"The Terror of History: Mystics, Heretics, and Witches in the Western Tradition" Prof Teofilo F. Ruiz (12 Lectures / 30 Minutes Per Lecture /  2x DVD - The Great Courses)
The dark undercurrents of the Western tradition are examined, focusing on how societies have historically responded to fear, suffering, and the unknown. By looking at the lives of mystics, the persecution of heretics, and the hysteria surrounding witchcraft, the curriculum explores the boundaries between mainstream religious belief and those deemed outsiders. It analyzes how these marginalized groups were often used as scapegoats during times of plague, war, and social upheaval.
 
The lectures trace the evolution of institutional power and the ways it sought to control spiritual and intellectual dissent from the Middle Ages through the early modern era. This investigation into the "terror" of the human experience reveals how historical trauma shaped the cultural and legal systems of the West. The ultimate goal is to understand the persistent human impulse to find meaning in catastrophe and the recurring cycles of intolerance that have defined much of history.