Resources Events Academic Bibliography Potterversity Bathilda’s Notebook
Harry Potter has been a popular topic in academia across a wide range of disciplines since the series’s early days. Scholars of literature, history, religion, political science, and psychology, among many other subjects, have examined the books, films, and fandom for over 20 years. Courses on the series are taught at colleges and universities around the world. Here in Muggle Studies, you can find critical analysis, helpful resources for exploring Potter from an academic perspective, and updates on recent developments in Potter scholarship.
- Book Review: “Harry Potter and Resistance” by Beth Sutton-Ramspeck (May 3, 2023) - Beth Sutton-Ramspeck's "Harry Potter and Resistance" gets at the heart of the complexity that makes the series so hard to resist.
- Book Review: “Open at the Close,” Edited by Cecilia Konchar Farr (July 24, 2022) - "Open at the Close: Literary Essays on Harry Potter" is a stimulating read filled with new perspectives on popular and uncommon topics.
- Sybill Trelawney: A Modern Greek Tragedy (June 30, 2022) - Greek mythology has a huge influence within the “Harry Potter” series, but just what is it about Trelawney that makes her a modern Greek tragedy?
- What It Was Like to Take a “Harry Potter” College Course (September 24, 2021) - Get out your best quill and ink! We’ve got a student’s firsthand exposure to a magical college experience.
- Why Hogwarts Needs Women’s and Gender Studies Classes (March 13, 2021) - Here are some reasons why Hogwarts should offer women's and gender studies courses.
- The Languages of Spells (July 30, 2020) - The spells in the wizarding world universe come from many languages, not just Latin.
- Writing a College Paper on Hermione Granger (May 10, 2020) - In need of a literary topic for your final paper? Here's one suggestion for how to write about "Harry Potter" characters in school papers.
- Hermione Puts the “Grange” in Granger (April 28, 2020) - Inspiration for Hermione's name may not have come from classical mythology but a Gilded Age political movement.
- Why Latin? (May 27, 2017) - Many "Harry Potter" spells come from Latin. But does it make sense for them to?
