There is no doubt that Harry Potter could succeed in a college class. But can the book series? The debate is on, and people are passionate about it.

Ever since the first book hit the shelves, readers have been obsessed with the fantastical series. But now more than ever, Harry Potter has hit a new level of popularity — a level worthy of making him the subject of a university course.

Should we be teaching Harry Potter at the college level? The debate is just now reaching the surface. This is evidenced by two UW classes on Harry Potter being offered this quarter: English 111 section M, a composition class with Edmond Chang, and a CHID focus group called "Exploring the Many Worlds in Harry Potter," led by student facilitator Anagha Gadgil.

"At first, I started this class for myself, and was prepared to facilitate it with only a small circle of friends," Gadgil said. "I was surprised when I received overwhelming responses and pleas for add codes in my over-booked class."

This type of reaction is common in a culture that has made Harry Potter into an icon. Many students think they can kill two birds with one stone by taking an enjoyable class about a book that they read for pleasure.

"Of course I like taking a Harry Potter class. It is possibly the most enjoyable class on my schedule," said senior Bizzy Green, an English major in Gadgil's class. "Harry Potter has become such a huge phenomenon for our generation; it only makes sense to try and make sense of it."

Chang said he has tried to sway kids away from taking his class if they have an obsession with Harry Potter.

"Before this class started, I sent an e-mail out to the class list, basically saying that we are doing a whole class on Harry Potter, but if you absolutely love Harry Potter and that is all you want to think about and do, then this class is probably not for you," he said.

Instead, the courses analyze the Harry Potter books to relate them to other works, place them in a context and search for other meanings.

"Students can use the text as a jumping-off point to explore deeper, intellectual conversations," Gadgil said.

One aspect of the debate lies in whether there is enough material in a Harry Potter book to make a whole class about it. Another is whether it is simply a children's book that is meant for enjoyment and not for critiquing.

The answer to these questions may well determine if Harry Potter becomes a part of syllabi around the country. Students in Gadgil's class believe this book to be much more than an ordinary children's book, and that it may even have complex structures inside of it.

"The moral messages of the books apply to all ages, not jut kids, and some adults could use the reminder," Green said. "The later books are definitely not exclusively for children. They're very dark, and deal with fairly deep issues like death, fate, free will, not to mention complicated political issues that most children might not fully appreciate."

Many believe the adult issues that are addressed in the books could and should be taught at the university level.

"If professors wish to find a text or piece of literature with the intent of analyzing and appreciating relevant themes and issues in contemporary society, Harry Potter would nicely do the trick," Gadgil said.

Even though many people believe this book has enough themes to make it worthy of a university course, there still are many people, including Chang, who are undecided.

"I am going to say that I am still on the fence," he said. "I think the engagement with the material is very important. I think that we really need to think through how it is taught, why it is taught, and what are the sort of stakes for teaching it, more than being a popular thing, trend or fad, and I think the courses that are going on around the country are in part trying to figure that out."

Chang brings up a lot of questions that need to be addressed when discussing whether Harry Potter should be taught at college. But one thing is for sure: Harry Potter has a lot of support.

"I feel like everyone should be required to take a similar class, about whatever subject, be it Star Wars or Sex and the City, in order to see how their education can really be applied to anything," senior Heidi Williams said.

Another appealing aspect from the professor's point of view is the increased student engagement in the course. With Harry Potter as the subject, the stereotypical English class will go out the window, and maybe more people will be excited to take that mandatory composition course during their freshman or sophomore years.

"We've done some creative things in class," Gadgil said. "During one class, we held a mock ministry trial for the morally ambiguous Severus Snape. The class was split into defense and prosecuting lawyer teams and asked to defend their respective arguments on why Snape is a murderer/Death Eater vs. loyal Order member."

By introducing the Harry Potter books to college, academia can then start to look at the importance of other overlooked books.

"We need to look more carefully at kid's literature," sophomore Katie Apfel said. "It is worth reading as an adult to see what we are teaching our kids."

More of these classes seem to be the direction of education, Chang said.

"So who knows — it might set the standard for what will be important literature for the students to come in the future," he said.

Reach contributing writer Nicholas Trost at features@thedaily.washington.edu.