Studying Wizards at Columbia College

By Prescott Carlson in Miscellaneous on May 18, 2008 9:15PM

We know when our kids grow up and go to college, we would be absolutely thrilled to pay over $600 a credit hour to have them study 5th grade level literature. So hopefully they'll make our dreams come true and go to Columbia College, where they can sign up for Columbia's Harry Potter course, sure to become the blow off class du jour.

Students spend their time picking through Rowling's text, trying to find hidden meanings and intricacies in even the smallest details like street names:

"Number four, Privet Drive -- what's a privet?" The students rack their brains, silently. "A privet is a hedge, a bush that you use like a fence, to separate your property from everybody else's. In France, it's pronounced pree-VAY, which means 'private.' Remember that Rowling is a French scholar. How could these meanings apply?"

Lara Magyar has a thought. "It reminds me of 'privy,' like a bathroom," she volunteers. "An awful place to be."

Sounds a bit Bible Code-esque to us, but we're sure the students don't care as long as it fulfills an English requirement. [S-T]

Photo by bluemarla