FOLKLORE
Folklore: The Supernatural World
AUTUMN FN111
Wednesdays
Tutor: Peter McGuire
The supernatural looms large in our day-to-day lives. Legends, myths and beliefs about gods and monsters, ghosts and poltergeists, witches and demons, fairies, banshees, and mermaids, guardian angels and apparitions, and extraterrestrial beings, remain at the centre of every society. Using sources from oral tradition, literature, film, the internet, and the contemporary media, students on this course will be presented with a broad – and critical – introduction to the study of traditional and contemporary supernatural legends and myths, and their relationship with ancient and contemporary religions. Who tells them? Why are they told? How have they persisted? How do they impact our behaviour and traditions? Why are they believed and disbelieved? What is their association with religion? And how have they made a surprising contribution to scientific advancement? Students will be actively encouraged to participate and share their own stories.
| BELFIELD | ||
| 10 Wednesdays | Sep 26, Oct 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Nov 7, 14, 21,28 | 7.30pm - 9.30pm |
| FEE €190 | Print Open Learning Application Form 2012.13 or ring (01) 716-7123 for Laser/credit card payment |
Tutor Details:
Peter McGuire lectures in Irish Folklore in UCD. He has an honours BA degree (UCD, 2002) in Irish Folklore and History, and a postgraduate MLitt in Irish folklore (UCD, 2007), on the topic of traditional and contemporary folklore about missing persons in Ireland. He has contributed numerous articles to academic journals about the supernatural and missing persons and presented papers at conferences in Ireland and abroad. He is also a freelance journalist, writing primarily for the education section of The Irish Times.
Provisional list of key topics to be covered:
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- Folk legend
- Folk belief
- Witches and Wise Women
- The Occult: Devils and the Dead
- Old Faiths, New Faiths: Now and Then
- Ghosts and Poltergeists
- The Banshee and Other Omens of Death
- Mermaids and other creatures
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