At Texas State University, I teach an honors course called â??Demonology, Possession, and Exorcism.â? Itâ??s not a gut course. My students produce research papers on topics that range from the role of sleep paralysis in reports of demonic attacks to contemporary murder cases in which defendants have claimed supernatural forces compelled them to commit crimes.
In fact, talk of demons isnâ??t unusual in Texas. The first day of class, when we watched a clip of an alleged exorcism at an Austin Starbucks, many of my students said that theyâ??d seen similar scenes in the towns where theyâ??d grown up.
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