I have a problem, Socio Economic data and HP + OT question about American College education.

[Scott]

No: HPFGUIDX 5112

I'm starting to look at colleges and this is one questioning point 
for me.  I have been looking at  colleges in the UK and so I was 
rather confused by the US system.  (why waste time learning things 
that don't really apply?) Then again what do I know?  I am supposed 
to go to a workshop on this in a weeks at a local university so maybe 
I can clear up some of my own questions.

Now I know that this was terribly OT, (forgive me, we've had a yard 
sale today and I've been up since very early...) but I will try to 
pull it back together.  

JKR has said (I believe)that there is no wizarding university but I 
still don't know if I buy it. (Just like I don't buy the fact that 
Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in Great Britain). Anyway if 
there isn't then I guess most wizards just go to trade schools, and 
apprenticeship with other shoppe owners and such.

The last part of this message deals with the socio economic data and 
how it relates to education.  As far as we know (and I'm not 
searching the books or anything so it may not be true) but I don't 
really remember any "white collar wizards" that didn't work for the 
MoM.  How would one become qualified for a ministry job if not higher 
Education, and for that matter, how well does the ministry pay (ie 
Arthur...) -and maybe the owner of "The Three Broomsticks" makes just 
as much money.

Scott 



> > Drifting off the point a bit, but from general information on 
this list it
> > appears the majority (if not all) of the  Harry fans on this list 
are a)
> > well educated (university or its equivalent or preparing for the 
same), b)
> > Very well read and c) Those who have left education are or were 
what UK
> > sociological tables would call ABC1 professionals (Please don't 
ask me to
> > elaborate because as a non sociologist who had to do a bit as 
part of her
> > course I can't). Is there any connection I wonder beyond the 
obvious of
> > being able to afford a computer and net connection.
> 
> As a student of International Relations, I can elaborate on ABC1 
for those
> who're in the dark. It refers to a way to segment the population of 
a
> country by its work. I've not got my textbook on me, but here's a
> paraphrase:
> 
> A: Executive/Director
> B: Middle Management/Secretarial
> C1: Floor supervisor
> C2: Skilled laborer
> D: Unskilled laborer
> E: Unemployed
> 
> C1 and C2 comprise 60% of the UK electorate. ABC1 is what is known 
in the UK
> as "Middle Class" and in the USA as "White Collar".
> 
> > Final OT point someone I think it was Carole said something about 
only
> > having to take one humanities course on her Science based degree. 
Is it
> > usual to have to take courses from another discipline in the US? 
In the UK
> > unless you are doing a modular degree (This is a generalisation 
but usually
> > you only do those if you didn't get the grades for your first 
choice or you
> > decide at the end of your first year you hate your subject and 
want to
> > change.) you stick purely to courses on your subject. Sometimes 
you are
> > encouraged to do a European language course alongside and I had a 
compulsory
> > computer course but it was not part of the degree nor did my mark 
count
> > towards my final mark. Sorry if this sounds garbled I'm just very 
curious as
> > discipline boundaries are rarely crossed in the UK. This could be 
partially
> > a result of the restrictive nature of A-levels. In most cases you 
chose arts
> > or sciences at 16.
> 
> I'm currently studying International Relations as my intended 
degree at the
> University of St Andrews. I'm in year 2 of 4 and already I've taken 
modules
> in International Relations, Russian, Russian Literature, Arabic and
> Linguistics. 
> 
> From what I remember when I looked at universities two years ago 
(gawd, two
> years ago? I feel so OLD!), Social Sciences and Sciences tend to be 
modular
> courses at all but the most hallowed institutions (read: Oxford and
> Cambridge), and even some of those are modular. St Andrews runs a 
completely
> modular system, but in a Faculties system -- you can't usually take 
a
> Science module from the Arts Faculty, but you can take most 
anything with a
> language or with IT Studies. Languages are particularly encouraged.
> 
> Hope this helps!
> 
> --John
> 
> =====================================================
> John Walton     john at w...    ICQ: 96203920
> 
> "I won't eat people! Don't eat people! Eating people is wrong!"
> --Flanders and Swann: The Reluctant Cannibal
> =====================================================