The course's aim is to teach the students how to deal with historical problems through the study of the primary sources.

More specifically, the learning objective are the following:

- how to frame a historical document in its proper context;

- how to confront and cross-examine the sources (e.g. narrative sources and archival sources);

- how to gather information from the documents and to write historical narratives;

- how to deconstruct historical documents, identifying their biases.

These skills and knowledge are important both for the students who will become teachers, and for those who will continue their education and get, for example, a PhD degree,

Program of the course (Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern Europe):

- The problem;

- Words and ideas;

- Spirit possession and exorcism in Old and New Testament

- The development of exorcistic techniques from late antiquity to the Middle Ages

-. Early Modern Europe: demonic possession, exorcism and witchcraft

- Early Modern Europe: Protestant Reformation, demonic possession and exorcism

- The end of exorcism?

- A continuing history: demonic possession and exorcism in the present world.

At the end of the course, the students must be able:

- to know the theoretical basis of demonic possession and exorcism in Early modern Europe;

- to know the main liturgical sources of the art of exorcism;

- to know the many possible uses of exorcism, related with the religious controversies of Early Modern Europe

- to gather critical information from historical sources;

- to compare past and present, identifying similarities and differences, and to use correctly historical argumentation;

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lessons given in classroom.

Attendance

The attendance is mandatory for those students who want to give the exam as attending students (see below).

The other students must refer to the "additional information for non-attending students".

The attending students should have a good knowledge of early modern European history.

Course books

Main text:

Francis Young, Possessione. Esorcismo ed esorcisti nella storia della Chiesa cattolica. Edizione italiana a cura di Andrea Nicolotti, Roma, Carocci, 2018 [A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016]

The students must read also the 

Textbook for the students who choose to give the exam in English

Assessment

The assessment consists in an oral exam. The students must answer one to three questions (depending on the extension of the subject); the exam can last 20 to 45 minutes.
The assessment criteria are:
1. General knowledge of early modern history 
a). Not sufficient: the student ignores almost at all historical events and their course; b) sufficient: the student can describe and date historical events and ideas, but he/she can't go deep; c) good: the student can describe well events and ideas, but he/she is not always able to connect the various facets of history; d) excellent: the student is perfectly able to recall historical events with all their circumstances ad he/she can connect events and ideas, even if the texts or the lessons didn't do it.

Grades are: not sufficient = less than 18; sufficient = 18 to 25; good =  25 to 30; excellent = 30 cum laude.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Individual reading and study

Course books

The course books for non-attending students are different, depending on the different cases:

1) If the students have not yet attended a general history course for the early modern period (i.e. if they have not studied an Early Modern European history handbook), then they will study the following texts

a. One manual chosen among the following:

Francesco Benigno, L'età moderna. Dalla scoperta dell'America alla Restaurazione, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005;

or

Carlo Capra, Storia moderna (1492-1848), Firenze, Le Monnier, 2004 (fino al capitolo 25 incluso, cioè fino a pagina 320)

and

b. Another book, chosen among the following

Giampaolo Romagnani, La società di antico regime (XVI-XVIII secolo). Temi e problemi storiografici, Roma, Carocci, 2010

or

Guido Dall'Olio, Storia Moderna. I temi e le fonti, Roma, Carocci, 2004.

Textbook for the students who choose to give the exam in English:

M. E. Wiesner-Hanks, Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789, Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 2013 (2nd edition)

2) If the students have already attended an early modern history course and they have studied a handbook, then they will study the following texts (please take note that the choice is between a) one huge book, or b) a group of two books:

a. Adriano Prosperi, Tribunali della coscienza. Inquisitori, confessori, missionari, Torino, Einaudi, 1996 (and reprints)

or

b.  Vincenzo Lavenia, Dio in uniforme. Cappellani, catechesi cattolica e soldati in età moderna, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2017, and e Adriano Prosperi, Delitto e perdono. La pena di morte nell’orizzonte mentale dell’Europa cristiana (XIV-XVIII secolo), Torino, Einaudi, 2016

Textbooks for the students who choose to give the exam in English:

- Lyndal Roper, Martin Luther. Renegade and Prophet, London, Vintage, 2017

It is possible, to ask the professor for a "personalized" syllabus. In this case, the students have to contact the professor by e-mail or talk to him during the office hours.

Assessment

The assessment consists in an oral exam. The students must answer one to three questions (depending on the extension of the subject); the exam can last 20 to 45 minutes.
The assessment criteria are:
1. General knowledge of early modern history 
a). Not sufficient: the student ignores almost at all historical events and their course; b) sufficient: the student can describe and date historical events and ideas, but he/she can't go deep; c) good: the student can describe well events and ideas, but he/she is not always able to connect the various facets of history; d) excellent: the student is perfectly able to recall historical events with all their circumstances ad he/she can connect events and ideas, even if the texts or the lessons didn't do it.

Grades are: not sufficient = less than 18; sufficient = 18 to 25; good =  25 to 30; excellent = 30 cum laude.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

A general knowledge of Early Modern European history is strictly recommended.