The Harry Potter series was a phenomena like no other ever experienced by the world before. Suddenly adults were reading children's books and people were waiting in line for hours dressed in black cloaks to see a movie about an eleven year old wizard. At the time when the average college student was growing up, Harry Potter was a household name and there was no way to escape the Potter mania that had taken over the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world. Fast forward 18 years after the release of the first Harry Potter novel and the effect the series still has on society can be seen everywhere. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter amusement park at Universal Studios brings in hundreds of visitors everyday, and it is hard to imagine logging onto Twitter or Tumblr and not seeing Harry Potter oriented posts and memes within seconds. College kids today grew up …show more content…
Even if they never even read the series, students still saw the effect Harry Potter had on the society around them. Because of the huge impact of Harry Potter, I would suggest that the Honors College create a course focusing on how the Harry Potter series has affected the views of the young adults who grew up immersed in the magical wizarding world. Research has been done on the effect of The Boy Who Lived and there is evidence suggesting that Harry Potter fans are more politically tolerant and open to diversity than non-fans. Professor Anthony Gierzynski of the University of Vermont has even published a book on the topic, titled Harry Potter and the Millennials. Students taking the course could interpret the findings of these studies as well as the hidden political views and attitudes found in the novels and movies. Through the seminar, students would be able to analyze how their own political views developed and how pop culture may have affected their beliefs. Some may argue that the course may not be beneficial for those who did not read the series as children, however, all