FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/21/17
University of Illinois prof to discuss psychology of Harry Potter and superheroes at York College on Oct. 3
YORK, Pa. – The author and editor of works on psychological themes in popular culture will speak at York College’s Weinstock Lecture Hall, Willman Business Center, on Oct. 3. The talks by Dr. Mikhail Lyubansky, teaching associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaigne, are open to the public free of charge.
Dr. Lyubanski will discuss “The Racial Politics of Harry Potter” at 11 a.m. His talk will address the questions, “Are Harry, Ron, and Hermione color-blind when it comes to race?” Is there explicit or implicit bias in Harry Potter (and what’s the difference between the two)? Does it matter whether racism is intended, or whether it is an unintended outcome? Are there real-world implications to be considered with this popular series?
“Justice in the World of Superheroes” will be Lyubanski’s topic during a 2 p.m. discussion. He will compare different types of justice portrayed in the popular Daredevil and Punisher comic series, including punitive justice (which is the mainstream justice system in the U.S.), vengeful justice and restorative justice. He will discuss the implications of these fictional stories for how we perceive crime and justice in the real world.
There will be a book signing after each lecture, featuring two published works on these topics that include contributing chapters by Lyubansky. This series is sponsored by the First-Year Experience and the First-Year Learning Communities program.
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