Everything that happens, including humiliations, embarrassments, misfortunes, all has been given like clay, like material for one’s art. One must accept it. For this reason I speak in a poem of the ancient food of heroes: humiliations, unhappiness, discord. Those things are given to us to transform, so that we may make from the miserable circumstances of our lives things that are eternal, or aspire to be so. — From “On Blindness” by Jorge Luis Borges

The Harry Potter series is more than one long quidditch match with the seeker in perpetual singular search of the golden snitch. It is an edge-of-seat, nail-biting battle to secure peace and harmony for the world of wizards and muggles alike. Both quidditch and peace appear to depend on Harry Potter’s ability to recognize the hero within and step up to the cause. His struggle engages millions, crossing generations and cultures. It offers the possibility of heroic moral conviction as a magical solution to the overwhelming issues that follow the global community from the twentieth century, when Potter first saw print, to the twenty-first century. During the term we will read the first three books and excerpts from the others in order to explore heroics, art and survival in the world we face.

Writing is a process that includes brainstorming, researching, creating drafts and rewriting in order to achieve a finished product. Along the way, we often discover that original ideas may metamorphose as words meet paper and the writer begins to interact with them outside of the head.

This class will be opportunity rich for interacting with words outside of the head and learning about shifts in content and style as we explore the material. The course will emphasize the use of details, humor, personal observation and an assortment of techniques used in fiction that can strengthen expository writing.

Course Requirements:

The only way to learn to write is to write. To that end, students will write a series of five papers, each 4-5 pages in length, based on the assigned readings. The sixth and final project will be an 8-10 page paper, exploring some aspect of the class theme. All work, except for the final paper, will include revisions as needed. In addition, students should be prepared to share work in class as well as participate in creative, in-class writing exercises.

Intended Audience:

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Class Format:

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