ibid., 141–184; 208–230.

10. Converting to Paganism: the homecoming hypothesis and coming home experience. The notion of a religious conversion in the psychology of religion.

Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pa-gans in America, 13–21.

Adam Anczyk and Matouš Vencálek, “Coming Home to Paganism: Theory of Religious Conversion or a Theological Principle?,” Studia Religiologica. Zeszyty Naukowe … 46, no. 38 (2013): 161–171.

Eugene V Gallagher, “A Religion without Converts? Becoming a Neo-Pagan,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 62, no. 3 (1994): 851–867.

11. Psychological characteristics of followers. Paganism and ecology, pagan ethics. The need of (poly) theology?

Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond, Being A Pagan: Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today (Rochester: Destiny Books, 2002) - chosen interviews.

Michael York, “Idolatry, Ecology and the Sacred as Tangible,” The Pomegranate 12, no. 1 (2010): 74–93.

Regina Oboler, “Nature Religion as a Cultural System? Sources of Environmentalist Action and Rhetoric in a Contemporary Pagan Community,” The Pomegranate 6, no. 1 (2004): 86–106.

12. Paganism and Gender. Women’ s movements and Paganism. Goddess-cen-tered spirituality. Sexuality in the context of contemporary Paganism.

Christine Hoff Kraemer, “Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Paganism,” Religion Compass 6 (2012): 390–401.

Martin Lepage, “A Lokian Family : Queer and Pagan Agency in Montreal,” The Pomegran-ate 15, no. 1–2 (2013): 79–101.

Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America, 178–239;355–371.

13. Paganism and Occulture: pop-cultural images of contemporary Paganism, Paganism and music, art, movies.

Christine Jarvis, “Becoming a Woman through Wicca: Witches and Wiccans in Contem-porary Teen Fiction,” Children’s Literature in Education 39 (2008): 43–52.

Helen A. Berger and Douglas Ezzy, “Mass Media and Religious Identity : A Case Study of Young Witches,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48, no. 3 (2009): 501–514.

Chas Clifton, In the Mists of Avalon: How the Contemporary Paganism Dodges the “Cri-sis of History” [conference materials], Salt Lake City 2009, http://www.cesnur.org/2009/slc_clifton.htm

14. Finding Paganisms in Kraków (a guided tour for students).

Keywords: ritual, religious leaders, new reli-gious movements

Keywords: conversion, narrative psychology, proselytism

Keywords: Pagan theology, ethics, spirituality, deep ecology

Keywords: gender, women’s studies, sexuality and psychology

Keywords: pop-culture, reception of new reli-gious movements, religion & literature