Week 1
Lesson 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 ca
 Week 2
Lesson 2
Planets
This week will be a literary analysis of the incorporation of the planets in the Harry Potter books. Are these examples of astronomy, or astrology? How does J.K. Rowling incorporate allusion and the historical context of the planets in both astrology and astronomy into her works? We'll also introduce the subtle - but important - connection J.K. Rowling makes with Greek mythology, and this mythology's inseparable ties to astronomy and astrology.
 Week 3
Lesson 3
The Moon
The moon has a great deal of symbolic value in the Harry Potter series. We'll discuss how J.K. Rowling incorporated a history of superstitions and beliefs about Earth's moon as the backdrop for many Harry Potter events. We'll examine what professors Sinistra and Trelawny teach about the moon. This week also includes a character study of Luna Lovegood and her relationship to her namesake (Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon).
 Week 4
Lesson 4
More Mythology
Our understanding and appreciation of the depth of Rowling's characters will be enhanced by our analysis of their names. For instance, Minerva McGonagall, Quirinus Quirrell, and Remus Lupin are all named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology - and the similarities to their Greek and Roman namesakes cannot be a coincidence! 
 Week 5
Lesson 5
Stars and Constellations, Part 1
We'll focus heavily on J.K. Rowling's use of the star and constellation names as a means to incorporate allusion and symbolism into her works. For instance, we'll discuss Sirius Black's connection to the star Sirius (the dog star). We'll also examine why Rowling chose to use the names of specific stars (those named after pureblood characters in Greek and Roman mythology) as names on the Black Family tree, in order to further emphasize the "Pureblood Pride" that the Black family valued highly.
 Week 6
Lesson 6
Stars and Constellations, Part 2
In the final class, we will conclude our exploration of the night sky. This includes discussion of the literary device known as "foreshadowing" in J.K. Rowling's books. For example, Sirius' younger Regulus - why was he named after a star in a lion constellation (the mascot for Gryffindor) when he comes from a Slytherin family? Answer: because J.K. Rowling was using his name as foreshadowing! We'll also look at how Rowling used foreshadowing in the story of Remus Lupin and Delphini Diggory.