Pre Pandemic, when Dr. Smith held The Witch in Literature in person, students made collages to coincide with their readings and discussions. Photo Courtesy of Dr. Cristina Rose Smith, the WMS 310 professor.
By Korrea Lewis and Serena Sanchez, Staff Reporters
The fall season is here and the urge to get into the spirit of the season is upon us. Decorating, lighting candles, and wishing for gloomy weather is all a part of the process, and so is willingly scaring ourselves with myths and legends.
Some of these myths are not myths at all, such as witches, that garner a type of perception to them that many see as unjustified. A chance to delve into this topic is by taking the course, The Witch in Literature (WMS 310), offered at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Dr. Cristina Rose Smith (she/siya), a feminist and a Women’s Studies professor at CSUDH, has been part of the CSUDH community for about seven years and taught WMS 310 for five.
Smith participates in the women and gender movement and feels a sort of belonging within the Women’s Studies community. Smith has the belief that everything has a purpose and a spirit, which led her to The Witch in Literature.
“[At first] the syllabus that I had been given was focused on Eurocentric perspectives, and that’s just not me,” Smith said. “And so, I really opened it up to be more about people’s medicine, women of color’s medicine, all of that.”
According to Smith, in the eyes of the old Euro male-centric perspective, she is a witch for being a woman and person of color in academia.
“It was fascinating to learn that ‘witches’ were, in the past, a term to discourage women who were powerful,” said Melina Torres, a junior Digital media major at CSUDH. “We just finished reading [Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, written by Barbara Ehrenreich] and it talked about how women used to be the first gender in the medical field and they dominated it until the men took over.”
Torres has always been intrigued by witches and her mother and grandmother believe they are descendants in some way.
“We love to think that there are people out there with this phenomenal power…I feel like that was just an excuse to dress me up for ten years as a witch,” Torres laughed. “But I thought it would be fun to learn about what other people think, and maybe see if there’s a connection from my past to this class.”
The WMS 310 course consists of four books and fifteen readings, along with possible additional readings depending on the professor. Along with these, students have weekly reading responses, one research and final paper, and a midterm exam.
“These are really special texts that I want everyone to know about,” said Smith. “And that’s the thing with the papers and everything, I try not to be like, ‘you must love these!’ but it’s more like, ‘here are these texts that changed my life, and maybe they’ll be helpful for you too.’”
The idea of witches has been misconstrued for years and continues to be today. When students enter the course for the first time, Smith is asked whether or not she will discuss demonic behavior, which makes it evident how the fear of witches is so ingrained in our minds.
“I really like to deconstruct…and pick apart the word ‘demonic’…pick apart words that carry so much colonial mentality, and the hope is that what’s underneath is a real pride,” said Smith.
A former inquirer of witchcraft and a local professor who prefers to remain anonymous, because she teaches at a university that has a majority of Catholic and Christian students, believes courses like WMS 310 are crucial in avoiding misinformation about witches and witchcraft.
“Teenagers and young adults are prone to exploration, and anyone who is drawn to the occult or the esoteric runs the risk of wandering into groups which might engage in unethical or destructive practices,” said the local professor. “By being exposed to witchcraft…in an academic forum, it would help to keep these students’ feet on the path, as it were. In other words, actual knowledge would leave them less susceptible to the claims of…unethical groups.”
Morgan Yauger (she/her), a senior psychology major, is a student in WMS 310 who enrolled because of her fascination with the topic.
Yauger finds the material rich with information and thoroughly enjoys the reading responses the students have to submit every week.
“These assignments have really helped me understand the importance of witches in women’s history,” said Yauger.
Learning the cruciality of witches is one of those ways of dismantling beliefs with education. The history of witches is not the only takeaway Smith hopes students will carry with them after the semester is over.
“I hope that we appreciate who’s around us still, and our stories, and our medicine, and go talk to them if we can…our time with our grandparents or our family…I hope it inspires us to look around at the magic that is real in here [points to her heart], around us all the time,” she said.
If you are interested in topics like witches and feminist teachings, Smith also has a podcast called Las Doctoras. She discusses oppressive social dynamics, how to heal from generational trauma, and speaks to guests about dismantling white supremacy and patriarchy.
