'Harry Potter' class good use of pop culture

House Editorial

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series of books has spawned movies, merchandise and, now, a JMU English class.

Elisabeth Gumnior will teach the GWRIT 103 class next semester and will address the deeper arguments within the fictional books, as well as literary criticisms and analysis of the novels. Rowling’s books are targeted at a much younger audience than the college-age crowd, but they have avid fans of all ages. By acknowledging popular culture, the English department has succeeded in making its lessons current and appealing to students.

Classes that study topics out of the ordinary are indications of a strong program. The English department is not afraid to take a chance on what could be perceived as a somewhat silly or childish class — it, presumably, is confident that its faculty will present the same thorough battery of information, regardless of whether it is teaching Beowulf or Harry Potter. It is important that students keep in mind that, even though they may find a class based on Harry Potter appealing, it still will be as academically rigorous as more traditional English classes.

It also is important that an English department be able to determine what new books warrant its attention as potential new classics. It will take many years for Harry Potter to either be truly regarded as a piece of classic literature — or forgotten as a fad. At the very least, however, JMU has made a positive effort to engage its students with something they are at least familiar with in passing.

Classic literature is important and should not be neglected in favor of popular novels, but books destined to shelf lives much longer than our own do arise. When they do, it is important for educators to recognize them and integrate them into their lessons. Students should not view this class as a reason to abandon Shakespeare or other traditional literature — new lessons can never replace old ones, but rather add to them.

Time will tell how Rowling is remembered among her peers in English literature, but the JMU English department is using her current popularity to effectively teach JMU students basic lessons about English literature.