A British university has opened a "magic" major, and "Harry Potter" has come into reality
Wow, I really got an admission letter for a magic major!No more pretending to be at Hogwarts on the ** map. ”
Xiaoting, a student, excitedly told reporters that she successfully passed the master's application at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and received an admission notice for the major of "Magic and Occult Science".
Letter of Acceptance.
As soon as this master's program was launched, it immediately caused heated discussions on social **. There are even some Harry Potter fans who joke: "When I graduate, I'll go to Hogwarts as a counselor." "Is there really magic in reality?The cover news reporter conducted an in-depth interview.
The first cohort of students will be enrolled next year.
Applicants for this program need to have a professional background in social sciences or humanities.
MA Magic and Occult Science, a one-year face-to-face course (with the option of a two-year part-time course), opens this year, with the first cohort of students starting in September 2024.
School Official**.
The programme is offered by the University of Exeter in the UK, a UK public research university that is ranked 153rd according to the QS World University Rankings 2024 and is also known for its famous alumnus J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter.
Great views of the campus. This novel major has attracted many students who are interested in studying abroad. A fourth-year chemistry student was overwhelmed with emotion after browsing the official curriculum. In his imagination, this profession should be related to chemistry, "For example, through the fireworks reaction, different metals are added to the flame, and the flame color can change to lilac, turquoise, etc." For people who don't know chemistry, that's 'magic'. ”
In the introduction to the program, compulsory courses include "Esotericism and the Magical Tradition," in which students delve into topics such as Greek and Roman magic, magic, deception, and hallucinations in literature and folklore, and the history of science and medicine.
Xiaoting said that she discovered the major by chance, and that applicants must have a professional background in social sciences or humanities. "I'm a history major, so I think it's a good fit, and it's a very new major, and the application process is very simple, so I wanted to give it a try. ”
Despite having already received an offer for a position, Ting expressed her concerns about the future: "I eventually plan to return to China to work, so the school's ranking is important to me, but I am also worried that it may be difficult to find a job in China for this major. Ah Ting considered that if there was a more suitable option for her in the future, she might reject the offer and give other students who were willing to go to the school a chance.
Rational cognition of "magic".
Choose employment in the field of culture and creativity.
Emily, head of the Department of Magic and the Occult Sciences, explains the purpose of the program, saying: "It will prompt a re-examination of the assumption that the West is considered to represent reason and science, while other places are seen as the birthplace of magic and superstition." ”
Learning 'magic' is not learning something ridiculous and illusory. Yang Li, vice president of the Institute of Mythology of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, shared her understanding of the profession. In her view, the establishment of the major "Magic and Occult Science" has similarities with the study of mythology, which is a comprehensive study of early human intelligence, that is, a retrospective of early human science.
Yang Li said that in recent years, China has put forward the concept of "new liberal arts", which is essentially to encourage the pure liberal arts to break through the tradition and achieve interdisciplinary integration. She pointed out that the curriculum of the "Magic and Occult Science" program is very broad, covering science, history, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, drama and other fields, "not simply equating magic with superstition, but through the lens of science to achieve the integration of arts and sciences." ”
More noteworthy, the programme is practice-oriented, with students studying drama and acting as well as writing. Yang Li believes that these courses can help students cultivate creative thinking, "Imagination is the starting point of science. ”
When talking about employment prospects, Yang Li believes that students studying this major have a wide range of employment options in the cultural and creative industries. China has famous cultural IPs such as "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and Sanxingdui, and students can engage in related cultural and creative products, curation, short production, writing and other aspects. "For example, we scholars want to promote Chinese mythology, but film and television practitioners are not sure how to spread it better. Therefore, cultural and creative workers have become a bridge between the two. ”
The above content information is ** on the Internet, and the author of this article does not intend to target or insinuate any real country, political system, organization, race, or individual. The above content does not mean that the author of this article agrees with the laws, rules, opinions, behaviors in the article and is responsible for the authenticity of the relevant information. The author of this article is not responsible for any of the above or related issues, and does not assume any direct or indirect legal liability.