Investigate the history of witchcraft accusations, as well as the masterpiece The Crucible.   Explore the overlap between historical events and literature.

Learn the real history of witchcraft accusations and explore The Crucible.  This course is an integrated history and literature course intended to explore a historical context, as well as analyze a related piece of literature.  While looking at visual and written primary documents, in this course we will explore the causes and implications of the Salem Witchcraft Trials in the context of historical circumstances.  Witchcraft trials throughout Europe and the New World operated as a means of social control.  This class will explore the history of witchcraft trials, as well as the specific details of what happened in Salem, including scientific and psychological explanations for the events that occurred.  We will also read and discuss the Crucible by Arthur Miller, comparing and contrasting the literary work with the actual historical event.  I will walk students through a literary analysis of the text, while we also evaluate the accuracy of Miller's portrayal.  

Week 1-historical context for witchcraft accusations
Week 2-What happened in Salem?
Week 3-literary analysis of the Crucible