Back to School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus

You can say that I’ve been working on this post for quite awhile…

I think I had the first true germ of this idea when I was getting particularly obsessed with A Song of Ice and Fire a few years ago, and all the history that universe has to offer. But I’ve always been interested in the (fictional) history of my favorite media; I think it’s a combination of my love of real history with the what if factor related to all the tantalizing tidbits not found in the main storylines. Not many people wish they were back in class but the idea of studying fascinating fictional topics in an academic setting is really cool to me! So. I decided to make a syllabus of “upcoming classes”, based on the history syllabi I used to find on the UC San Diego History Department website.

Major: History of Fictional Worlds (HIFW)
 
Fields of Emphasis
 

History of Magic 

pumpkins
HIM 112: The Founding of Hogwarts

HIM 128: Harry Potter and the War On Voldemort
HIM 131: From Dragons to Doxies: Magical Creatures In Britain
HIM 139: History of Quidditch
Colloquim- HIM 172/272: The Statute of Secrecy- Pros and Cons

Colloqium- HIM 174/274: Horcruxes and Their Power (prerequisite: HIM 128)

History of Ooo

bubblegum
HIO 120: The Great Mushroom War
HIO 125: Princess Politics- Monarchy And Feminism in the Land of Ooo
HIO 130: Heroes and Villains
HIO 142: Fionna and Cake: The Power of Storytelling
HIO 152: The Four Elements
Colloqium- HIO 166/266: Graybles and the Cosmic Owl

 

History of The Galaxy Far Far Away

star wars book.gif
HITG 120: The Birth of the Jedi Order and the First Sith

HITG 133: Midichlorians- Fact or Fiction?
HITG 137: Force Wielders Throughout History
HITG 148: The Mandalorian Wars
HITG 166: Politics in the Time of Palpatine
HITG 174: The Beginnings of the Rebel Alliance
 

History of the UNSC

master chief
HISC 111: History of the Halo Rings

HISC 117: The Origins of Master Chief
HISC 132: The Banished
HISC 144: The Fanaticism of the Prophets and Their Effect on the Human-Covenant War
HISC 172: Precursors: Separating Legend from History
 

History of Tyme

magic
HITY 102: The Shattering

HITY 108: Pink vs. Blue: War Across Tyme
HITY 112: History of Fairies From Red to White
HITY 118: Consequences of the Charming Curse
HITY 132: Mythology and the Woodmother
Colloquium- HITY 199: Nature vs. Nurture, A Case Study of Rapunzel
 

History of Westeros

godswood 2
HIWE 106: From Children of the Forest to the Andals: Migration Across Westeros

HIWE 114: Religious Ideology: The Seven, The Old Gods, R’hllor
HIWE 129: The Dance of the Dragons
HIWE 142: History of the Night’s Watch and the Long Night
HIWE 147: Essos and Beyond
Colloquium- HIWE 180: Topics in Westerosi History. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: upper-division standing
– 

History of Middle Earth

one ring
HIME 115: War of the One Ring

HIME 120: The Kings of Gondor from Isildur to Aragorn
HIME 145: The Social Constructs of Hobbits
HIME 151: Elvish Philosophy and the Undying Lands
HIME 162: There and Back Again: The Journey of Bilbo Baggins
HIME 163: The Battle of the Five Armies and the Fall of Thorin Oakenshield
 

History of the Four Londons

red london.gif
HIFL 103: Introduction to the Four Londons

HIFL 106: Antari Throughout History
HIFL 114: History of the Maresh Kings
HIFL 130: The Fall of Black London
HIFL 152:  Pirates and Thieves in the Age of Exploration

Colloquium- HIFL 160: The Correspondence Between the Monarchs of Red and Grey London (prerequisite: HIFL 103)

What concentration would you choose to study? Which of these classes sounds most interesting to you? And what other fictional worlds would you want to study? Let me know!

32 thoughts on “Back to School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus”

  5. Kel says:
    Reply

    I’ll take Star Wars, Middle Earth, and the Four Londons! I’ve read the Silmarillion, and I know there are a billion prequel and sequel books out there in the Lucas universe, but I’d like a class that sums it all up nicely in one semester. Great post!

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  6. Alex @ Booksy Daisy says:
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    This is such an awesome idea! I’d totally take all the History of Magic and History of Westeros classes, but The Dance of the Dragons sounds the most interesting!

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  9. Carrie @ Cat on the Bookshelf says:
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    Much as I love Harry Potter, I would love to take the classes in History of Westeros. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the others to have an opinion on them.

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  12. Cristina @ Girl in the Pages says:
    Reply

    This post is AMAZING! I was a double major in college (English Literature and World Religion) so this SPEAKS to me. I would give anything to be back in a classroom studying these things!!! I was lucky enough to get to take a Harry Potter course and Disney course in college so I have hope that MAYBE more classes like this will become a thing one day. Phenomenal post!

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  13. Amaris (amarisafloria.com) says:
    Reply

    Ooooh, I love this!!! I wish this was a real thing because I would definitely enroll myself in History of Magic AND History of the Galaxy Far Far Away. I don’t know too much about Star Wars, but the world is so interesting to me. I love learning details (although when I was actually in school, I didn’t pay any attention in history classes! How I wish I could go back to high school and re-learn all that …)

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    • Morgan @ The Bookish Beagle says:
      Reply

      Thank you so much!! God, me too. Good choices, I’d want to take everything haha! I know, I loved history but I wish I could go back and pay better attention in my classes too. I guess the good thing is now I can pick whatever interesting thing I want to learn about 🙂

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