108P W20 Condon

Popular Potter - ENGL 108P 

Professor Frankie Condon

Hagey Hall 147, Department of English, University of Waterloo

fcondon@uwaterloo.ca (email replies within 24 hours on weekdays)

416.768.4253 (texts accepted between 9am and 6pm Monday thru Friday)

Office Hours: Tues: 1:00 – 3:00 and by appointment

I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land promised and given to Six Nations, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

In this course, we’ll read and discuss all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels with the aim of deepening our understanding of the young adult novel. We will study, at least in an introductory way, the practice of literary criticism. Finally and most fully, we’ll begin to explore cultural studies and critical theory as they are engaged in the field of English Studies. None of these areas of study should preclude having fun together. If you’re worried that you don’t know anything about literary or critical theory or cultural studies, don’t be. Your job is to be open, curious, and invested in learning and my job is to teach you. There should be a place in the course for those of you who are fans as well as those of you who are Muggles (just kidding). My hope is that we will all learn more and better how much our enjoyment of the Harry Potter books is an effect of the quality of Rowling’s craft as a writer, as well as how much our tendency to read over the flaws in the books, their cracks or broken places is an effect of the cultures, ideologies, and material conditions that shape our lives as readers.

REQUIRED READINGS

J.K. Rowling

• 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
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Additional readings as assigned

“Aren’t you ever going to read Hogwarts, A History?” ~Hermione Granger

APPARITION (20 points):

Determination (6 points)

Attendance. You will show up to class. Every class. If you can’t show up for class, you will study the PowerPoint for that day on Learn and post a discussion note to the Dropbox designed for this purpose. If you don’t take these steps three or more times when you are unable to be in class, you will receive a Troll grade for attendance. If you need to miss class more than three times in the term, please consult with the professor. Communication is key!

Deliberation (6 points)

You will be prepared for class; will participate in large and small group discussions, will stay on task during group work, and will contribute to the work of your House. You will be awake and alert in class and interested and invested in your own learning as well as the learning of your classmates. This means you, Malfoy.

Destination (7 points)

You will read the novels. If you have already read them, you will read them again for this class. You will not imagine, nor will you behave as if watching the movies could possibly substitute for reading the books. This means you, Ronald Weasley.

House Membership and Aurors (20 points)

You will be assigned to a House in which you will be a member for one third of the term, or four weeks. As a member of that House, you will contribute to the work of the House and earn points for your house by contributing to the individual and collective success of your fellows.

• Nomenclature: this House bears responsibility for tracing the etymology of names and spells in the novels
• Divination: this House bears responsibility for tracing foreshadowing within and across the novels
• Magical Creatures and Spirit Guides: this House bears responsibility for tracing the mythological forebears of all magical creatures and spirit guides in the novels
• Archetypes: this House bears responsibility for identifying archetypal characters in the novels and relating appearances of these archetypes to their appearances in prior mythological and literary works

Each House will bring its ongoing research, deliberations, and contributions to the full class during each class meeting. Houses will earn points by the quality of individual contributions to discussion by their members, as well as by the quality of the collective contribution of the House to our understanding of each novel through the quality of research the House provides. Over the course of the term, our class will publish three issues of the Daily Prophet. Each House will contribute two short, newspaper-length articles to each issue. Houses will lose points for a dearth of research and/or preparation and/or participation; if there are House members who fail to contribute to the work of the House; and when two or more members fail to attend and/or participate in class on the same day. At the close of each House rotation, a House Cup will be awarded. Members of the House receiving the Cup will be bountifully rewarded. At the formation of each new House, members will be given time in class to arrange for one meeting a week outside of class. Houses should plan to gather for a minimum of one hour to discuss the novel assigned for that week, and to plan and distribute the work of class preparation.

Aurors

During each third of a term cycle, four students will act as class Aurors rather than joining a House. As an Auror, you will bear responsibility for identifying the flaws and fracture lines within the novels, the contradictions and inconsistencies that mar either the crafting of the novels or their messages. Aurors will serve as class leaders (Prefects). They will coordinate the publication of the Daily Prophet and serve as class critics during discussion of the novels. Additionally, the Aurors may choose to contribute one coauthored article to each issue of the Daily Prophet. Like the Houses, Aurors should meet for one hour a week outside of class to prepare for class participation and to plan for and distribute tasks associated with producing an issue of The Daily Prophet.

COLLABORATIVE WRITING (20 points):

Three issues of the Daily Prophet will be collectively conceived and collaboratively composed, one of which be published at the end of each four weeks of the twelve weeks. Each House will contribute two articles to each issue. Articles should be collectively researched and collaboratively written. The Aurors will take the lead in design, layout, and publication of each issue and may choose to contribute one article to each issue. All Houses will aid the Aurors in the design, layout, and publication of Daily Prophet issues. At a minimum, this aid will take the form of revising articles as requested, attending to any publication guidelines as developed by the Aurors, and by copyediting articles carefully under the guidance of the Aurors. Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative in their designs, to experiment with digital media and multimodal composition, and to consider carefully user access and interface with each issue.

