Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine
September 18, 2011 – November 5, 2011
Harry Potter is coming to UM! Visit “Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine”, an exhibit on display at the Health Sciences & Human Services Library from September 18 – November 5, 2011. The exhibit uses the National Library of Medicine’s History of Medicine collections to explore the world of Harry Potter, its roots in Renaissance science, and the ethical questions that affected not only the wizards in J.K. Rowling’s books, but also the historical thinkers featured in the series. Exhibit panels present the works of 15th- and 16th-century scholars and explore their perceptions of natural philosophy, medicine, and magic. Renaissance texts are used to highlight some of the fantastic creatures and plants featured in the novels.
For information on the exhibit and related programs, call 410-706-7996.
Why is this exhibit in a graduate school library? I don’t see how these works of fiction are relevant to the topics studied at this university.
If graduate students need adolescent literature to spark their interest in Renaissance science, medicine, and ethics, then perhaps they are not of the caliber that one would expect to encounter here.
@Simon. You may have noticed from the description that this was a traveling national exhibit created by the NIH’s National Library of Medicine. The intent is to describe the history of science during the Renaissance, and relate it to a series of books/movies that are extremely popular in our society (not just among young children). The audience does not need to be familiar with Harry Potter in order to understand the material. Exhibits on this campus (a state university) are opened to the public, and our campus was lucky enough to have the exhibit during Halloween. Or perhaps you’d like to level your accusation of low-caliber academics to the Associate Dean of the School of Pharmacy, who felt the exhibit was worthwhile enough to participate in himself?
In the past few years, the university gallery (which happens to be in the library) has hosted exhibits by local school children, veterans, and professional artists. The registrar’s office, CITS, and Student Counseling are also located in the library. Do you deem these an acceptable use of space? Or shall we eliminate the threat of entertaining and educational exhibits? Perhaps the campus should convert the gallery into storage space for test tubes and cadavers?