英国大学推出魔法与神秘学硕士学位

近日，英国埃克塞特大学推出了全英首个魔法和神秘学硕士学位，旨在全面探讨魔法和巫术在全球社会及科学中的影响和角色，以满足人们在这一领域日益增长的兴趣。

🤔️小作业：

1. How does Prof. Emily Selove view the role of magic in contemporary life?

a) Obsolete

b) Inconsequential

c) Pervasive

d) Dangerous

a) Conventional

b) Subversive

c) Dismissive

d) Repetitive

无注释原文：

British university offers master’s degree in magic and the occult

From: The Guardian

If you’ve been getting into crystals, manifesting your dream board or exploring feminist readings of witchcraft, you can now take your hobby to the next level – with the UK’s first postgraduate degree in magic and the occult.

The University of Exeter is seeking to harness growing interest in the subjects with a course that will explore the history and impact of witchcraft and magic around the world on society and science.

The multidisciplinary degree, which starts in September 2024, will draw on history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, psychology, drama and religion to show the role of magic on the west and the east.

Prof Emily Selove, who leads the course, said: “A recent surge in interest in magic and the occult inside and outside academia lies at the heart of the most urgent questions of our society. Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism, and anti-racism are at the core of this programme.”

She said this reversed a tendency in recent decades to “dismiss the study of magic and the occult”, with the idea that it is “no longer of importance to ‘modern people’”.

Citing rituals such as wearing jewellery considered to be lucky or representing a point of contact with a distant person or thing, touching wood, or not shaving to avoid jinxing the team on match day, Selove said “a superficial glance at our own beliefs and the beliefs of the people around shows us [that] magic is a part of our everyday life. Responsible scholars would do well to take this seriously”.

This is confirmed by the growth in the popularity of folklore, witchcraft, tarot and crystals, which has been understood as a reaction to the decline of organised religion. The 2022 census found a rise in the number of people identifying as pagans and wiccans in the UK, while shamanism was the fastest-growing religion.

Selove said the MA in magic and occult science would reexamine “the assumption that the west is the place of rationalism and science, while the rest of the world is a place of magic and superstition”, including how it underpins western culture, and how its relationship with the natural world can bring new perspectives to climate breakdown.

She said there was a “growing acknowledgment” in academia that texts dealing with magic or occult subjects have been “systematically neglected by scholarship” in medieval and early modern history, literature, and religion, as well as the history of science and philosophy.

Selove said there had been a lot of interest in the course since its launch, with the university receiving more than 100 inquiries.

The course will combine traditional western academic methodologies and more alternative approaches, with students able to complete their dissertation through a performance work.

It says it will equip students with skills including creative thinking, analytical thinking, curiosity and lifelong learning.

Students will have the option to take modules on dragons in western literature and art, the legend of King Arthur, palaeography, Islamic thought, archaeological theory and practice, the depiction of women in the middle ages, the book in medieval and early modern Europe, gender, society and culture in early modern Europe and the philosophy of psychedelics.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

British university offers master's degree in magic and the occult

From: The Guardian

If you've been getting into crystals, manifesting your dream board or exploring feminist readings of witchcraft, you can now take your hobby to the next level – with the UK's first postgraduate degree in magic and the occult.

如果你对水晶、实现愿望板或从女权主义角度研究巫术有浓厚兴趣，现在你可以将你的爱好提升到一个新的层次——英国大学推出了首个魔法和神秘学硕士学位。

crystal /ˈkrɪs.təl/ 1）表示“水晶玻璃”，英文解释为“transparent glass of very high quality, usually with its surface cut into delicate patterns”如：a crystal vase 水晶玻璃花瓶；

2）表示“（手表或钟表的透明）玻璃（或塑料）盖片”，英文解释为“a transparent glass or plastic cover for a watch or clock”

manifest /ˈmæn.ɪ.fest/ 表示“显示；表现；表明”，英文解释为“to show something clearly, through signs or actions”举个🌰：The illness first manifested itself in/as severe stomach pains. 这种疾病最初表现为严重的胃痛。

作形容词，也可以作名词，表示“女权主义者；女权主义的”，英文解释为“A feminist is a person who believes in and supports feminism. Feminist groups, ideas, and activities are involved in feminism.”举个🌰：She's been an outspoken feminist for over twenty years. 20多年来，她一直是个直言不讳的女权主义者。

witchcraft /ˈwɪtʃ.krɑːft/ 表示“巫术，魔法”，英文解释为“the activity of performing magic to help or harm other people”。

the occult /əˈkʌlt/ 作名词，表示“玄学，神秘学”，英文解释为“the study of magic or mysterious powers”

表示“有魔力的，神秘的；玄妙的”，英文解释为“relating to magical powers and activities, such as those of witchcraft and astrology”举个🌰：She claims to have occult powers, given to her by some mysterious spirit. 她声称拥有某一神秘精灵赐予的神秘魔力。

The University of Exeter is seeking to harness growing interest in the subjects with a course that will explore the history and impact of witchcraft and magic around the world on society and science.

