Just four more lectures before Hogwarts University closes for good! (At Alfred, anyway. The exhibit will be moving on to another library, and maybe they’ll be having some exciting programming, too.) This week was a particularly intriguing one to design a flyer for, and a fascinating topic in general: invisibility!
Dr. Danielle Gagne will be providing some insights on invisibility this Thursday, October 1st, at 7:30 pm. The talk will be held in the Scholes Library second floor classroom–just ask at the desk, and the students can direct you to the right place. Be sure to check out the floating candles as you walk into the building!
From Dr. Gagne’s description on our website:
Sneaking through the restricted section might be thrilling, but what are the other benefits of being invisible? We’ll talk about the benefits of being unseen, situations in which this is an everyday occurrence, and the science behind modern-day invisibility cloaks.  With a little magical lighting, we might cast a charm to make bowls disappear before your very eyes. 

Come see live owls from Hawk Creek Wildlife Center this Thursday, September 24th, from 7:30 to 8 pm in Nevins Theater!

The wildlife experts at Hawk Creek are traveling to our campus to present their “Harry Potter’s Owls” program, featuring three live owls as well as a snake (Nagini needs some representation, too!). Come to this Care of Magical Creatures demonstration to see them in person and learn about the lore and legend of owls–and how it stacks up against the feathery reality.
At 30 minutes, this event is shorter than our Hogwarts U. lectures, so be sure to show up on time so you don’t miss it! Many thanks to the Pre-Vet Club for working with us and making it possible to bring this event to campus, as well as the Student Affairs office for assisting with funding via the Student Life Enhancement Fund.
OWLS!

 
We’re very pleased to introduce a new Hogwarts University professor! Ana Gauthier will be presenting two lectures in the Hogwarts U. series.

Ana Gauthier
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Favorite Subjects: Charms, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures
Patronus: Wolf
Defense Against the Dark Arts Lecture – “Accio Leadership Skills: Lessons in Leadership Theory from Harry Potter”
Muggle Studies Lecture – “My Patronus is Gloria Steinem: Feminism in Harry Potter”
 
Ana’s talks, on Monday, September 28th and Thursday, October 15th, respectively, are described as follows:
Defense Against the Dark Arts Workshop – “Accio Leadership Skills: Lessons in Leadership Theory from Harry Potter”
Monday, September 28th  •  12:00 pm  •  Judson Leadership Center
This workshop will explore classic leadership theories and styles through the lens of Harry Potter, using the characters as examples of varying styles, and levels of leadership development. We will examine the Social Change Model of Leadership, the Leadership Challenge, Kohlberg’s Morality Scale, and Chickering and Reisser’s Vectors of Human Development. Brown bag lunch workshop.
Muggle Studies Lecture – “My Patronus is Gloria Steinem: Feminism in Harry Potter”
Thursday, October 15th  •  7:30 pm  •  Judson Leadership Center
This workshop will examine Harry Potter through the lens of feminist literary theory, as well as examine the actions of the characters to see where they displayed feminist ideals of equity and equality.  Come find out how your favorite characters truly were champions of equality, and who will take home the feminist house cup!
Hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who braved the dementor weather on Sunday and filled Dr. Emmons’s talk past capacity!
We’ve had a Potions class and two Herbology talks so far in our Hogwarts University series. This week we’re offering a new subject: Dr. Beth Johnson will be presenting a Muggle Studies class entitled “But It’ll be Fascinating to Study Muggles from the Wizarding Point of View!” From the description of her talk on our libguide:
Hermione’s opinion on why she should want to take Muggle Studies, even though she’s Muggle-born, still resonates outside the Harry Potter World.  Here, our magic is science, and social science has been researching the impact of the Harry Potter series on readers’ attitudes and behavior since the series established itself as a cultural icon. For example, psychologists have found that reading Harry Potter books reduces people’s prejudice toward disadvantaged people and minority groups. This talk will share some of the amazing findings from studies on the Muggle fans of the books and invite listeners to participate in discussion of the implications of those discoveries.  
Dr. Johnson will be speaking this Sunday, September 20th, at 4:00 pm in the Herrick Library Seminar Room. On the same day, the Alfred Village Farmer’s Market will be running their special Hogsmeade Market, with events and vendors themed around the world of Harry Potter. We recommend making a day of it by browsing the Hogsmeade Market and then coming to hear the talk!
Does Sunday seem too far away for more Harry Potter? Fortunately for you, Herrick will also be hosting a showing of the movie Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter. This critically-acclaimed documentary explores the myths and legends that inhabit the real world of Harry Potter, including gods and goddesses, ghosts, alchemy, and much more. The film showing will be at 8:00 pm in the Book End Lounge at Herrick Library, Thursday, September 17th.
In brief: Movie on Thursday, lecture and market on Sunday. Come on by!

Life at Hogwarts University rolls on as we settle into September. This weekend, test your wits against those of your peers at the Harry Potter trivia night in Herrick Library on Saturday, September 12th, starting at 8:00 pm. Work in teams to fight for the glory of victory–as well as some pretty sweet Harry Potter themed prizes. (If any of you have seen the participants in the scavenger hunt walking around with their exciting loot, expect more of the same from this event!)
For those of you who want to keep up with your Hogwarts studies: Haven’t gotten enough Herbology lessons yet? Come take Herbology 101 with Alfred University’s own Professor Sprout: Dr. Cheryld Emmons, Professor of Biology, who specializes in plant breeding, genetics, and the phenology and biodiversity of local flora. Herbology 101 will be a hands-on workshop in which participants will learn how to identify plant species. The lesson will be held at 4:00 pm this Sunday, September 13th, in the Scholes Library second floor classroom.
Hope to see you there!

Hogwarts University classes are in session! We wound up having more people than could fit in the room for our first talk of the series with John D’Angelo; if you missed it, you can still join on this week. We’re having back-to-back Herbology (I’m assuming with the Hufflepuffs). First up, Kevin Ferst is speaking on Thursday evening on the topic of “Counteracting Spells Using Classic Chinese Herbal Formulas.”
From his description:
We will investigate several spells from the world of Harry Potter through the prism of Chinese Medicine and offer up classical Chinese formulae as the antidote.
He has already mentioned several very interesting parallels between Chinese herbal medicine and spells in the world of Harry Potter, so I’d encourge everyone to come!
The talk will be held at 7:30 in the seminar room in Herrick Library; library workers at the circulation desk will be happy to direct you if you’re not sure where to find it. Stay tuned to hear about our second Herbology class this Sunday!

The opening reception was a blast! Thank you to everyone who showed up. If you couldn’t make it, there are still Hogwarts acceptance letters (including our full schedule of events) available at the Scholes front desk, and you can come see the exhibit anytime.
You can also come to our first lecture tomorrow! Dr. John D’Angelo will be speaking on the topic of “What If Magic Were Real?” From his talk description:
With rare exceptions (like polyjuice potion), potions with the capabilities of those in Harry Potter exist in real life. Other forms of “magic,” such as summoning spells, the Imperius Curse, and even flying are not 100% fiction. Together, we will journey through some descriptions and explanations of some of the “magic” that surrounds us daily, and which we rarely notice.
The talk will be held at 7:30 in the upstairs classroom; library workers at the circulation desk will be happy to direct you if you’re not sure where to find it.
Come begin your Hogwarts education!