In an unabashed attempt to lure Pottermaniacs to its English department, the University of Waterloo has developed an entire course dedicated to J.K Rowling's blockbuster series.



The class will be taught by associate professor Neil Randall, who says now is the perfect time to debut his "Popular Potter" course.

"We're in a generation right now of people who grew up with Harry Potter. These books mean a great deal to them," said Randall.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published in 1997, and by 2000, Pottermania had taken hold.



The book topped the New York Times best-seller list for much of 1999 and 2000 and the books that followed saw similar success — each selling more than 50 million copies.



But Randall says that's not the only reason he pitched the course.



"When I got these books I recognized what made them popular, but also that these are cleverly written, very tightly plotted," said Randall. "I think we have a responsibility to study it."

A contemporary classic

But does Harry Potter deserve a space alongside Hamlet, as a classic piece of literature?



Likely, says Randall.



"I have no doubts whatsoever that some of my colleagues would be saying 'Do we really want to doing a Harry Potter course?' The fact is, this is exactly the kind of discussion we should be having."



"Universities tend to have a healthy, though sometimes over the top, attitude about the value of popular works. That if it gets popular, you should be suspicious."



"What I want to do is empower students who grew up with Harry Potter to not have to hide this as being something they loved. That there's actual value to it," said Randall.



The course will be based exclusively on the novels, and students will be required to read all seven— knowing the movies won't get you an automatic 'A'.



The class will look at the character development, as well as the mix of genres and language used and much more, says Randall.

The first class will be Tuesday with another class open for enrolment in the fall semester.