Fieldnotes: Denying Difference in the Wizarding World

Presentation: “Denying Difference in the Wizarding World, or, My Experiences TAing the Harry Potter Course as a Queer Person in 2025” by Jess Walsh

"Denying Difference in the Wizarding World, or, My Experiences TAing the Harry Potter Course as a Queer Person in 2025" examines the experience of teaching the Harry Potter course at Western through a queer lens.

Despite J. K. Rowling’s increasingly anti-trans stance, the Wizarding World remains a cornerstone of popular culture - spanning stage plays, video games, and television series. Jess asks two questions: How, when books are published every year for every age that are more inclusive, more creative, more diverse, and more literary, does Harry Potter maintain its grip on our imaginations? And, what is our responsibility as instructors to address authors like Rowling, who use their money and influence to cause harm but whose works still hold a special place in the hearts of many of our students?

Come one, come all as we theorize breaking Harry Potter's spell on our imaginations this Halloween day (pun intended, of course!). We will also be hosting a Pre-Fieldnotes Coffee Hour in the GES Lounge. Come have coffee and cookies with us before we take the talk upstairs! If you're unable to make it in person, I will be emailing with updated Zoom info on Thursday. 

About Fieldnotes Graduate Speaker Series

Fieldnotes serves as a creative and academic space for graduate English students to share their research and ideas with the community. It welcomes scholarly, creative, and experimental work — from dissertation chapters and conference papers to creative-academic projects and potential journal articles.

Join the conversation and showcase your research with your peers!