By Chelsey Schweitzer

Senior Staff Writer

All aboard the Hogwarts express! This summer, from June 3 to 24, students will be able to travel through England and Scotland to visit locations associated with the Harry Potter franchise.

This experience will be led by British tour guide and American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) staff member Debbie Schmidt, who is a huge Harry Potter fan and knows all of the locations that will be visited during this trip.

In addition, students can earn three units of upper division social science (DD) general education credit for this course while experiencing the culture and history of London and Scotland, and the effect they had on the Harry Potter series.

“[In my experience] in a group of eight to ten[students], only about two or three have ever been out of the country. [This trip will allow students] to broaden their horizons and learn about and participate in other cultures” said Professor Linda Pershing, the one behind the study abroad course as well as the Harry Potter course that is available on campus.

Students who are enrolled will begin their experience in London on June 3, and visit locations that both inspired, and were featured in, the books and films,including Scotland Yard, Oxford University, the Parliament building and King’s Cross Station.

Students will also undergo a tour of the Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden, as well as other filming locations to learn about the making of the films. A visit to the café where Rowling got her start and a possible broom-flying lesson at Alnwick castle are also on the schedule as well as a ride on the Hogwarts Express itself.

Students who are interested in participating in the course must fill out the application materials at http://www.csusm.edu/global/studyabroad/UK%20Harry%20Potter.html by Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 as well as attend an information session hosted by Professor Pershing on one of the dates below. A non-refundable $300 deposit to the Office of Global Education must be submitted with the application materials on the same date.

For those who are selected to participate in the course, a final payment of $4,600 is due on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. This will cover the cost of transportation through London and Scotland as well as the cost of hotels, classrooms, internet access, health insurance and daily breakfasts. This does not cover the cost of airfare or other meals, however.

For those who wish to get the upper division credit for the trip, an additional $252 will be added to the previous costs.

Some scholarship opportunities are available for the trip on the study abroad website as well as some that are offered elsewhere, which will be covered in more detail at the information sessions.

This opportunity is available for anybody who is interested, even those who are graduating before the course can still apply. Due to the travel accommodations associated with the course, space is limited to 25 to 30 students, with 25 being most likely.

For any additional questions, contact Professor Pershing at l[email protected]. More information can be found at the same web address as the application.

Remaining Information Session Dates:

12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 19 in Markstein Hall 205

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 20 in Markstein 203