The Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Syllabus – Fall 2023
Course Objectives:
The objective of this course is to explore J.K. Rowling’s world in the Harry Potter series through book discussions and activities. In this course, we will help legitimize the genre of fantasy by exploring topics, themes, and issues brought about by this series. In addition, we will try to understand what makes the series so compelling to generations of readers and what has made it the best-selling book series of all time. We hope to prove that Harry Potter is a work of academic merit to our students. To do this, we will discuss:
(1) The history of magic, witchcraft, and wizardry
(2) Social hierarchies and the role of race in culture
(3) Harry Potter as a literary subject
(4) The limits of the Harry Potter story (e.g. power of creativity and imagination)
(5) The role of government, corruption, and concentration on authoritarianism in civilian life
(6) Children’s literature, fantasy novels, and the Harry Potter fandom
(7) Harry Potter as a “coming of age” story, specifically with themes of death and love.
This class is open to everyone, from the most dedicated fans to those who have never read the books or watched the movies.
At times, our faculty advisor will also attend lectures as part of their supervision and sponsorship of our class.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Students should be able to not just read the whole series and understand the plot, but also critically think about Harry Potter’s relevance to our modern world. We expect students to analyze the characters’ motivations, plot developments, and J.K. Rowling’s influence until today. We really have one question, for which we hope everyone can generate a different answer: J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is a timeless tale — why?
Class Format:
Each class will usually be split into two parts. The first part is a fun activity based on that week's reading, for which you can win points for your house toward the illustrious House Cup. The second part is a discussion, a reading quiz, and a short lecture concerning that week's reading. (See the schedule below for a list of our activities.) House points will also be awarded for various things from making Harry Potter-themed food to house bonding and submitting your own discussion questions.
Books:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone OR Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
* Additional readings and multimedia resources will be available to you online. These will include short articles. You are not required to bring the texts to class.
Do not be discouraged by the book list. Each book can easily be read in less than one day, so it will not be hard to finish reading them throughout the semester.
Rules:
You must abide by these rules in order to participate in the course, or else risk detention or expulsion from Hogwarts. For extenuating circumstances, contact a facilitator as soon as possible.
1. Cell Phones should be kept on silent or turned off. Please. (If you have a Harry Potter ringtone, though, that’s an entirely different matter…)
2. Tardiness - Please be on time. You are also expected to stay for the entire class period. Repeated truancy will result in a risk of failing the class.
3. If you miss a class, we expect you to review the lecture slides (if applicable). We will quiz you on things that were only said in class, so make sure you pay attention.
*** DSP Accommodations: As long as students communicate their needs with the facilitators, we can provide both physical and academic accommodations. All activities that require physical activity have indoor/DSP-friendly alternatives.
Grading:
This class will be graded on a Pass/No Pass system, and those who pass will be awarded two units in English 198. The grade will be based on the following:
1. Attendance & Active Participation – 30%. Attendance is mandatory. If you have an excused absence, we still expect you to review the lecture slides and complete the weekly quiz. The first half of each class period will be a fun activity related to the week’s reading or the series as a whole. Each week, the second half of class will consist of a combination of lecture and discussion relating to the week’s reading.
2. Discussion Responses – 10%. Each student will be required to write two discussion responses on a prompt/theme provided by the facilitators.
3. Weekly Reading Quizzes – 10%. There will be a short reading quiz every week.
4. Written Reflection – 15%. This is a mandatory two-page, double-spaced response to the series and the secondary readings. You will be asked to make connections between concepts in the books and concepts in these articles, using your own interpretation of the readings (this means there is no “right” answer; we’re just looking for some original thinking). Reflection questions will be distributed two weeks before the due date (see course schedule).
5. The Final Project – 35%. In lieu of a final, you will have a final project. You must submit a project proposal to the instructors by the first week of November. More information concerning this project will be passed out a few weeks before it is due. The final project is your own creative interpretation of the material covered throughout the course. It can be whatever you want: a story written in the world of Harry Potter, an illustration of some sort, a video, a game, or performance art — anything you like so long as it meets two conditions. The first is that you must relate it fairly explicitly to the course material. The second is that you must put some time into it; although we aren't expecting a drawing of yours to be worthy of the Louvre, we nevertheless will refuse to accept something obviously drawn in the ten minutes before class. You are allowed to work in a group. Final projects will not be accepted late — barring grave circumstances (emphasis on grave), no exceptions to this rule will be granted. Don’t stress about this — the idea is that you put effort into it because you really like what you’re doing.
*** Note on grading: We allow either 2 failed quizzes, 3 excused absences, or a combination of 2 of these (1 excused absence and 1 failed quiz).
If the student goes beyond the allotted amount of either, they are required to do make-up work, which is a short, written reflection. They are only allowed to complete make-up work twice: if they go beyond needing to do make-up work twice, we have the right to discuss their failing the class with our advisor.
More than 4 absences will result in a failure in the course, barring extenuating circumstances that have been discussed with the facilitators.
Course Schedule:
Class Date
Topics & Activities
Homework
(Readings are due by the date on the syllabus)
8/31
Introduction to course and syllabus
Application session
Show up to the first meeting!
9/7
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Introduction to common themes of love, friendship, and trust
Sorting and History of Houses
Book 1
Quiz due
9/14
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
History of magic and witchcraft
Wand Making
Book 2
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
Reflection questions and additional articles distributed
9/21
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Etymology, modern implications, and categorization in Harry Potter
Hogwarts Class Activity
Discussion of additional articles
Book 3, Additional articles
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
9/28
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
International relations in the series
Yule Ball
Book 4 Part 1
Reflection paper due
Quiz due
10/5
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter as literature
Quad-Wizard Tournament
Book 4 Part 2
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
10/12
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Real-world parallels and critiques within Harry Potter
O.W.L.s
Book 5 Part 1
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
10/19
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Government, corruption, and civilian life
Quidditch
Book 5 Part 2
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
10/26
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Trust and betrayal
Jeopardy
Book 6 Part 1
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
11/2
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Fandom and Harry Potter; separating the art from the artist
Locket Hunt
Book 6 Part 2
Final project proposals due
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
11/9
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Queer Baiting and the limits of Harry Potter as literature
Horcrux Hunting
Book 7 Part 1
Discussion responses for select students due
Quiz due
11/16
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Historical and modern implications of the series
Discussion of the series as a whole
Book 7 Part 2
Why is Harry Potter a timeless tale?
Quiz due
11/30
Last Day of Class
Final projects and presentations
House Cup
Term Projects due
Class evaluations due
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