Tea for Teaching Why the Magic Matters
Nov 26, 2025
Jill Peterfeso, Eli Franklin Craven and Minnie Phipps Craven Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College, discusses the transformative power of Disney in education. She explains how Disney serves as a unique laboratory for learning across disciplines like data science and sociology. Jill highlights the need for critical examination of Disney's narrative and themes, such as settler colonialism. She also shares insights from her edited volume, touching on the diverse academic perspectives that reveal the magic behind the scenes and its impact on students.
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Teaching Disney As A Discovery Course
- Jill developed a first-year seminar on Disney to engage students and learn alongside them.
- She taught the course multiple times and expanded into cross-listed and study-away Disney classes.
Book Idea Sparked By A Podcast
- The edited volume Why the Magic Matters began after Jill discovered an Elon University Disney course from a podcast.
- Jill teamed up with Alexis Franzese and decided to produce an edited collection instead of a single article.
Disney Works Across Disciplines
- Jill and Alexis deliberately recruited contributors from many disciplines to show Disney's academic reach.
- The book spans fields from data science to indigenous studies to disability studies to illustrate Disney's interdisciplinary value.
