The Harry Potter Conference
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Harry Potter Conference Academic Reflections on the Major Themes 2014 in J.K. Rowling’s Literature Chestnut Hill College October 17, 2014 Harry Potter Conference Art Exhibit (Rotunda) Susan Bradbury, MAOL, Medaille College “Life Story” (Mixed Media) “Role Model” (Mixed Media) Joseph J. Calabresi, BA, Independent Illustrator “Expecto Patronum” “Harry is Alone” (Mixed Media) (Mixed Media) Patrick McCauley, PhD, Chestnut Hill College “Selected Chapter Heading Illustrations for Into the Pensieve: The Philosophy & Mythology of Harry Potter” (Schiffer Publishing, 2015) (Mixed Media) Conference Overview Pre-Conference Schedule 11:30AM – 2:00PM: Registration (Rotunda) 12noon – 1PM: High School Student Conference Presentations (East Parlor) 1:00 – 6:00PM: Harry Potter Art Exhibit & Refreshments (Rotunda) The Harry Potter Conference 2:00 – 2:10PM: Conference Introduction & High School Student Conference Award Ceremony (East Parlor) 2:10 – 2:55PM: Opening Plenary Lecture (East Parlor) John Granger, Independent Scholar “What Cormoran Strike, Private Investigator, Teaches Us About the Hogwarts Saga” 3:00 – 5:00 PM: Concurrent Conference Sections Section A: Gender, Politics & Psychology (East Parlor) Section B: Philosophy & Literature (Redmond Room) Section C: Education & History (Second Floor, SJH 245) 5:10 – 5:55PM: Closing Plenary Lecture (East Parlor) Gregory Bassham, King’s College “Harry Potter and the Meaning of Life” 5:55 – 6:00PM: Conference Conclusion Conference Map High School Student Conference Presentations 12 noon – 1PM (East Parlor) Rieve Bule Devon Preparatory School, Grade 12 Of Rats and Men: An Analysis of Peter Pettigrew Margaret Mary Burke Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Grade 10 The Dementor: An Entity of Depression Kerri Czekner Villa Joseph Marie High School, Grade 10 A Muggle’s Perspective on the Influence of Death in the Wizarding World Merry Gu Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Grade 10 Nightmares and Darkness: An Examination of the Origins of Thestrals Kat Mokrynski Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Grade 9 What Would Snape See in the Mirror of Erised? Catherine Oliver Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Grade 10 Shifting Shape: How J.K. Rowling Modified the Werewolf Sarah Pennington Pottsgrove High School, Grade 10 Imperfections Blur the Line Between Reality and Fantasy Plenary Lectures 2:10 – 2:55PM (East Parlor) John Granger, Independent Scholar “What Cormoran Strike, Private Investigator, Teaches Us About the Hogwarts Saga” John Granger writes and speaks on the intersection of literature, philosophy, faith, and culture. He's published articles in Touchstone, been a Keynote and Featured Speaker at nine academic and fan conferences and at major Universities from Princeton and Pepperdine to Yale and the University of Chicago, and is the author of Unlocking Harry Potter (Zossima, 2007), How Harry Cast His Spell (Tyndale, 2008), The Deathly Hallows Lectures (Zossima, 2008), Harry Potter's Bookshelf (Penguin, 2009), and Spotlight: An Up-Close Look at the Artistry and Meaning of the Twilight Novels (Zossima, 2010). TIME considers him the “Dean of Harry Potter Scholars.” He lives with his wife Mary and their remnant trio of seven Harry-and-Narnia-loving children in Oklahoma City. 5:10 – 5:55PM (East Parlor) Gregory Bassham, King’s College “Harry Potter and the Meaning of Life” Gregory Bassham is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, PA). He earned his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and his MA and BA from the University of Oklahoma. He is the author of numerous books and articles exploring the intersection of philosophy and culture. Most recently he published The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (Wiley, 2010), The Hobbit and Philosophy (Wiley 2012), and The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (Open Court, 2003). Gregory has also presented at numerous colleges and Harry Potter Conventions; these talks included Moral Education at Hogwarts: The Role of Empathy in the Moral Life (St. Andrews, Scotland, May 2012), Blurring Genres: How to Read Harry Potter – and How Not To (Potterfest 2011, Edinboro University), and Harry Potter and the Metaphysics of Soul- Splitting (Marymount Manhattan College, 2011). Concurrent Session A (East Parlor) Gender, Politics & Psychology (Moderator: McCauley/West) 3:00 – 3:20PM: Patrick McCauley, PhD, Chestnut Hill College Violence Against Women in the Harry Potter Series 3:20 – 3:30PM: Elizabeth Yohannes, Chestnut Hill College Thus Hogwarts School Began: How a Sanctuary for Young Sorcerers Deteriorated into a Breeding Ground for Intolerance 3:30 – 3:40PM: Bridget Rose Nolan, PhD, Bryn Mawr College Is Voldemort a Terrorist? 