THEORY: Hogwarts curriculum

[Nora Renka]

No: HPFGUIDX 112663

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "frugalarugala" 
<frugalarugala at y...> wrote:
> 
> Frugalarugala:
> Yeah, it was me. Though, I don't think we are actually at 
> opposites. I wasn't meaning to sound like I think any large number 
> go on to muggle universities. I think the number is fairly small, 
> with the majority learning through apprenticeships. I mean, name a 
> profession we've seen in the WW that could use what could be 
> learned from a muggle school. Medicine--they use magical means. Law-
> -maybe, where there is overlap. Engineering--bwah! But things like 
> writing, history, art... 

Law, I can only see in the case of a particularly devoted Muggle 
liason worker--but it's just the kind of think to shake up the 
WW...imagine, someone coming back in with these insane Muggle ideas--
innocent until proven guilty, actual courts with juries... I know I'm 
probably mangling some of the very profound differences between 
British and American law (and I know they're based on rather 
different traditions), but the WW justice system is *distinctly* 
unimpressive.  The courtroom scene in GoF is downright Soviet.

Art/history/etc. I agree would be found in the Muggle world--but I 
can't really see any wizards going for that, or it getting any 
respect back in the WW.  I'd still love to see Hermione, say, with 
some solid sociological training.

> Nora:
> > The culture shock for the pureblooded would be fairly 
> > profound, 
> 
> Frugalarugala:
> OOOOH, yeah. But that would just shove them back into their ivory 
> towers with tutors and make them feel all the more threatened by 
> the muggle world. All that arrogance and prejudice has to come from 
> somewhere. It's usually from one group feeling the need to make 
> themselves feel better by telling themselves their better than the 
> next group, and from feeling threatened by that group. 
> 
> So why would pureblooded wizards feel inferior to or threatened by 
> muggles? Culture shock. Feeling stupid for not being able to cope. 
> So they retreat into a world of their own, and feel vaguely trapped 
> and threatened, which they are, if they can't deal with the muggle 
> world they're cut off from the vast majority of people. It's the 
> only way I've come up with to explain the attitudes we see in the 
> books. 

I have another one--check out my old fascism post (which I don't have 
the numbers on, but I can send you if you wish).  The attitudes we 
get in the books come from a confusion of a cultural idea with a 
natural one--pureblood superiority is a cultural construct, but those 
who are pureblood think it is Innately True.  From that you get a 
hatred and fear of those who would disturb it, and a powerful sense 
of entitlement.  That sense of entitlement is an awfully dangerous 
thing, because it leads naturally (possibly) into Dark Arts--if 
you're the rightful kings of the world, why not use whatever means 
you want or need to get what belongs to you?  You don't understand 
the Muggles, but they're just inherently inferior creatures--who 
*wants* to understand their stupid ways, anyways.  We know better, 
and we've always known better, and we're going to preserve our 
traditional ways against these interlopers.

> Nora:
> >and the rest of the kids had been cut off from the stream 
> > of Muggle education for so long.  
> 
> Frugalarugala:
> Well, there is muggle studies and career counciling... But I don't 
> think they'd care much about the muggle degrees. I think they'd 
> have rather the same attitude some people have to people with 
> foreign medical degrees. How hard would it be to put a spell on 
> muggles to not notice the extra person sitting in their class'? 
> With the degree of cultural arrogance they have, the degrees I can 
> see them caring about would be stamped MoM. 

I was thinking about the lack of muggle qualifications that the 
students had being a problem to get them *into* school.  Those can 
only be faked so far, as well--you might be able to slip them in by 
magic, but in class, it quickly becomes obvious when someone is not 
prepared.

The spell to hide the wizarding students would completely cut them 
off from the most important thing in a college education--arguing 
with your peers and participating in class.  I freely admit my bias 
of coming out and continuing in a hard-core liberal arts tradition, 
where all my classes were small and I had to be ready and willing to 
defend against all comers.  I suppose they could do okay in the kind 
of science lectures where the professor doesn't even know everyone's 
name, but they're screwed for absolutely anything in the humanities, 
and graduate work in any field whatsoever.

> Nora: 
> >'Harry Potter Goes to College and Learns How To Do a Kegstand'  
> 
> Frugalarugala: 
> Hey, I'd buy a copy!

I want to see a volume of HP essays in the style of Frederick 
Crews' 'The Pooh Perplex'.  If I were meaner and wittier, I'd work on 
it.  But I'm busy.  :)

-Nora gets cracking on some of the reading and writing things to do