ENG 200/1 - Harry Potter & The Hero Journey

[mybreakingpoint]

I'm 3 weeks into school now & it is by far the best class I've ever taken in college. Ever.

It's a writing intensive course about heroes in modern literature, with a focus on Harry Potter. The first, fourth, and seventh Harry Potter books are 3 of the 4 required texts.

Today, we watched Star Wars Episode IV to talk about Luke Skywalker's hero journey.

I've already had to take a 76 question test about Harry Potter's life (a pre-test technically, so she could know how much everyone knows about Harry Potter coming into the class) and I have a paper due next week about...Quidditch.

This is the beginning of such an awesome school year.

Apparently, a lot of schools are offering this class now. Anyone else taking it, or know someone who's taking it, or seen it as a course option & considered taking it? I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Neo Cassady]

I wish this was an option. If I ever talked about a hero's journey in my lit classes, we used The Odyssey as its foundation.

[Robototron]

I like Harry Potter, but honestly, I'd much rather talk about Odysseus, Aeneas, or other Western literary legends than Harry Potter in any serious lit class (I'm actually taking a class about Dante's Divine Comedy right now). There just isn't enough depth to any of the characters in the series to be able to say much about them.

[Broclee]

That class sounds awesome. On a somewhat unrelated note, one of my music theory TAs last year is doing her dissertation on the music of the Harry Potter films.

[Spenny]

I'd take that in a heartbeat if my school offered it.

[ted is lying]

This class is offered at my school, and im going to take it. There is also a class about jedi's it counts for a gym.

[Wait_For_It]

Sadly, my school doesn't offer a class like this.

[fightinirish217]

If my school ever offered this class I'd take it in a heartbeat. Sounds so awesome.

[AbbeyCarbs]

you are so lucky.
my writing class is about race and boston which is semi-interesting, but Harry Potter?

[fieldbelow]

I want this class! It sounds fantastic...and I hope you aced that Harry Potter knowledge test. What's the fourth required text?
And to think, I'm reading Chaucer now. Psh.

[The Personist]

Meh. Don't see the point of studying children's books in college. I love HP, but it's not what I want to read in college classes.

[subwaycollision]

That sounds pretty interesting but I don't think I'd ever really take the class. An exciting concept nonetheless.

[xxemo_kittyxx]

This class sounds awesome, what school do you go to?

[raychull]

oh my god I would so take this in a heartbeat. I have a friend who is taking comp 2, and she watches movies a LOT, and critiques them. hahah.

but shit. this? best class ever.

[laxcrs]

and to think we are working with classics like the iliad and odyssey and dantes inferno

[ascitiesburn101]

All of my English teachers dismiss HP on the grounds that his character is vapid of ambivalence and therefore unworthy of critical analysis. But this is badass. I'm jealous.

[mybreakingpoint]

I want this class! It sounds fantastic...and I hope you aced that Harry Potter knowledge test. What's the fourth required text?
And to think, I'm reading Chaucer now. Psh.

the hero with a thousand faces by joseph campbell

This class sounds awesome, what school do you go to?

adrian college in adrian, mi http://adrian.edu

All of my English teachers dismiss HP on the grounds that his character is vapid of ambivalence and therefore unworthy of critical analysis. But this is badass. I'm jealous.

dude, you have no idea. it's SO good.

we also watched Star Wars to discuss Luke Skywalker's hero journey, and for my 15 page essay on the hero journey, I'm doing mine on Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot, Benjamin Martin. so stoked.

[Alou]

I'd rather a class like that be more focus on the older heroic journeys rather than the modern ones, but I believe UGA has a class like that.

[Esrb99]

There just isn't enough depth to any of the characters in the series to be able to say much about them.

Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Draco, Sirius, etc...

I dunno, all seem to see depth in them if I remember correctly.

[mybreakingpoint]

writing a paper on mad-eye moody right now.

not as fun as it sounds hahaha

"Discuss the inconsistencies in Mad-Eye Moody's character"

[TSLROCKS]

Class sound pretty freaking awesome. Would absolutely love if my school offered something like this

[concernedparent]

Meh. Don't see the point of studying children's books in college. I love HP, but it's not what I want to read in college classes.
Harry Potter is most certainly not a children's book.