埃克塞特大学（University of Exeter）正试图利用人们对这些学科日益增长的兴趣开设课程，探索世界各地巫术和魔法的历史及其对社会和科学的影响。

harness /ˈhɑːnɪs/ 作动词，表示“控制，利用（以产生能量等）”，英文解释为“to control and use the force or strength of sth to produce power or to achieve sth”举个🌰：We must harness the skill and creativity of our workforce. 我们必须尽量发挥全体职工的技能和创造力。

🎬《复仇者联盟2：奥创纪元》（Avengers: Age of Ultron）中提到的：If we can harness this power, ...如果我们能够驾驭这种能量，

🎬《奇异博士》（Doctor Strange）中提到的：We harness energy...我们收集/汲取能量，

The multidisciplinary degree, which starts in September 2024, will draw on history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, psychology, drama and religion to show the role of magic on the west and the east.

这个跨学科学位将于2024年9月开始招生，涵盖历史、文学、哲学、考古学、社会学、心理学、戏剧和宗教等领域，旨在展示魔法在东西方的影响。

multidisciplinary /ˌmʌl.ti.dɪs.əˈplɪn.ər.i/ 表示“结合多种学科的；（涉及）多种学科的”，英文解释为“involving different subjects of study in one activity”如：a multidisciplinary course 涉及多学科的课程。

archaeology /ˌɑː.kiˈɒl.ə.dʒi/ 表示“考古学”，英文解释为“the study of the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, in order to learn about their culture and society”

Prof Emily Selove, who leads the course, said: “A recent surge in interest in magic and the occult inside and outside academia lies at the heart of the most urgent questions of our society. Decolonisation, the exploration of alternative epistemologies, feminism, and anti-racism are at the core of this programme.”

该课程负责人艾米丽·塞洛夫（Emily Selove）教授表示：“最近学术界内外对魔法和神秘学的兴趣激增，这正是我们社会最紧迫问题的核心。去殖民化、探索另类认识论、女权主义和反种族主义是本课程的核心内容。”

1）作动词，表示“急剧上升；飞涨；剧增”，英文解释为“If something surges, it increases suddenly and greatly, after being steady or developing only slowly.”举个🌰：The company's profits have surged. 公司的利润激增。

2）作名词，表示“剧增”，英文解释为“A surge is a sudden large increase in something that has previously been steady, or has only increased or developed slowly.”举个🌰：An unexpected surge in electrical power caused the computer to crash. 突然出现的电压剧增导致电脑死机。

🎬电影《雷神2：黑暗世界》（Thor: The Dark World）中的台词提到：But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her. 但她体内涌动的能量太大 她撑不住的。

表示“非殖民地化；（殖民地）独立”，英文解释为“the process in which a country that was previously a colony (= controlled by another country) becomes politically independent”

epistemology /ɪˌpɪs.təˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/ 表示“认识论”，英文解释为“the part of philosophy that is about the study of how we know things”

She said this reversed a tendency in recent decades to “dismiss the study of magic and the occult”, with the idea that it is “no longer of importance to 'modern people'”.

她说，这扭转了近几十年来“轻视魔法和神秘学研究”的趋势，即认为它对“现代人”不再有意义。

1）表示“失败；挫折”，英文解释为“a defeat or failure”举个🌰：They suffered a serious military reverse. 他们遭受了一次重大的军事失败。也可以表示“相反的情况（或事物）；对立面”，英文解释为“the opposite of what has been suggested”

2）作动词，表示“（使）反向；（使）倒转；彻底改变；推翻”，英文解释为“to change the direction, order, position, result, etc. of something to its opposite”举个🌰：The new manager hoped to reverse the decline in the company's fortunes. 新经理希望能够扭转公司江河日下的状况。

