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.”