History Of Magic - Search For Magic Through World History

Wands at the ready! History of Magic doesn't have to bore you to death like Professor Binns - this class can prove it. Stare into a Pensive filled with world history as this interactive History of Magic class whisks you into the past to examine the ancient ideas behind some of our favorite magical objects, people and places. It may be hard to believe, but we will see exactly how 'real' these magical items, ideas and creature may be, and the real-life links that connect magic to our muggle lives. 

This class will be going through the items, people, and ideas found in magical novels and movies. We will be looking at historical items, people, places and events that match up to these same ideas that are seen in the literature and cinematic worlds.  

Class 1: General Education of Magical History. Our first class together will be looking at some of the ideas that are common throughout the books and talking about the true-to-life history that authors used as inspiration for their fantastical worlds. Here we will discuss wands compared to the Celtic Tree Calendar, the Sorting Hat, and magic runes, all while comparing what we know and love from magic to historical people, events and items.  

Class 2: First Year. During our second meeting, we will be introduced to one very special person, and three items that we see in magical literature and cinema. Paulo Coelho is just one of many authors to discuss alchemy and our favorite alchemist, Nicholas Flamel; using literuature as our guide, we will jump into the past and hunt the origins of the magic's first appearance. This trail will lead us straight to Flamel's greatest achievement, and from there we can also learn about the appearance of the Mirror of Erised and the Invisibility Cloak in our own modern world. There will also be a stop off in 17th century France to get a peek at history's own Mirror of Erised

Class 3: Second Year. In this class we are venturing out into the hunting for the humble beginnings of grand magical items such as floo powder and mandrakes. From there, we can gather our courage and learn the truth behind the curses necklace known as the Hope Diamond, then seek out the creature called that authors from Pliny the Elder to Charles Dickens called a basilisk!

Class 4: Third Year. In this lesson we will  locate some ancient origins of magic. You may be surprised to find just how old the Leaky Cauldron really is, or how Trelawney's crystal gazing dates back farther than even she could predict. We also explore the surprising possibility showing us how the Marauders Map isn't such a far-fetched idea at all, and the historical uses of Wolfsbane which would shock even Professor Lupin. 

Class 5: Fourth Year. This class will turn to look at the connection that the Goblet of Fire has to folklore and history, as well as the origin of The Yule Ball. We will brew up our own links to Polyjuice potion, and learn about the riddle behind the Sphinx as seen in both Egyptian and Greek histories.

Class 6: Fifth Year. Join the DA in the continued search for truth! Keep your DA coin close, as it shows us the secret language of the past used by one of America's Founding Fathers. Together we will peer through the Veil, that thin line between this life and what may await beyond, and seek out the truth in serums like Veritaserum and where this idea came from in recent history, before finding the Pensive - which actually takes us into the future of human growth rather than past memories!

Class 7: Sixth Year. This class will look at a cursed item that we see at play in this novel, as well as a life-saving ingredient that links us back to 8th century Persia and into 12th century Europe. Additionally, we will explore the act of "apparation" as theorized about by some of the greatest muggle scientific minds, and disappear through the vanishing cabinet to let it transport us back into another time, almost another world entirely. 

Class 8: Seventh Year (part one). Our penultimate class together begins with part one of two. This lesson will be split into two, as there's just so much to cover! We will begin by looking at the idea of a Horcrux and what that really means, as well as some historical references to similar ideas ranging from Russian Folktales to 'Arabian Nights'. This will lead us down the Horcrux hunting path, and we will take a look at some of the most famous soul-holding items and the historical connections found in Curtana (the Sword of Mercy) and a diadem from the Hellenistic period. Finally we will explore the science behind luck which inspired Felix Felicis as experimented upon by Dr. Richard Wiseman. 

Class 9: Seventh Year (part two). In our final meeting together, we will finish with two last comparisons to history and science by using the history of the Norse legends an made popular by Snorri Sturluson to understand the Elder Wand, and then see how scientists have created and used their own "Deluminator" in the search for extrasolar planets. Afterward, we will end this course with a fun review game that covers the topics that we have spent time on in class. Here we will take a brief look at all of the eras and cultures we have traveled through and have a last discussion about magic through world history.