Fall 2023 Honors College 'Retro Readings' Seminars to Explore Resurrection and Harry Potter

Peter Aaron

Honors College Retro Readings courses focus on seminal texts viewed through a contemporary lens. Past and current offerings have invited close readings of Tolkien, the Bible and presidential speeches, but the course isn't limited to internationally recognized authors. Next semester, honors students will dig into conceptions of resurrection over the centuries, as well as examine the enduring cultural impact of the Harry Potter series.

"Retro readings give busy students a chance to delve into the past, but in a forward-looking way," said John Treat, director of interdisciplinary and curricular learning, "whether it's by looking at how ideas about death and the afterlife reflected a society's deepest concerns or how the social context of Harry Potter reflects back on contemporary issues."

These weekly 75-minute, seminar-style discussions were designed to fit even the busiest schedules. Though the courses no longer require an application, interested students should register as early as possible to ensure they get a seat.

Fall Honors College Retro Readings Seminars

Harry Potter: The Harry Potter series is one of the most successful and popular book series in modern times. Despite being dismissed as mere children's literature by some, the books resonated with an entire generation and their parents. This class examines Harry Potter as a work of literature, cultural touchstone and multi-billion-dollar industry. Director of grants and research innovation, Chelsea Hodge, will lead students in thinking about Harry Potter in new ways, touching on the fields of history, gender studies, international relations, political science and sociology. The course will examine the things people love about Harry Potter, while also taking a critical look at some of the issues in the text as well as what the text itself - and its reception - say about society.

Resurrection: The idea of resurrection is more than the persistence of the soul or consciousness after death. It purports that eternal life is corporeal as well as spiritual, as evidenced in the Nicene Creed's "I believe in the resurrection of the body." This belief has persisted from pharaonic Egypt, to post-exilic Judaism, to the Christian Gospels, the medieval cult of relics and onwards to new visions of the Latter Day Saints and more. This course led by John Treat, director of interdisciplinary and curricular learning, will examine believers' understanding of the immortal soul as an embodied entity capable of pleasure and further evolution with particular attention to the Christian resurrection narratives, the cult of the saints and more recent beliefs, such as the LDS doctrine of exaltation.