In The News
CNN Features Harry Potter in Academia
HP ReferencesWhile many readers and fans of the Harry Potter novels have long delved into the deeper meaning and context of the books in broader relation to other subjects, it would seem college universities here in the US are now following suit. CNN has a special feature article now online, highlighting the use of Harry Potter as curriculum at some of the universities in the States, including at Yale Divinity School, where graduate student Danielle Tumminio is teaching a course called “Christian Theology and Harry Potter.” CNN reports the “course uses all seven Potter books and the students examine Christian themes such as sin, evil and resurrection.
“It was a struggle for me as I put the class together, because I knew if I didn’t construct this really well … that a lot of what I was doing would be missed or misconstrued. I certainly didn’t want to come across as someone trying to indoctrinate my students,” Tumminio said. “I also wanted to make it clear that it was a critical endeavor, and that it wasn’t … that you’d sit around all day talking about how great Luna Lovegood was.”The class was an immediate draw for students. Seventy-nine people showed up at the first session for the 18 open seats.”
The article continues to note that others, such as authors John Granger, Philip Nel, and Ed Kerns have long seen the benefits to using Harry Potter in an academic situation. “Edmund Kern, author of “The Wisdom of Harry Potter” and professor at Lawrence University, was originally attracted to the books based on his training as a historian of early religion, magic and witchcraft. For him, the books’ historical impact, rather than their literary context, makes for a more intriguing analysis.
“As a kind of global cultural phenomenon, Harry Potter in a sense is unprecedented. I think movies have been extremely popular around the world, I think that certain music has been extremely popular around the world, but never before has a single literary endeavor caught the attention of so many people,” Kern said. Lisa Lowe, professor of American Studies at Yale, has read all seven books not as a scholar, but as a parent.
“What [Rowling’s] really done is come up with a mode of captivating a whole generation: it’s a form of captive concentration that took place over a course of nearly 10 years,” Lowe said.”As an adult, you’ll be thinking, ‘What would Harry have done?’ “
If you are interested in this type of deeper analytical and thoughtful examination of the Harry Potter books, be sure to check out our forum, where our Obscurus section focuses on these types of discussions, as well as Scribbulus, which contains many wonderful academic essays relating to the wonderful novels by J.K. Rowling.
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I can’t wait to go to college and take a class bases on Harry Potter! Just talking about Harry Potter and get credit for it! HOW COULD LIFE GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT??!!
FANTASTIC news!!!!
“I could have gone on to get a PoD – Doctor of Potterosopy!” -i love that idea Cat!!!
Awesome. I remember when I started college in ‘99 we had a childrens’ literature class and the first three HP books were required reading, in the campus bookstore (they were the only three out yet). It’s great to see that now acadamia is using them for even more than “children’s tales”!
Oh this is so great. I’m so glad Harry Potter has all this amazing sides! When my mom was studying liberal arts, like two years ago, they made her read CoS and I helped her study for her Chamber of Secrets test she had…isn’t that amazing? A Harry Potter test!
And about Mrs. Mallory, I think she’s completely wrong. I’m a Catholic, and a devoted one, and I have never attempted witchcraft once in my life. And I don’t know any people who have (and most people I know read the books and/or love the movies) so yeah, she should quit. She already did, right?
Interesting but not surprising. In America, I hear that there were university courses on Star Trek Philosophy. There were even university courses on Klingon. Jedi’s philosophy was also a course. Of course there are numerous Tolkien studies too. So this is not surprising. Teaching the morals of Harry Potter is great as long as it is not taught in a brainwashing way and is open to healthy arguments. Having said that, I actually love the morals and Christian analogies throughout the books so I would love to take such a course!
Brandi—great idea!
I use that quote in my signature line and my office has HP goodies around. I find having the ‘comfort and safety’ of a shared love for HP is a good opener for students who may feel shy about talking! I’m 46 year’s old and I LOVE Harry Potter. My undergrad major was in History and the themes running through them and how mature the writing becomes with each book is certainly worthy of academic discourse—and counseling! :)
GREAT NEWS!!!
I’ve been out of college for years (i won’t say how many :-)). I would love to take a course just for the pleasure.
As for Laura Mallory…
She’s one of many, unfortunately. I’m a devout Christian. Those people are what’s called hypocrites. If they were true believers, and readers of the Bible, they would realize…
“All Good and Perfect Gifts Come from the Lord”...
The Harry Potter saga is a gift from God. No one is going to convince me otherwise.
