GEE Courses offered by the Anthropology Department
ANT
2340/UGC 296U Magic, Myth and Supernatural 魔法、神話與超自然
Lecturer:
Prof. Bosco, Joseph 林舟 (josephbosco@cuhk.edu.hk)
Language: English
Office: NAH 302; Tel.: 2609 7675
Course Unit: 3
Course Description
This course will examine phenomena often viewed as irrational and superstitious
to see how they can be understood in cultural terms. All societies have
some belief in another world, yet beliefs vary widely between societies.
The course will examine traditional anthropological topics such as magic,
traditional healing, divination, fengshui, witchcraft, and ghosts, as
well as more recent issues such as ESP, psychokinesis, qigong, vampires,
zombies, monsters, UFOs and alien abduction. The role of myth in modern
society and the cultural creation of reality will be highlighted. The
power of a cultural approach in explaining the supernatural and the
limits of what science can explain will also be discussed.
這門課以文化的觀點，探討那些經常被看作是非理性的、所謂迷信的現象。所有社會都有對靈界的信仰，但在不同的社會裡信仰系統有很大的不同。這門課將考察傳統的人類學主題，如魔法、傳統治療、占卜、風水、巫術、幽靈和一些現代課題如超靈現象、心理動力、氣功、吸血鬼、僵屍、怪物、不明飛行物和外星人綁架等。本課著重探討神話在當代社會中的作用和現實的文化創造，並討論文化分析法在闡釋超自然方面的力量，以及科學解釋的局限性。
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