Frank Klaassen, in his capacity as President of Societas Magica, organised the society's (and probably the department's) first-ever e-colloquium. Participants from Waterloo, Paris, Cambridge, and Saskatchewan all met by videoconference. Lauren Kassell (Cambridge) spoke on "Thomas Vaughan's Alchemy and the Reform of Ritual Magic in Seventeeth-Century England". It was a fascinating paper that considered Vaughan's reformation of ritual magic in the quest to develop a purer alchemy. This had ties to the wider Protestant reformation, as well as the emerging experimental method.
The e-colloquium was a great way to bring international scholars together inexpensively (and greenly). I declare the experiment a success! Frank promises that there will be more e-colloquiums to come.
What's Up? is the official news site of the University of Saskatchewan Department of History, with announcements of upcoming events and quirky notices of the research, teaching, learning, and social activities of our departmental community. What's Up? reports on the activities and celebrates the achievements of our faculty, staff, and students past, present, and future. To comment, contribute, or suggest an item, contact our point person, Dr. Gary Zellar at gary.zellar@usask.ca.