1）表示“对…不予理会，摒弃，（从头脑中）去除”，英文解释为“to decide that something or someone is not important and not worth considering”举个🌰：I think he'd dismissed me as an idiot within five minutes of meeting me. 我认为他和我见面5分钟后就把我归入了傻瓜之列。

2）表示“解雇；免职；开除”，英文解释为“to officially remove sb from their job”举个🌰：She claims she was unfairly dismissed from her post. 她声称自己被无理免职。

Citing rituals such as wearing jewellery considered to be lucky or representing a point of contact with a distant person or thing, touching wood, or not shaving to avoid jinxing the team on match day, Selove said “a superficial glance at our own beliefs and the beliefs of the people around shows us [that] magic is a part of our everyday life. Responsible scholars would do well to take this seriously”.

塞洛夫举例说，无论是佩戴被认为能带来好运的饰品，或者将其作为与远方人或事物建立联系的象征，还是触摸木头，或者不刮胡子以避免在比赛日给球队带来厄运，“粗浅地看一眼我们自己和周围人的信仰，就会告诉我们魔法是我们日常生活的一部分。负责任的学者最好认真对待这一现象”。

表示“例行公事，老规矩；（尤指）仪式”，英文解释为“a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony”举个🌰：Coffee and the newspaper are part of my morning ritual. 喝咖啡和读报纸是我早晨必做的事情之一。

shave /ʃeɪv/ 表示“剃去毛发；刮胡子”，英文解释为“to remove hair from the body, especially a man's face, by cutting it close to the skin with a razor, so that the skin feels smooth”举个🌰：He has to shave twice a day. 他每天得刮两次脸。

jinx /dʒɪŋks/ 表示“使…倒霉，遭遇厄运”，英文解释为“to cause a person or group to experience bad luck”举个🌰：I thought we would win, but I didn't say so – I didn't want to jinx it. 我觉得我们会赢，但是不想说出来，怕因此倒霉。

superficial /ˌsuː.pəˈfɪʃ.əl/ 1）表示“表面的，浅显的，肤浅的”，英文解释为“not complete and involving only the most obvious things”举个🌰：I thought that article was written at a very superficial level. 我认为那篇文章写得很肤浅。

2）表示“（人）浅薄的，肤浅的”，英文解释为“(of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important”

This is confirmed by the growth in the popularity of folklore, witchcraft, tarot and crystals, which has been understood as a reaction to the decline of organised religion. The 2022 census found a rise in the number of people identifying as pagans and wiccans in the UK, while shamanism was the fastest-growing religion.

民间传说、巫术、塔罗牌和水晶的日益流行证实了这一点。人们认为，这是对有组织宗教衰落的一种反应。2022年人口普查发现，在英国，被认定为异教徒和巫士的人数有所增加，而萨满教是增长最快的宗教。

folklore /ˈfəʊkˌlɔː/ 表示“民间传说；民俗”，英文解释为“Folklore is the traditional stories, customs, and habits of a particular community or nation.”

tarot /ˈtær.əʊ/ 表示“塔罗（纸）牌（一套用于占卜的纸牌，共78张）”，英文解释为“a set of 78 cards with pictures on them, used for trying to find out what will happen to someone in the future”

census /ˈsensəs/ 表示“人口普查；（官方的）调查，统计”，英文解释为“A census is an official survey of the population of a country that is carried out in order to find out how many people live there and to obtain details of such things as people's ages and jobs.”举个🌰：The detailed assessment of the latest census will be ready in three months. 有关最新人口普查的详细评估工作将在3个月内就绪。

pagan /ˈpeɪ.ɡən/ 表示“多神教徒；异教徒”，英文解释为“a person who has pagan beliefs”或者表示“没有宗教信仰的人”，英文解释为“a person who has no religious beliefs”

Selove said the MA in magic and occult science would reexamine “the assumption that the west is the place of rationalism and science, while the rest of the world is a place of magic and superstition”, including how it underpins western culture, and how its relationship with the natural world can bring new perspectives to climate breakdown.

