CWL 119

Spring 2021

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Literature of Fantasy
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Credit: 3 hours.

Same as ENGL 119. See ENGL 119.

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CRN Type Section Time Day Location Instructor Section Details
47153
Online
P
11:00AM -12:15PM
TR
n.a.
Baron, I
Part of Term:
1
Date Range:
01/25/21-05/05/21
Section Info:
Topic: Harry Potter and More - When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in June of 1997, it was largely regarded as a piece of children’s fiction about a ten-year-old orphan boy who discovers he has supernatural powers and goes off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What then made the Harry Potter novels suddenly transform into a cultural phenomenon that captured the imaginations of both children and adults? Why have these novels become the backbone of a global literary empire? What is the magic behind Harry Potter? In this course, we’ll explore the mythos of the Harry Potter novels and how they’re steeped in a rich tradition of British literature. We’ll focus on social justice and examine the political forces that led to the formation of fantasy literature as a separate genre in the UK and what makes British fantasy novels unique. Our excursion into fantasy literature will reveal how these tales became a covert way to explore the inequalities that the Industrial Revolution ignited; a rising entrepreneurial middle class and a permanent underclass held in place by rigid policies guided by genetic superiority that led to the Brexit vote of 2016. Our centerpiece this semester will be Harry Potter and his battle with the Dark Lord, Tom Marvolo Riddle representing two opposing views of the past, present and future of Britain—the alt-right vs. a progressive pluralistic society. Through these novels we’ll discuss a variety of subjects including social class, language, gender, identity politics, immigration policies, education, disability rights and technology. Students will be expected to engage actively in in the classroom and to write three papers and give oral reports on the historical and political history of the novels we’re studying. Novels include: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’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 and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.
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