Academics Weekly Assignment — February 12th, 2023

Welcome to the Academics weekly assignment for the week of February 12th, 2023! These weekly assignments will give our Professors the ability to showcase some of their lesson ideas here on the website. Each assignment will be posted for a week, in which everyone will be able to read about the topic and respond to the assignment prompt. This week's assignment is "Magical Architecture - Universidad de Urubamba" created by Jake (jake_ft).

This is the final weekly assignment that will be announced in this format on our website and Discord server. All future weekly assignments will be available through the normal link, but will not be posted. They will still be updated every Sunday.

The assignment is as follows:
Overview
The Universidad de Urubamba is a wizarding school based in Peru. It sits high above the province of Urubamba in Peru, nestled amongst the ruins of Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan Citadel situated in the Andes mountains. Made of several stone pyramids, the citadel is overgrown and has become a hugely popular tourist site for Unmagicals. The popularity of the site has caused issues for the school, causing multiple cloaking spells and strict rules to be placed upon the building.

Constructed during the 15th century, the area is renowned for dry-stone walls fused together using mortar. These intriguing buildings are positioned in such a way that they reflect astronomical alignments and create panoramic views for all who visit. While the school is held within some of the repurposed temples, the citadel of Machu Picchu’s original purpose is still unknown.

Students take their classes in harsh stone buildings, each of which is surrounded by vast vines and leaves. The buildings are positioned in a circular fashion around a series of central temples which are used for administrative purposes. At the heart of the school is the largest of the buildings: the Great Hall. This is where students take their meals and greet visitors to the school. For the curriculum, students decide on a final project that they would like to undertake while at the school. The range of choices has led to a vast specialisation of buildings, ranging from trade centres to magical creature pens.

Assignment
You are an Unmagical tourist visiting Machu Picchu when you see a strange creature rustling in one of the nearby bushes. You approach it with caution when suddenly you pass through a strange magical barrier, revealing Universidad de Urubamba before you. What does it look like? What features of the building draw you in closer? Do you dare to enter?

Please make sure to write at least 5 full sentences to get AC for this assignment! Your assignment must be entirely written by you and may not be plagiarized (including copying anything from online sources, books, or movie plots) in any way. Assignments must follow all PotterworldMC rules, which can be found here; assignments that do not follow all PotterworldMC rules will be subject to punishment. If your assignment does not meet the requirements, you will be unable to redo your assignment for this week. Assignments are due at 12am PST on Sunday, February 19th, 2023. You may submit as soon as you would like, but any assignments submitted after that time will not receive grades. You may receive up to 20 ACs for your submission. House points will not be awarded to any submissions. If you have any questions, please reach out to a Jr. Professor, Sr. Professor, Academics Advisor, Academics Lead, or Head of Academics on Discord.

Click here to submit your assignment, and click here to view your submission.

 

[Misscatmeow]

Rosa was walking through the ruins of Machu Picchu, amazed by the ancient architecture and the breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. She was an Unmagical tourist, fascinated by the history and the culture of Peru. She was so absorbed in the beauty of the place that she didn't notice the strange rustling in the nearby bushes.

Curious, she approached the bushes with caution. As she drew nearer, the rustling grew louder, and she could see something moving inside. With a deep breath, Rosa leaned forward and peered into the foliage.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation in her chest, and her vision blurred. Before she knew it, she had passed through some kind of magical barrier and was standing in front of a vast, circular building. She gazed up at it, stunned by its size and the intricate patterns etched into the stone.

As she walked around the building, she saw that it was surrounded by smaller stone structures, each covered in vines and leaves. There were several fountains scattered around the courtyard, and the sound of water filled the air. Rosa couldn't believe her eyes; it was like stepping into a dream.

She approached one of the smaller buildings and peered inside, but it was dark and empty. Suddenly, a voice spoke behind her.

"Hello, there. Can I help you?"

Rosa spun around and saw a young woman in a blue robe, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked like she was around Rosa's age, maybe a few years younger.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Rosa said. "I was just exploring and then...this place appeared. What is it?"

The woman smiled. "This is the Universidad de Urubamba. It's a wizarding school, but I'm guessing you're not a student?"

Rosa shook her head. "No, I'm just a tourist. I was visiting Machu Picchu, and then I saw something in the bushes, and then I was here. It's all very confusing."

The woman nodded. "I can imagine. Well, you're welcome to look around, but I should warn you, we have to be careful about who sees us. We have cloaking spells, of course, but there are still risks. Do you think you can keep our secret?"

Rosa hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I can keep a secret. I won't tell anyone."

The woman smiled. "Great. In that case, feel free to explore. You might find some interesting things."

Rosa thanked her and continued to wander around the courtyard. She saw a group of students studying in one of the buildings, and a few others were walking around with strange animals on leashes. It was all so surreal.

She paused in front of the Great Hall, feeling drawn to its massive doors. She could hear voices and laughter coming from inside, and she wondered what it would be like to step in and see for herself.

But then she remembered the woman's warning and hesitated. She didn't want to get anyone in trouble. She decided it was time to leave, to go back to the mundane world of Unmagicals.

As she turned to go, she felt a strange pang of longing. She had glimpsed something incredible, something magical. And now she had to leave it behind.

But maybe, just maybe, she would come back one day. Maybe she would find a way to be part of this world, even if she wasn't a witch. Maybe she would find her own kind of magic...