HALLOWEEN LECTURE Today, Noon 6275 Bunche
Hall
Noon today will be the witching hour at UCLA ““ at least in
one room on campus.
In honor of Halloween, history Professor Teo Ruiz plans to give
a lecture about witches, ghosts and magic.
Ruiz said his lecture, which is hosted by the Undergraduate
History Association, will center around the European witch hunts of
the 15th through 17th centuries.
Though Ruiz said he does not believe in the supernatural, his
interest in the history of the subject is long-standing.
“I took a class at Princeton many years ago, and I thought
it was a wonderful class,” he said, adding that he has been
teaching about the supernatural for nearly 30 years.
“I’m more interested in the history, the intellectual
aspect of it.”
Ruiz teaches a class on religion, science and the occult, which
focuses specifically on mysticism and witchcraft during the
medieval period. Though he is not teaching it this quarter, he said
he is scheduled to teach it again during the winter quarter.
Ruiz’ Halloween lecture is an annual event ““ he has
been giving this lecture since he came to UCLA nine years ago.
He said the topic remains the same each year because of popular
demand.
“They always want me to do witches,” he said, adding
that he thinks students will take valuable information away from
the lecture. “They’ll gain an understanding of witch
hunts and witchcraft in a very specific historical context,”
he said.
Stephanie Reid, a fourth-year ethnomusicology and jazz studies
student, said she is already interested in witch hunts as a general
subject.
“It sounds pretty interesting,” she said of the
lecture. “I always watch the A&E specials that come on
around this time of year about witch hunts, and it’s pretty
incredible.”
Edgar Alvarez, a second-year atmospheric, oceanic and
environmental science student, said he would be interested in
seeing how Ruiz ties history to the modern Halloween holiday.
“I’m surprised (the lecture) is focusing on European
witch hunts instead of the American ones,” he said. “I
didn’t even know the European witch hunts were connected to
Halloween, so I’d be interested in checking it out and
hearing about that.”
Though his lecture will focus largely on serious historical
material, Ruiz also said he would keep the fun nature of the
holiday in mind.
“I’ll be adding light touches, of course,” he
said. “(Students should also come) for
entertainment.”
The only thing missing from Ruiz’ Halloween presentation
will be his costume ““ that’s reserved for the first day
of class.
“I have a dentist appointment tomorrow,” he said.
“I don’t think I could show up in my black
cape.”