塞洛夫表示，魔法和神秘学硕士学位将重新审视“西方是理性主义和科学之地，而世界其他地方是魔法和迷信之地的假设”，包括它如何支撑西方文化，以及它与自然世界的关系如何为气候崩溃带来新的视角。

rationalism /ˈræʃ.ən.əl.ɪ.zəm/ 表示“理性主义，唯理主义，理性至上”，英文解释为“the belief or principle that actions and opinions should be based on reason rather than on emotion or religion”

superstition /ˌsuː.pəˈstɪʃ.ən/ 表示“迷信”，英文解释为“belief that is not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, but is connected with old ideas about magic, etc.”举个🌰：According to superstition, if you walk under a ladder it brings you bad luck. 按照迷信的说法，从梯子下走过会带来厄运。

表示“加强，巩固，构成（…的基础等）”，英文解释为“to support or form the basis of an argument, a claim, etc.”举个🌰：The report is underpinned by extensive research. 这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。

She said there was a “growing acknowledgment” in academia that texts dealing with magic or occult subjects have been “systematically neglected by scholarship” in medieval and early modern history, literature, and religion, as well as the history of science and philosophy.

她说，学术界“日益认识到”，在中世纪和近代早期史、文学和宗教以及科学和哲学史中，与魔法或神秘学有关的文献“被学术界系统性地忽视了”。

medieval /ˌmed.iˈiː.vəl/ 表示“中世纪（约公元600年至1500年间）的，中古时代的”，英文解释为“related to the Middle Ages (= the period in European history from about AD 600 to AD 1500)”如：a medieval building/painting/town 中世纪建筑/画作/城镇。

Selove said there had been a lot of interest in the course since its launch, with the university receiving more than 100 inquiries.

塞洛夫说，该课程自推出以来就受到了广泛关注，学校收到了100多次相关咨询。

The course will combine traditional western academic methodologies and more alternative approaches, with students able to complete their dissertation through a performance work.

该课程将结合西方传统学术方法和其他替代性方法，学生甚至可以通过表演作品来完成毕业论文。

methodology /ˌmeθ.əˈdɒl.ə.dʒi/ 表示“一套方法；方法论；教学法”，英文解释为“a system of ways of doing, teaching, or studying something”举个🌰：The methodology and findings of the research team have been criticized. 这个研究小组的研究方法和研究结果受到了批评。

dissertation /ˌdɪs.əˈteɪ.ʃən/ 表示“专题论文；学位论文”，英文解释为“a long piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one that is done in order to receive a degree at college or university”

It says it will equip students with skills including creative thinking, analytical thinking, curiosity and lifelong learning.

该课程将帮助学生培养创造性思维、分析性思维、好奇心和终身学习等能力。

1）表示“装备；配备”，英文解释为“to provide a person or a place with objects that are necessary for a particular purpose”举个🌰：It's going to cost $4 million to equip the hospital. 给这所医院配齐医疗设备将耗资400万美元。

2）表示“使有准备；使有能力；训练”，英文解释为“to give someone the skills needed to do a particular thing”举个🌰：The goal of the course is to equip people with the skills necessary for a job in this technological age. 本课程旨在使人们获得在这个技术时代必备的工作技能。

Students will have the option to take modules on dragons in western literature and art, the legend of King Arthur, palaeography, Islamic thought, archaeological theory and practice, the depiction of women in the middle ages, the book in medieval and early modern Europe, gender, society and culture in early modern Europe and the philosophy of psychedelics.

学生还可以选择修读诸如西方文学和艺术中的龙、亚瑟王传说、古文字学、伊斯兰思想、考古学理论与实践、中世纪女性形象、中世纪和近代早期欧洲书籍、近代早期欧洲的性别、社会和文化，以及迷幻哲学等。

module /ˈmɒdjuːl/ 1）表示“（航天器独立的）舱”，英文解释为“a part of a spacecraft that can operate independently of the other parts, especially when separate from them”。

2）表示“（尤指大学课程的）单元”，英文解释为“one of the units that together make a complete course, taught especially at a college or university”

3）表示“组件；模块”，英文解释为“one of a set of separate parts that, when combined, form a complete whole”举个🌰：The emergency building is transported in individual modules, such as bedrooms and a kitchen, which are put together on site. 应急住房以单独的组件运输，如卧室和厨房，它们可以当场进行组装。

psychedelic /ˌsaɪ.kəˈdel.ɪk/ 表示“（药物、毒品）引起幻觉的，致幻的”，英文解释为“(of a drug) causing effects on the mind, such as feelings of deep understanding or unusually strong experiences of colour , sound, taste, and touch ”如：psychedelic drugs 迷幻药；也可表示“（艺术、服装等）产生迷幻效果的”，英文解释为“Psychedelic art or clothing has bright colours and strange patterns of a type that might be experienced by taking psychedelic drugs.”

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