Potterheads everywhere, pay attention. The National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) in Kolkata is offering a new course where students can study the legal aspects of the wizarding world.
According to The Hindu, the course, ‘An interface between Fantasy Fiction Literature and Law: Special focus on Rowling’s Potterverse’ will be offered as an elective to 4th and 5th-year students of the B.A LL.B (Hons) programme.
Assistant Professor Shouvik Kumar Guha, who has designed the course told reporters:
In law schools, people get a very specific set of subjects. The curriculum revolves around the hard letter of the law, case laws etc. Given the fact that this course lasts about five years, students also get bored.
He stated that the students would learn to apply legal principles in completely different situations. They will also take note of how things work by peeking into a wizarding world that was always under government surveillance.
He further said:
I could have designed the course based on our real political situation but it is not necessary that all my students will share my political leanings.
NUJS also released a statement saying that the Potterverse vividly exposes the limitations of laws and institutions.
For example, Azkaban prison is designed to drive inmates into hopelessness and despair without any hope for redemption or reformation.
In The Order of The Phoenix, the government takes control of the news media to spread propaganda and curtails freedom of expression.
The Ministry of Magic is quite often controlled by the rich and wealthy who control government policies.
Professor Guha also says that the assignments he intends his students to complete would be completely creative in nature.
