Never in my wildest, awkward, preteen, Harry Potter-obsessed dreams did I ever think that I would at some point take a college class on the series that I so adored. That would simply be too good to be true! And yet, in my freshman year, I have found myself in that exact situation. Yes, I am a proud participant in the Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter DeCal.

The notoriously popular and unattainable DeCal definitely lives up to its fame – even as a freshman I knew about it before coming to Cal. I came to the first meeting and saw an enormous crowd of Harry Potter fans, anxious to apply, and less than a week later I received my very own Hogwarts letter in my bMail inbox. I practically shrieked with excitement like a little first-year who had just received the scroll of parchment by owl.

If Harry had an Instagram… Courtesy of Natalie Flecklin

The class has since become my favorite part of the week. Every Wednesday from 5:30 until 7:30 I get to geek out with 39 other students who are just as enthusiastic as I am about the series – something I didn’t think possible until now. The four senior facilitators are incredibly creative and engaging, and are clearly passionate about this wonderful wizarding world as well.

“I think what’s really neat about our course is it gives Cal students the opportunity to experience children’s literature in a really academic light, which they haven’t necessarily had before, either first-time readers or lifetime fans of Harry Potter,” said Molly Garritson, one of the facilitators and a Society and Environment major with a double minor in Spanish and Global Poverty and Practice. “I think it gives them a chance also to relax and de-stress in the middle of a crazy academic week.”

Mean Girls / Harry Potter mashup, Courtesy of Cate Gorton

We were sorted into houses during the first class, and we then created our own names, colors, and mascots for our house. Throughout the semester, we can earn house points by bringing food (extra points for Harry Potter-themed food like pumpkin pastries or cauldron cakes), wearing our house colors, or bringing Harry Potter related memorabilia (everyone in the class seems to have a Time Turner necklace or a set of Gryffindor robes and ties stowed away somewhere).

Another Mean Girls / Harry Potter mashup, Courtesy of Lena Tran

Each class begins with a reading quiz that always includes a particularly tricky bonus question, which is followed by discussion and an activity. During discussion we explore the different themes illustrated throughout the series, the character development, and our own opinions on various aspects of the books. The activities are extremely imaginative, ranging from a Yule Ball to Horcrux Hunting to Quidditch.

Worst kissing booth ever, Courtesy of Kathryn Rieck

Between class meetings, we are to read the books themselves – the first three were to be completed within a week, but starting with the fourth book we have been reading half a book a week, simply because of the enormous girth of the novels. Being a diehard fan of the series, I could probably participate in the discussion and activities without rereading the books, but I have been faithfully reading all of them throughout the semester, simply because I get such joy out of it! There is also a highly strict “no spoiler policy” enforced throughout the semester, so that those students who haven’t read the books before can get the full experience. This way even the lifelong fans can re-experience the series as if reading them for the first time.

“The goal of the course is to give students a deeper understanding of the series as a whole, looking at themes such as family, friendship, love, things like that, and really getting into the literary value of the text, while also having a super fun time playing games and having fun discussion,” said Megan Grint, an English major with a minor in Disability Studies. Grint will also be teaching the course in Spring 2014, and greatly encourages students who are new to the series to join the class; she originally took the class having never read the books before and experienced the series in a spoiler-free environment.

Courtesy of Kathryn Rieck

Of course, one of the best things about the class is meeting other people of all majors and years who are just as obsessed with Harry Potter as you are. I have definitely bonded with my house and all the other students; whether it’s baking for house points or running around the school collecting clues for a Quad-Wizard Tournament scavenger hunt, we always have an amazing time.

The Notebook / Harry Potter mashup, courtesy of Kathryn Rieck

“I think the thing that I like the best is that we get to meet people we wouldn’t have gotten to meet otherwise without taking the class, and we get to create friendships and see everyone bond with their house and with each other,” said Francesca Tragitt, a Media Studies major, as Kathryn Rieck, an Anthropology and Integrative Biology double major, emphatically nodded her head in agreement. “It’s so cool to know that these friendships will last way longer than the class.”

Yet another Mean Girls / Harry Potter mashup, courtesy of Molly Garritson

I am so immensely glad I didn’t back out of going to the first meeting for fear of not getting into the class; as the semester comes to a close and we only have 3 classes left, I realized just how much I’ve enjoyed this experience. If nothing else, I’ve definitely learned how to make many Harry Potter treats and I’ve even made my own wand! If you’ve never read the series, this is certainly the best way to experience it, and I find myself wishing that I had never read it before just so I could be introduced to it through this incredible class. Mischief managed!

My house recreating the graveyard scene from the 4th movie for one of our activities

Black team for Quidditch, Courtesy of Molly Garritson

*** All photographs taken from the Facebook group for the DeCal.

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