{"id":13098,"date":"2018-08-02T01:38:56","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T01:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=13098"},"modified":"2018-08-03T01:41:08","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T01:41:08","slug":"why-i-use-harry-potter-to-teach-a-college-course-on-child-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/why-i-use-harry-potter-to-teach-a-college-course-on-child-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I use Harry Potter to teach a college course on child development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Georgene Troseth<\/a>, Vanderbilt University<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In an effort to find a more engaging way to present child development to new psychology students, I decided to use a book about a little orphan boy who later discovers he is a wizard.<\/p>\n

As the course evolved over the years, I found another benefit of using J.K. Rowling\u2019s famous books: The story of Harry Potter, who lost both his parents to traumatic deaths at an early age, offers new college students insights that might help them better appreciate their own resilience. <\/p>\n

As the 20-year anniversary of the debut of Harry Potter in the U.S.<\/a> draws near, I believe that the course I developed more than a decade ago is still relevant for today\u2019s first-year students, many of whom first got introduced to Harry Potter during their own childhoods.<\/p>\n

The class I teach at Vanderbilt University \u2013 simply titled \u201cHarry Potter and Child Development\u201d \u2013 uses the science of developmental psychology to deepen students\u2019 understanding of the behavior of Harry, Hermione and Ron \u2013 the central characters of the books \u2013 and the adults in these characters\u2019 lives. <\/p>\n

Near the end of the semester, I include topics such as depression, perfectionism, the need for a growth mindset<\/a> and tolerance for differences \u2013 challenges that students entering college must grapple with to be successful.<\/p>\n

How it all began<\/h2>\n

The seeds for the development of this course began back when I \u2013 like many parents in the late 1990s \u2013 spent many evenings reading the Harry Potter books to my then-young son.<\/p>\n

Most parents probably did not interrupt their reading of the Harry Potter books as I did when I would dog-ear a page or jot a note in the margin. Trying my son\u2019s patience, I\u2019d grab a pencil and write notes such as: \u201cGreat example of Harry as a resilient child.\u201d Or I\u2019d note how Harry and Tom Riddle \u2013 the two orphans in the story – turned out, compared to institutionalized orphans<\/a> in Eastern Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When I came upon the part about Lily Potter instinctively stepping in front of a killing curse to save her infant son, imbuing Harry with an \u201cold magic\u201d that continued to protect him from the forces of evil, I wondered in my notes if that could be a metaphor for the lasting effect of secure parental attachment<\/a>? Were Harry\u2019s depression \u2013 during Dementor<\/a> attacks \u2013 and his adolescent anger the result of hormones? Or were they expressions of childhood<\/a> grief<\/a>, age-appropriate responses to traumatic death<\/a>? <\/p>\n

We delve into all these questions and more in the class.<\/p>\n

Resilient Harry Potter<\/h2>\n

For instance, on the topic of childhood resilience, I help the students make connections between Harry Potter and a famous 30-year longitudinal study by Emmy Werner<\/a> that followed 698 children from a small Hawaiian island from before they were born, through childhood and into adulthood.<\/p>\n

With good parenting, most of the children in the study who suffered birth complications or early trauma overcame any deficits. On the other hand, those who experienced some early trauma and whose families had major problems, such as divorce or substance abuse, tended to end up with long-term problems. They did poorly in school, got in trouble with the law, and had a much higher incidence of mental illness than their peers. But there was a twist to the story. Surprisingly, a third of the children with challenges from both nature and nurture \u201cgrew into competent young adults who loved well, worked well and played well.\u201d <\/p>\n

Werner looked back at her data<\/a> to identify why some children were \u201cresilient.\u201d<\/a> She discovered that resilient children tended to be intelligent, or talented in some way. They tended to view school as a \u201chome away from home\u201d where they could feel safe. They were spunky or charming, with personalities that attracted adult attention. Despite their troubled upbringing, resilient children had some adult in their lives \u2013 a coach, teacher or minister \u2013 who served as a mentor. And they ended up successful adults<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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