You are in charge of Hogwarts

[Emily F]

No: HPFGUIDX 56741

Bill wrote:
>So how about some sample curricula of your own?  How many subjects
>would be compulsary, and how many elective?  How many Professors
>would be on staff?  You cannot schedule too many subjects, or the
>students will run out of free time due to homework, but too few
>subjects, and they are losing learning opportunities.

Me:
I haven't thought in great deal about the amount of coursework for each 
course, or required vs. elective curriculum, but I liked some of your 
suggestions, Bill.  I think you, and everyone else, are thinking about some 
of the courses a little incorrectly.  MUGGLE science?  MUGGLE history?  
MUGGLE literature?  Why make these distinctions?  I would assume that (to 
borrow someone else's example) water boils and freezes at the same 
temperature in the wizarding and muggle worlds.  I would also assume that 
rocks erode, dolphins swim, and lightning strikes exactly the same in both 
the wizarding and muggle worlds.  While, arguably, in some instances magic 
can change some properties of science, surely it can't change all of them.  
I know that some Hogwarts classes currently cover some aspects of science, 
but I think a few more could be added.  The courses may be surveys, and need 
not go into great detail, but I can't think of anything horrible that would 
come from the students learning more about the natural world.

As to the subjects of history and literature - do you all remember why we 
study those in the first place?  History and expression (literature, art, 
etc.) are vital to our humanity, and to the story of our humanity.  The most 
important thing I learned about history in school is that we must understand 
history in order to avoid repeating it.  I find it hard to believe that 
there are no lessons the wizarding world could learn from muggle history.  
Perhaps the history class at Hogwarts would focus on British history, and 
skim over some events that aren't "major" historical events.

Literature is valuable to the expression and sharing of human emotion and 
the preservation of culture.  I'm sure the wizarding world has its share of 
writers, but I can't imagine that they would differ so starkly from muggle 
writers that wizards should study the latter and not the former.  Of course, 
as far as we can tell, the Hogwarts students don't study literature at all.  
Poor kids.  And Hermione could really do with a good dose of Jane Austen.

The thing I find most disturbing about the Hogwarts curriculum is that it is 
TOO focused on the wizarding world.  While some may never leave that world, 
I think the majority will at some point, even if by accident.  Restricting 
the children to discovering ONLY the wizarding world seems rather unfair, 
especially to the children who come from wizarding families.  And God forbid 
they learn to look both ways before crossing the street!  :-)

Of course, we can debate whether studying these subjects is necessary in a 
magical school.  Along those lines, are they really necessary in a muggle 
school?  They may not be *necessary* to get through life, but a greater 
understanding of the world around us - ALL of the world - makes us better 
human beings.  And isn't that understanding the goal of education?

I won't even talk about how much it saddens me that there doesn't appear to 
be higher education in the wizarding world.


Emily, who considers the formation of the Grand Canyon to be highly 
scientific, certainly miraculous, but absolutely not magical

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