Harry Potter Quidditch Matches Held Weekly at North Georgia College and State University

The campus of North Georgia College and State University, located in the historic gold-rush town of Dahlonega, is hosting weekly Harry Potter quidditch matches. The four teams, named after the four Houses of Hogwarts, are composed of 44 students who are participating in the 9-week long English course, "Harry Potter and the Legion of Night," taught by Professor Brian Corrigan. The students wear custom-made golf shirts with logos corresponding to their particular house. Last spring, the contestants chose marbles from a wizard's hat during a Sorting Hat Ceremony to determine to which house they would belong.

Quidditch is a game that Harry Potter and his friends play on flying broomsticks in the seven-book series written by J. K. Rowling. The earthbound version of quidditch consists of ultimate Frisbee, dodgeball, keep-away, soccer, football, basketball and Trivial Pursuit. A 39-page rulebook written by Corrigan explains the regulations of the competition. The contests are free and open to the public. They are held on Thursday evenings at 7:45 pm on the Central Drill Field and will continue through August 2, 2007. The competition scheduled for July 26 will pit the highest scoring house against the lowest scoring house. During the competition, scheduled for August 2, the second highest scoring house will meet the third highest scoring house. The tournament winning team will be awarded the coveted House Cup, and each member of that team will receive a genuine Olivander's wizard wand on a display stand. Professor Corrigan has handcrafted the wizard wands himself. The week-6 match drew over 200 spectators to the campus, which is located approximately one hour north of Atlanta via GA 400/US 19, nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of northeast Georgia.

Professor Corrigan, author of The Poet of Loch Ness and winner of the 2006 Georgia Writers' Association Author of the Year award, has been teaching the Harry Potter course as part of a massive literary project aimed toward publication of an authoritative reference book entitled, The Encyclopedia of Harry Potter. The course uses a technique known as immersion learning that involves students physically immersing themselves in the world that he or she is studying. This past Tuesday, a Hogwarts' Pageant was held in which students dined on tea and scones while observing performances of dancing, singing, and fortune-telling put on by their fellow classmates. The intensive course requires up to 50 hours a week of homework and a great deal of teamwork.

The 44 undergraduate and graduate students participating in the class were chosen from 125 applicants. A temporary library, named the Room of Requirements, has been set up and contains hundreds of books pertaining to British history, language, lifestyle, as well as Rowling's popular novels. Lego models of the Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are also housed in this room. Corrigan and his students plan to attend the Friday midnight debut on July 21 sponsored by Barnes and Nobles Bookstore at North Point Mall. This is the first course that the English teacher has taught in which he did not know how the course would end.
http://www.ngcsu.edu/news/digest
http://www.ngcsu.edu/Academic/Arts_Let/English/HarryPotterDetails.htm
Jim Auchmutey, Atlanta Journal-Constiution, "Project Potter," July 19, 2007