W&L’s Brock Presents National Humanities Center Lecture on Oct. 26 Brock's talk is titled "Speak of the Devil: Teaching Histories of the Supernatural."

By Erica Turman
October 22, 2021

Michelle Brock, associate professor of history at Washington and Lee University, will give a public lecture as part of the Humanities in Class Webinars series sponsored by the National Humanities Center (NHC) on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. The public can access the webinar series by signing up for a free Humanities in Class Digital Library Card.

Brock’s talk is titled “Speak of the Devil: Teaching Histories of the Supernatural.” According to the NHC website, Brock will consider how witches, werewolves, ghosts and other things that go bump in the night have long, complex histories deeply intertwined with issues of religion, gender, politics, art and more. Brock will examine how to address something as elusive as belief in super- and preternatural beings. She will also use the histories of two figures that loom large in our collective imagination — the devil and the witch — to demonstrate how exploring the supernatural offers students unique opportunities to engage with challenging yet vital questions about knowledge, power and human nature.

If you miss Brock’s talk, it will be archived online here.

The NHC Humanities in Class Webinars series brings educators together with experts in the humanities to address timely and relevant topics. You can read more about upcoming NHC webinars on their website.