In honor of the 20th anniversary of the publication of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, DePaul Pop Culture held the 2017 Conference on Harry Potter on May 6, 2017. The conference featured panels of fans and scholars, keynote talks, games, festivities, and more.
In 2017, we raised over $1,800 for the Harry Potter Alliance.
The Alliance is changing the world by making activism accessible through the power of story. Since 2005, they’ve engaged millions of fans through our work for equality, human rights, and literacy.
Keynote Speakers
Alanna Bennett is a Film and TV Writer for Buzzfeed. She is perhaps best known for her writings on Harry Potter and racebending Hermione Grainger. She has written previously for The Mary Sue, Bustle, and The Harry Potter Alliance. She writes entertaining content about entertainment, has interviewed talent, appeared on camera, covered live events, and worked in innovative formats.
Christopher Bell is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). At UCCS, Bell teaches both theory and methodology courses in critical analysis of popular culture, rhetorical theory, representation theory and mass media. His academic books include Hermione Granger Saves the World! (McFarland 2012),
Legilimens! Perspectives in Harry Potter Studies (Cambridge Scholars 2013),
From Here to Hogwarts (McFarland 2015) and
Wizards vs. Muggles (McFarland 2016). For more than ten years, Bell has been a featured professional speaker on a variety of college campuses, both large and small, nationally touring on issues of race, class and gender in the media. Bell serves as the chair of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association’s Harry Potter Studies division.
Schedule of the Conference
Schedule at a Glance.pdf
* Warner Bros. Entertainment and J.K. Rowling are not responsible for this event.