[JoshSalas]

This class is offered at my school, and im going to take it. There is also a class about jedi's it counts for a gym.

What college/university do you go to!? Lol i'll drop out of mine immediately.

[JoshSalas]

Harry Potter is most certainly not a children's book.

Agreed. The better you become at analyzing/ close reading literature the more you'll get out of it, Harry Potter is pretty much for everyone, and I think (some of) the characters have a substantial amount of depth. If they didn't we wouldn't care so much about the characters choices/fate and whatnot.

[ted is lying]

What college/university do you go to!? Lol i'll drop out of mine immediately.
Suny Potsdam, it is the greatest place on earth.

[yves.]

USC apparently offers an english class where the harry potter books are required, i've been holding out on my english credits just to take that shit.

[killerswells]

the hero with a thousand faces by joseph campbell


we also watched Star Wars to discuss Luke Skywalker's hero journey, and for my 15 page essay on the hero journey, I'm doing mine on Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot, Benjamin Martin. so stoked.

my good buddy is taking star wars and the hero journey at our school. he has to read hero with a thousand faces, and watch all the star wars and harry potters for essays they have to turn in. he said it is the best class he has ever taken in college. im thinkin of taking it now just for shits and giggles...

[wroteurname]

do want.

[samsara]

I want a lot.

[fishingthe_sky]

I'm 3 weeks into school now & it is by far the best class I've ever taken in college. Ever.

It's a writing intensive course about heroes in modern literature, with a focus on Harry Potter. The first, fourth, and seventh Harry Potter books are 3 of the 4 required texts.

Today, we watched Star Wars Episode IV to talk about Luke Skywalker's hero journey.

I've already had to take a 76 question test about Harry Potter's life (a pre-test technically, so she could know how much everyone knows about Harry Potter coming into the class) and I have a paper due next week about...Quidditch.

This is the beginning of such an awesome school year.

Apparently, a lot of schools are offering this class now. Anyone else taking it, or know someone who's taking it, or seen it as a course option & considered taking it? I can't recommend it highly enough.

I like Harry Potter, but honestly, I'd much rather talk about Odysseus, Aeneas, or other Western literary legends than Harry Potter in any serious lit class (I'm actually taking a class about Dante's Divine Comedy right now). There just isn't enough depth to any of the characters in the series to be able to say much about them.
I agree with Robototron. HP and Luke Skywalker (especially Skywalker) are nowhere near the kinds of heroes that are present in the Classic Western literature. HP is a better choice, but still walks far too straight a path to have the kind of psychological depth that a college level class should discuss. Ankin would have been a much better choice, since his character is much more like the tragic hero, rather than plain vanilla Luke.

[therealapowers]

Agreed. The better you become at analyzing/ close reading literature the more you'll get out of it, Harry Potter is pretty much for everyone, and I think (some of) the characters have a substantial amount of depth. If they didn't we wouldn't care so much about the characters choices/fate and whatnot.

I think that while it isn't a children's book, it can be read like one. That is, while there's depth, everything is so simply explained that you don't really need to be a fantastic reader. I mean, hell, I was reading the first couple books in the second grade!

God, a class about Harry Potter would be so badass. In all honesty though, we turn my Physics class into a Harry Potter class sometimes because we've got a lot of fans in there. "What's gravity?" often becomes "...and is it relevant if you have a BROOMSTICK?!" :D

[hitormiss92]

I'm taking a hero's journey class with aa focus on star wars next semester. Can't wait!

[HelpMeSleep]

I am severely jealous that this isn't an option for me.

[wall e]

Obviously I chose the wrong school

[Jake Denning]

I dunno, I sorta want to do the least amount of work possible to get an A in an English class. So ya know, I can work a few hours here and there to make rent.

[yayitsjoe]

sometimes i wish i wasn't a math major. maybe i'll still pick up an english minor. i don't know.