The Harry Potter Academic Conference (HPAC), held annually since 2012, emerged from an Interdisciplinary Honors course for undergraduate students at Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, PA, USA), developed by Professor Patrick McCauley and Dr. Karen Wendling. This course used the Harry Potter series as an example of Bildungsroman literature to study the often competing influences of science and philosophy/religion on the development of personal truth and meaning. HPAC was first held in October 2012 as part of the town of Chestnut Hill’s Harry Potter Weekend to provide an academic outlet for a serious – but always enjoyable – study of the themes in the Potter series.
Today, the conference is proud to continue, celebrating its 15th anniversary while still engaging in evolving, thought-provoking discussion and analysis about the Potterverse and its varied themes. HPAC is a non-profit, interdisciplinary conference that welcomes all participants—from curious fans to full professors—to present and engage with scholarship on the Potterverse and find community among other Potter scholars.
Conference registration is open to the public and will be available this summer. HPAC 2026 will be held fully in person on the campus of Chestnut Hill College on October 23-24. More information can be found here.
Accommodations and/or physical access needs related to a disability should be made prior to the event. If you need to make a request or have additional questions, please contact mccauleyp@chc.edu.