Hogwarts Classes

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 180802

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "magnolia11875" <magnolia11875 at ...> wrote:
>
> Hello everyone
> 
> I've lurked for a while, but I just felt like posting this.  I'm sure
> this is a topic that's been covered quite extensively over time on
> this group, but it's a little hard to search for topics (for me at
> least), and anyway, it's interesting to start your own and see where
> it goes.  Especially since it's unlikely that if I did respond to a
> much earlier post that many people would notice it.
> 
> It seems to me that the Hogwarts classes are a little lacking.  You
> have the core classes and then the very few electives, i.e. Ancient
> Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination and Muggle
> Studies.  And yet the magical world is so rich with different types of
> magic and applications of magic and you can see the basics of the
> advanced forms in the other classes, but it just seems strange to me
> that other classes aren't offered.

Geoff:
I think that my reply may parallel what has been written by others. In 
the UK school system, Options do not come into play until Years 10 
and 11 (what until fairly recently would have been Fourth Year and Fifth 
Year). Core subjects such as, for example,  Maths, English, and Science 
obviously continue into these years.

In a real life situation, if I ask one of the young people at church what 
they are doing for Options, they will usually list two or three - the ones 
they particularly want to take - and then, if pressed, the remaining 
choices, possibly those which are makeweights to reach the required 
number for their GCSE exams at the end of Year 11.

In the Hogwarts situation, I think we are seeing the subjects which we 
are first intended to recognise as most valuable and then those which 
are the particular choices of our principal characters. Looking back at 
my own experience as a form tutor, I find it difficult to see the subjects 
and their likely time allocation making up the required timetable and 
feel that, perhaps repeating myself, JKR has really focussed on subjects
 which will be seen to increase the students' breadth of knowledge and 
experience.