3:40 – 4:00PM: Lauren Camacci, MA, Pennsylvania State University Snitches Before Witches: An Exploration of Variant Masculinities, Male Homosocial Relationships, and Male Sexuality in Harry Potter 4:00 – 4:20PM: David Martin, MA, Montgomery County Community College The Representation of Mental Processes in the Harry Potter Series 4:20 – 4:30PM: Christen Dixon, Chestnut Hill College Harry Potter and the Lens of Political Theory 4:30 – 4:50PM: Louise Freeman, PhD, Mary Baldwin College The Last Wizard in the Forest: Harry Potter and Nature Deficit Disorder 4:50 – 5:00PM: Claudia González Rivas, BA, Villanova University Harry Potter’s World: Beyond Rowling’s World Concurrent Session B (Redmond Room) Philosophy & Literature (Moderator: West/McCauley) 3:00 – 3:20PM: Natassia Lei, MA, McMaster University The Serpent and the Eagle: An Aeschylean Reading of Harry Potter 3:20 – 3:30PM: Brian Langdon, Chestnut Hill College Radical Free Will, Uncertainty, and Responsibility in Harry Potter and Hamlet 3:30 – 3:40PM: Alicia Valere Morgan, MA, Liberty University Harry Potter as Outlier and Chosen One 3:40 – 4:00PM: Matthew Chominski, BA, Archmere Academy Hogwarts as Anamnesis 4:00 – 4:20PM: David Gras, Christ Community Chapel Harry Potter and the Bridge Between Two Worldviews 4:20 – 4:30PM: Sarajane Sein, BA, Delaware County Community College Miracles, Magic, and the Murderous Crowds: Biblical Parallels in the Harry Potter Series 4:30 – 4:50PM: Susan Bradbury, PhD, Medaille College Understanding Harry Potter Through the Hero’s Journey Myth 4:50 – 5:00PM: Rebecca Leap, Gardner-Webb University Wrocking Out: Musical Expression in the Harry Potter Fandom Concurrent Session C (SJH 245) Education & History (Moderator: Wendling) 3:00 – 3:20PM: Denise Buzz, PhD, West Chester University/Camden County Community College Harry Potter and the Humanistic Learning Model 3:20 – 3:30PM: Hillary Mohaupt, MFA, Independent Scholar The Order of the Phoenix: Fiction, History, and Resistance Movements 3:30 – 3:40PM: Amanda Finlaw, Chestnut Hill College The Power of Books and Reading in the Harry Potter Series 3:40 – 4:00PM: Karen Wendling, PhD, Chestnut Hill College Lessons from Hogwarts: Science, Magic, and the Nature of Science Education 4:00 – 4:20PM: Tolonda Henderson, MA, MLIS, George Washington University “Glad of Your Absence,” Or, Why No One Writes about Ron 4:20 – 4:40PM: Jeff Ambrose, MA, Delaware County Community College Knowing Names: Philology in Harry Potter 4:40 – 5:00PM: Lorrie Kim, BA, Independent Scholar Unforgivable Author Index Ambrose, Jeff 4:20-4:40PM, Session C, SJH 245 “Knowing Names: Philology in Harry Potter” From school names, to creatures, to spells, to characters major and minor alike, J.K. Rowling very carefully created the names for everything in her wizarding world. While not all names are metaphoric, ironic or telling of that character, quite a lot of them are. This presentation will not only explore the origins of many names in the series, it will also argue that Rowling uses these names to help ignite readers' interest in further reading and education beyond the books. Bassham, Gregory 5:10 – 5:55PM, Closing Plenary, East Parlor “Harry Potter and the Meaning of Life” The Harry Potter stories are more than just entertaining and action-packed yarns. Like all works of great literature, they have important things to say about the Big Questions. What is it to live a good life? What things are most worth caring about? Does life have meaning? How can I find happiness and fulfilment? In this talk I explore the big life lessons of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter tales. Bradbury, Susan 4:30 – 4:50PM, Session B, Redmond Room “Understanding Harry Potter as the Hero’s Journey” Harry Potter is the defining social and cultural compass of the present college generation. While creating an Advanced College Writing course I was troubled by a question that kept haunting me: Why do people from around the world love Harry Potter? I began to re-examine Rowling’s work through Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth and an idea germinated into a very popular course at the college. Presenting Harry as the role model in defining our heroic journey to both Potterfiles and students who had not read the books has proven one thing - the meaning and scope of the Potter series touches lives as remarkably today as it did when the books were first published. Sharing the incredible world and characters created by Rowling continues to challenge and empower students to live their own heroic journey. Buzz, Denise 3:00 – 3:20PM, Session C, SJH 245 “Harry Potter and the Humanistic Learning Model” Beneath the surface of J.K. Rowling's lively magical world lie significant meditations of key issues that relate to our modern ("Muggle") world. One of those key issues deals with the ongoing debate over the value of a liberal arts education. This lecture will look at the concepts of the Humanistic/Liberal Arts Learning Model that I feel are evident throughout the Harry Potter series. I will focus on two areas: 1) the evolution of the Humanistic curriculum from Erasmus to modern Liberal Arts institutions and 2) Hogwarts as a Liberal Arts institution. Camacci, Lauren 3:40 – 4:00PM, Session A, East Parlor “Snitches Before Witches: An Exploration of Variant Masculinities, Male Homosocial Relationships and Male Sexuality in Harry Potter” Numerous studies of gender in Harry Potter have focused on the female characters.