“A House Divided Against itself cannot stand…”
I believe none other than God allowed Jo to be so successful, because he knew how much good she would do in the world.
i am a christian, and since DAY ONE have stood behind MY Harry Potter!! I’ve been telling everyone that it was always about the battle between good and evil, life choices, and friendship. The magic world is just the setting for the story, and makes it exciting. Reading Harry Potter does not make me less of a christian, my beliefs are still in tact. My dad was always against these books without reading them, but today, just 5 minutes ago, he took the first book home to read!! Oh, and Laura Mallory, God still loves you even though your wrong about Harry Potter!!
I go to Columbia College Chicago, and am currently in a class called “Fantasy Lit: Harry Potter.” And the class is basically all about Harry Potter. We read the seven books again, everyone in the class has already read them. Its basically a class for people that are obsessed with Harry Potter and want to go deeper into the books and find all the little things Rowling put in the books that you usually don’t notice at a glance. Its definitely my favorite class.
I love Harry Potter as much as the next person but to actually have courses about them in universities! I think that is a bit extreme, and also surreal. I do not understand how it would help or benefit somebody in their later career. Of course it would be fun but… I think that first and foremost JK made the books for children and in my opinion children’s books should be purely enjoyed not over analysed. It would kind of ruin the magic of the books for me. Only in America! (lol, before anybody takes offense I am joking!)
Yes! Another score for the Harry Potter series. Take that HP-hating Muggles! And I think it’s totally awesome that there is a course in academia about Christian theology and Harry Potter. Just goes to show that these are not “evil” books. :D
WHOA! This is so weird! I just wrote a blog post about how they should have a class about Harry Potter a couple ago weeks ago! This is great! Here’s my blog if you want to see it… I dunno. http://seamusiscooler.blogspot.com Yay! I’m so excited about this!
When I found John Granger’s site, HogwartsProfessor.com, I felt I had just enrolled in a college course about literature and theology. I have learned so much and have really enjoyed the multilayered meanings deep in Harry Potter. All the ``overanalysis,’’ fromage, enhanced the magic. There is so much more to HP than a mere children’s story. Go there, turn over every rock, learn, be amazed and enjoy.
I was reading the article, and it said Liberty University does this course thing-I’m going to Liberty next year, and I was like “YES!”
Now, I know I’m gonna have a great time at college…I’ll find some more Potter-holics to hang with!
THANK YOU JESUS LOL
TOO much ok
how about thanks JC
Because Honestly Look at Harry Potter’s Charactor
do u honestly think if Jesus Knew Harry He would Hate him
NO BLEEPING WAY
GOD LOVES EVERYONE and i sure he would Rather Hang out at Ron’s house then At Belatrix
not because Belatrix is nessisaryly evil in the story but because she just doesnt Care
its the Line in 7 REMORSE
wow Thats what being a Christian is Remorse
harry felt it but Voldamort didnt
Peace Dude
that classes look fun
ps if they can make a Starwars Class that Tells Lessions of the Bible then why not Harry huh Jesus Said: i Will Go anywhere i am Wanted (when asked by his best friends Why he was going to an Evil Mans House)
I am With you Allways <—JC’s Last Words
As a doctoral student of children’s lit, I don’t think I’ve ever known a children’s literature prof who didn’t teach at least one of the Harry Potters in their history of children’s lit course. One teaches Prisoner of Azkaban as the first text of the semester, and then teaches earlier stuff and shows where some of the themes in HP are grounded historically. English profs love Harry Potter.
Yes! this is so cool! I’m 26 and I’m a massive HP Lover. I actually didn’t like reading at all but since I took the first book I just couldn’t stop, really! I used to go to bed really late because I kept reading and reading… and when DH arrived, well… that’s another story I just kept on reading all day long…. I hate when someone says HP is for children, this couldn’t be more mistaken! Just because the main characters are kids? The books are about really deep issues such as racism, discrimination, good vs evil, values, frienship, choices…
I don’t agree. Unlike Christ, Harry sacrificed himself for his loved ones, CAME BACK, FINISHED HIS TASK, and lived happily ever after and made himself a heaven on earth. He isn’t a Christ figure; if anything, Harry’s sacrifice represents more than Christ’s because he wasn’t “called” by anyone, he did it because of the love in his heart which every human posesses (besides Voldemort) , not just what Christians posess. The book is a cultural phenomenon because love is something everyone the world over can relate to and understands.
I think we all know that the series is a true work of literature and should be studied and treated as a work of literature. Especially when we all know what happens when you overanalyze and look for things that aren’t there =p
Ya, I really don’t understand how it’s anti-religious. If you think about it, if it was not Christian, why on earth would they celebrate Christmas or Easter? I can understand how some people would think it promotes witchcraft, but that is really only if you take it as truth.
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Back to Laura Mallory, I feel kind of sorry for her. She thinks she’s doing a good thing, but he’s missing out on a really good thing in the process. If only she would use that energy to battle real evil in the world. If only many of us had that energy to battle real evil. It’s sad, really.