By Chelsey Schweitzer
Staff Writer
Fans of the “Harry Potter” series can now take their experience a step further with the new course that will be offered in the upcoming spring semester.
Although much debate exists in the realm of academia on whether or not the series maintains substantial educational value, Professor Linda Pershing has decided to share with the university her professional opinion on the series. She will be teaching a class called Harry Potter Folklore and Culture (ID 370), which will immerse 120 students deeper in the magic of J.K. Rowling’s books. Professor Pershing decided to create the course for a variety of reasons.
“I found [the books] fascinating in many ways: as a scholar and instructor of folklore and culture, I love the books for their critical commentary on systems of social hierarchy,” Pershing said.
This course will bring to surface the various motifs and themes that are found in the beloved series. Students will learn of the mythology and folklore that J.K. Rowling has utilized, examine the culture of the magical world she has created and explore the various social issues that appear throughout the seven novels.
“These include major life issues, such as the sanctity of life and coming to terms with death (particularly the death of loved ones), social hierarchies of power and privilege and the injustice of these, courage and stepping up to take action in the face of injustice and evil, the value of friendship, and the shortcomings of bureaucracies and social institutions,” Pershing said.
The H.P. course will be educational, immersive and entertaining. Students will begin the journey with their own sorting ceremony. Each student will be assigned to one of the four houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Raveclaw) based on a personality exam. The students will then be transported to the world of “Harry Potter” with a House Prefect, commonly referred to as a teacher’s assistant, to guide them through various activities and projects, making Harry’s magical world their own.
“We will read all seven novels and learn to analyze, discuss and apply the principle concepts that appear in each novel, making the connections between the magical realm of Harry Potter and our own world. We’re planning lots of discussion, interaction, and participatory activities to make the course interesting and rewarding. Some of the topics we’ll cover include how race, gender, social stratification, and economic class shape Harry Potter’s world,” Pershing said.
Rest assured that with this class you would be getting a truly educational experience. Thorough background research has been done leading up to the course, both by Professor Pershing and her “Head Girls,” Amanda Lenox and Lauren Hammond. This includes numerous academic articles and books that focus specifically on the topics that will be discussed in the class as well as research gathered by Pershing personally, directly from numerous locations in England and Scotland that are important to the “Harry Potter” books and films.
Six CSUSM students that had helped with the original research have been awarded the opportunity to present their findings at the annual American Folklore Society Conference this October. A few students who are very familiar with the series can get involved in assisting with the course outline by contacting Pershing at [email protected].
This class will have much to offer students, whether they are a die-hard “Harry Potter” fan or someone who is just getting into the series and wants to explore the books more in depth. It will be both fun and educational to delve deeper into the cultural phenomenon that is “Harry Potter” and expand students’ perceptions of the books in an exciting environment.