Winter/Spring 2013
Philosophy 276: Section A
Harry Potter & Philosophy:
Wizarding & Wisdom
Tuesdays – 6:15pm-8:55pm
Wister 202
Wizards and witches: Welcome to PHL 267 concerning wizarding and wisdom!
Catalogue Description
J.K. Rowling’s seven-book series provides unique and imaginative material for engaging philosophical topics of
perennial interest: good and evil, virtue and vice, friendship, personal identity, the use and abuse of
technology, and so on. We will also frame discussion by considering the role literature plays in shaping a
philosophical imagination and the relationship of fiction to philosophy.
Prerequisite: Students are expected to have read at least five of the Harry Potter books prior to the course. It is
best if you have read all seven since the course will presuppose thorough knowledge of all seven books and
will make reference to the plot and contents of all seven books. Furthermore, writing and debates will require
knowledge of the texts, plots, characters, etc.
Explanation
We will use the seven books of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling in order to conjure up discussion on
philosophical topics.
The book series functions across a number of genres – boarding school literature, coming of age story, fantasy,
quest, mystery, social and political parody. As such, the books take many of the features of our world and
experience and highlight them, exaggerating certain features for effect or drawing attention to particular
narrative threads and themes. Thus they prove a useful lens through which to engage real-world issues,
including many that intersect importantly with philosophy.
The several primary areas of philosophical discussion generated by the books involve ethics, political and
social philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysics.
In terms of ethics, the books raise questions of moral psychology (e.g., the nature of self-deception), virtue
and vice (e.g., is ambition a virtue), ethical ambiguity (e.g., can a person be brave and good and yet be petty
and vindictive), friendship and its analogues (e.g., how does common action among friends for good ends
differ from allies in wrongdoing), the ethics of self-sacrifice, and so on.
In terms of social and political philosophy, the books raise questions of gender roles, racial tensions and purity,
proper care of magical creatures and other animals, poverty and wealth, access to power, and so on.
In terms of epistemology, the books raise questions of memory and time (e.g., the objectivity of saved
memories), the possibility of radical self-deception (e.g., self-interested failure to accept evident truth claims),
the danger of false experiences (e.g., the possibility of altered memory or experience), the role of narrative
misdirection (e.g., how we can be led away from truth by narrating events in particular ways), and so on.
In terms of metaphysics, the books raise questions of the nature of personal identity (e.g., can a fractured self
maintain identity), the soul and post-mortem existence (e.g., if we can somehow survive death, what is it that
survives), the character of science/technology, foreknowledge and freedom in relation to prophecy, and so on.
If you are already enchanted by Harry Potter and want to talk about the books, then your imagination and
attention should engage readily with the material, resulting in an enjoyable course.
Texts:
The following texts will be required for this class:
David Baggett and Shawn E. Klein, editors
Harry Potter and Philosophy:
If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts
Open Court 2004
ISBN-10: 0812694554
ISBN-13: 978-0812694550
Retail price: $21.95
Gregory Bassham, editor
The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy:
Hogwarts for Muggles
Wiley 2010
ISBN-10: 0470398256
ISBN-13: 978-0470398258
Retail price: $17.95
These texts will provide a number of the core readings for the course.
In addition to these two volumes, I will hand out several photocopied articles. Furthermore, I will send you (via
email or perhaps owl) and/or provide (as downloadable links) a variety of documents in Word and PDF
formats, as well as occasional links to online materials.
If you do not own the books in the Harry Potter series, I would strongly recommend purchasing or borrowing
them, so that you have them available for ready access. All seven books are now available in paperback. You
will need to be able to refer to various events, characters, incidents, plotlines, and the like from the books in
your written work.
Expectations:
This class will only be a genuinely magical experience, by which you are challenged and grow, if you contribute
substantially. This requires your attention to several areas:
Attendance: Since this class meets only once a week, regular attendance is absolutely vital. Missing a
single class is like missing an entire week of day classes. If you are going to miss a class, or even part of
a class, please talk to me, ahead of time if at all possible.
Participation: Much of the class will be revolve around discussion based upon the readings. Thus it is
important to make sure you complete all the readings ahead of the class during which they will be
discussed. You are also expected to fully participate in group activities, to ask and answer questions,
and to contribute to discussion. Furthermore, by doing so, you will earn House points!
Readings: The readings for this class will involve a variety of chapters and articles, usually 2-4 per week.
I will provide a full timetable of readings, which will also include study questions to guide your reading.
Homework: You will be assigned homework each week on most of the readings. These will take the
form of answering questions, personal reflections, summaries, relating readings to one another,
comparing and contrasting perspectives, and so on. These will form a significant part of your grade, so
be sure to do them.
Debates: The class will be divided into four houses of about 8 students each - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,
Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Pairs of houses will debate a variety of issues in a series of four (or five)
debates. Houses not debating will judge the debaters to determine winners. Each house will debate at
least twice, using 4 members of their house as presenters per debate, using an adapted formal debate
structure. These debates are part of your final grade. They also earn House points.
Mid-Term Essay: A first essay will be due the Tuesday before Spring Break, February 26. This essay will
be a 3-5 page critical analysis essay, based upon one of the articles we will have read, in relation to the
content of the Harry Potter series.
Final Essay: A final essay will be due on the Wednesday of exam week, May 8. The essay will be a 7-8
page argumentative essay, proposing a philosophical thesis in relation to the content of the Harry
Potter series, developing and arguing for that thesis, and answering objections to it. The essay should
interact with secondary literature, either from our readings in class or that you research on your own.
Plagiarism is unacceptable. All information, paraphrases, and quotations from sources must be documented
using some accepted system of citation (MLA, APA, etc.), whether that source is in print or online. Failure to
do so results in at least a zero for that assignment and possibly failing the course. Plagiarism on the final paper
results in the failing the course. Please review La Salle's Academic Integrity Policy for further details.
Please note: I will accept written work in the form of a hard copy only - no electronic submissions. If, for some
reason you need to miss class and want to turn in an assignment electronically in order for it to be counted as
"on time," that is acceptable, but you must follow up with submitting a hard copy as soon as possible
thereafter or you will not receive credit for the assignment. Thanks for your cooperation with this.
Grading:
The following is a breakdown of how your various grades will be weighed:
Participation
Homework
Debate
Mid-Term Essay
Final Essay
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%