Collaboratively written articles: co-authoring is harder than you might think, but it is also – when done well – more rewarding than you might imagine. You should discuss with your housemates the subject of each of the two articles you will write together for the Daily Prophet. Once you have decided on topics, you may choose to work all together on both or to divide into two groups. You should talk extensively together as you draft your articles and, as much as possible, write them together (as opposed to dividing up the writing between you). At the end, it should be hard for any of you to discern or remember who wrote what or which words are whose. Each of you should take a pass at the final polishing and copyediting of the articles your House produces before passing them on to the Aurors for inclusion in the Daily Prophet. Warning: if it becomes clear to me that one or a few people have done most of the work for either or both articles your House produces, I will award points for those articles only to those who most actively and committedly produced them. Further, if it becomes clear to me that one or a few of you have interrupted, spoken over, or disregarded the contributions of quieter members of your group, I will award points to those who have been marginalized rather than to the most insistent speakers. This means you, Hermione Granger!

The articles your house publishes should meet the following criteria:

• Move beyond merely reporting what other scholars have written or said by contributing original critical insight or perspective
• Are well researched, drawing on course reserve materials and assigned readings, as well as on House members’ investigations of literary scholarship
• Are well composed and crafted, written not only to inform, but to delight readers
• Students of various houses are expected to collaborate peacefully to produce strong and focused writing

To determine an appropriate length for your House’s articles, you should follow the guidelines established by the Aurors for that issue. You may also want to look at a variety of traditional and electronic newspapers or other news sources to discern the style of writing appropriate to the genre of a news article. In general, such articles range from five to seven paragraphs.

INDIVIDUAL WRITING (20 points):

Option One: compose a new Beadle the Bard story whose characters, themes, plot, magical objects and creatures, and moral or message align with and advance what you see as a key or central theme in the seven Harry Potter novels. Length: 44 inches

Option Two: compose a piece of fan fiction. The story you craft must align with and advance what you see as a key or central theme in the seven Harry Potter novels. Length: 44 inches

Option Three: create a maker project that offers an alternative interpretation of one or more of the novels, takes up a key concept from class discussion of the novels and represents it materially (visually, tactilely, or aurally), or enacts some combination of the previous two alternatives through a blending of technology and art. Do remember that maker projects must demonstrate effort equivalent to other genres of final project.

Option Four: propose a genre and topic of your choice to me. Some of you may have an alternative idea for a piece of writing you would like to compose for this assignment. I am happy to work with you on alternative assignments. Be aware that designing your own assignment and completing it may be more challenging than a prescribed assignment. Length 44 inches

These assignments are creative, but they also call upon you as a writer to weave your understanding of literary criticism, cultural studies, and critical theory into your writing or making as you speak back to the HP books in some way.

COURSE EXAMINATIONS

OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) (9 and 3/4 points):

• To be taken by first- and second-year students enrolled in the course. NEWT takers will be awarded 9 and 3/4 points for their assistance in designing this exam.

NEWTs (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) (9 and 3/4 points):

• To be taken by third- and fourth-year students enrolled in the course. OWL-takers will be awarded 9 and 3/4 points for their assistance in designing this exam.

OWLs will be administered at midterm and NEWTs at the end of term. NEWT-takers will work with me to design the OWLS for first and second year students. OWL-takers will work with me to design the NEWTS. For the purposes of our course, examinations will be designed for fun rather than to inflict suffering. While you need to take the exam appropriate to your year, you will earn full marks simply by participating in the exam. Think of our OWLs and NEWTs as opportunities to enjoy one another and to celebrate our work together. My only caveat is this: if you don’t take the exams, you won’t get the points for them. Similarly, if you don’t participate in designing an exam for your classmates your grade will be affected. Aside from not participating, there is no way to fail an OWL or a NEWT in this class.

Course Grading 

EDUCATIONAL DECREES

Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Electronic Devices

Laptops and comparable technologies to assist note-taking are permitted in class. You are expected to close any programs other than those which facilitate note-taking. Please do not record classroom lectures or activities without permission.

Decree for Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity webpage for more information. Cordially refrain from asking Hermione Granger for help with your homework.

Decree of Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. (Please note Argus Filch is not authorized to make such decisions.) When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Regulations on Grievances

A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance. 

Ministry Policy on Appeals

A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Ministry Liaison Office for Students with Disabilities

The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (NH 1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term rather than wait for the Room of Requirements to appear.

Mesdames Bermingham and Ashdown, Purveyors of Aids to Conscientious Students, are proud to present the Writing Centre

The Writing Centre works across all faculties to help students clarify their ideas, develop their voices, and write in the style appropriate to their disciplines. Writing Centre staff offer one-on-one support in planning assignments and presentations, using and documenting research, organizing and structuring papers, and revising for clarity and coherence. You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit their page. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available. Please note that writing specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not proof-read or edit for you. Please bring hard copies of your assignment instructions and any notes or drafts to your appointment. Despite popular perception, it is not unplottable.