Astronomy, Astrology, & Greek Mythology in the Wizard World

In this course, we will critically examine the literature of Harry Potter and J. K. Rowling's incorporation of astronomy, astrology, and Greek mythology.

By the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of the differences between astronomy and astrology, how astrology originated from Greek Mythology, and how all of these topics are incorporated into the Harry Potter Universe. COURSE OUTLINEPart 1: Astronomy vs. Astrology In our first session, we will analyze two Harry Potter professors and the subjects they teach at Hogwarts.

Our first character case study will be Professor Aurora Sinistra and her Astronomy Class. She teaches a core class at Hogwarts, and yet this professor and the contents of her class are somewhat of a mystery. Second, we'll study Professor Trelawney and her Divination Class.

She also teaches about the stars and planets, just like Professor Sinistra, but instead of calling in astronomy, she calls it astrology. What's up with that. By the end of class, students should have an understanding of how these two topics taught at Hogwarts are the same, and how they're different.