# Arcane Worlds: New Frontiers in the Study of Esotericism
**Source**: https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/summer-courses/visions-of-the-occult/visions-of-the-occult.html
**Parent**: https://www.uva.nl/en/education/summer-school/uva-summer-school.html
The goal of this course is to dive deeper into the study of esotericism. In this three-week summer course, you will study in-person with some of the most respected academics in the fields of esotericism, alchemy, gnosticism, art and occultism, conspiracy theories, the New Age, and psychedelic culture. During classes, students will make use of primary sources, as well as secondary literature that clarify the way in which esoteric ideas have circulated and continue to circulate in both mainstream culture and more marginal contexts.
More...
- [Programme at a glance](#Programme-at-a-glance)
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| **Mode of instruction:** | On-campus (3 weeks) |
| **Academic dates:** | Thursday 25 June - Wednesday 15 July 2026 |
| **Housing dates:** | Wednesday 24 June - Thursday 16 July 2026 |
| **Academic fee:** | **Student fee:** €1750. Read more about [what is included in the fees](https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/summer-courses/visions-of-the-occult/faq/faq.html). **Working Professional fee:** €2000. Read more about [what is included in the fees](https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/summer-courses/visions-of-the-occult/faq/faq.html). |
| **Housing fee:** | €900 for a private room with private facilities at Maassluisstraat. Housing is optional. [Read more about university-organised accomodation](https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/summer-courses/visions-of-the-occult/faq/faq.html). |
| **Credits:** | 6 European Credits. Read more about [credits and credit transfer](https://www.uva.nl/en/programmes/summer-courses/visions-of-the-occult/faq/faq.html). |
| **Early admissions deadline:** | Sunday 1 February 2026 Students who require a Schengen Visa to study in the Netherlands are strongly advised to apply before the early deadline to ensure there is enough time to secure a visa appointment before the programme begins. |
| **Regular admissions deadline:** | Sunday 15 March 2026 |
| **Who is this programme for?** | **Level:** Advanced Bachelors, Masters, PhD Researchers, Postgraduate and working professionals **Background:** Any discipline with experience in studying and thinking about the occult and esoteric topics. A general interest in the humanities and social sciences are necessary. |
- [Programme description](#Programme-description)
The study of esotericism is a broad and many-faceted field. In the past, it has been described as 'othered knowledge', and esotericism has often been treated as a fringe pseudo-science, or at best, forgotten or obsolete knowledge. However, in recent years, there has been a steadily growing movement within the academy to study esotericism in its many expressesions within a scholarly framework.
The goal of this course is to bring together participants who are passionate about the esoteric and the occult, enabling them to delve deeply into how these studies, traditions, and related currents can be comprehended through developing a flexible yet rigorous scholarly framework.
Throughout this programme, participants will make use of primary sources, as well as secondary literature that clarify the way in which esoteric ideas have circulated and continue to circulate in both mainstream culture and more marginal contexts. These traditions are diverse, and are drawn upon by many historical, cultural, scientific, religious, and artistic movements and expressions, and have come to permeate many aspects of historical and contemporary life.
Our investigation into representations of the esoteric and the occult will go beyond the written word to include film, music, and graphic novels, as we explore together the important movements in esotericism in the past and reflect on how it manifests itself today, in the present. During the programme, participants will also have the opportunity to visit the [Embassy of the Free Mind](https://embassyofthefreemind.com/en/), home to the Ritman Library: the [*Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica*](https://embassyofthefreemind.com/en/library/about-the-library).
- [Academic directors](#Academic-directors)
**Dr. Marco Pasi** holds the chair for the History of esoteric currents in modern and contemporary Europe at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne. In his work, he focuses on the history of modern esotericism, especially in relation to art, sexuality and politics. He has been a Frances Yates Fellow at the Warburg Institute in London, a research fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies and at the Max Weber Kolleg in Erfurt, and an invited professor at various universities, such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Harvard. He is the editor in chief of the Aries Book Series, published by Brill.
**Brennan Kettelle** is a PhD researcher at the Centre for History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents (HHP), University of Amsterdam. Brennan holds a B.A. (Saint Michael’s College, 2012) in Psychology and Gender studies, an MA (cum laude) in Gender and Cultural studies (Simmons College, 2016) and a research MA (cum laude) in Western esotericism (University of Amsterdam, 2021). She is currenting writing her doctoral dissertation - Her Dark Breath: Queer Currents within Nineteenth-Century Discourses on Lilith - which focuses on historical associations between the religiomythic demoness and queer sexualities within art, literature, and sociopolitical movements. Brennan also teaches an 8-week online course on Lilith - focusing on Lilith’s origins and cultural receptions within Western esotericism - for the Brooklyn-based organization Morbid Anatomy. Utilizing monster theory and queer theory in her research, Brennan is more broadly interested in investigating themes of the ‘monstrous-queer’ within esoteric literature, orders, and figures, as well as esoteric themes within queer subcultures, politics, and histories
- [Explore our community](#Explore-our-community)
**To get a preview of some of the topics** covered and get to know the academic directors, listen to [Episode 10: Visions of the Occult](https://anchor.fm/mokum/episodes/Mokum-E10-Visions-of-the-Occult-elo24i), of Mokum Podcast. Marco and Christian talk about not only the winter programme, but the study of esotericism broadly, and its importance for understanding the world today.
**Want to get to know more about studying in Amsterdam?**Follow us on social media and join our summer community. Get a feel for our summer school vibe and our academic and social community, and learn about studying with us through the eyes of past summer school students.
[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamsummerprograms/) | [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/UvA.Summer.Programmes) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/uva-summer-programmes/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SummerAmsterdam)
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Facts & Figures
Mode
: Short-term
Credits
: 6 ECTS, 3 weeks
Language of instruction
: English
Starts in
: June