HIST147

Traces the concept of Satan in the Jewish and Christian traditions from the Hebrew Bible, through the early modern witch crazes, to the "Satanic Panic" of the '80s and modern conspiracy theories. We'll examine both how our darkest fears have changed over the centuries, and which elements have stayed remarkably consistent across time. In the process, we'll seek to answer our Big Question: How do ideas about the devil reflect the norms and anxieties of the cultures that produce them?