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 Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 7:18 pm
So I have been giving substantial thought to Hogwarts classes and their necessity for students. I feel we might need to revaluate some of the courses Hogwarts offers, including some possible name adjustments, requirement adjustments, and offer some additional classes.
In redefining the choices students have in classes, I feel I’m not only giving roleplayers more wiggle room, but also bringing a more realistic note to Hogwarts. In my proposed rewrite, students only have a handful of required classes, which are taken from first through seventh year, and are permitted to add any class of their choosing from the list of elective courses (within their age range, of course.)
This gives us a chance to mix up different student years, as well. A seventh year may now make the choice to take Divination when he had not previously chosen to do so, and therefore ends up in class with firsties who chose it right off the bat. Students who pick Muggle Studies in first year can then accumulated 7 levels in that class, bettering their chances at a job in that area. Think of it like electives in high school such as cooking classes; you can just take cooking level 1, but if you plan ahead because you want to be a chef, you take level 1 as a freshmen, 2 as a sophomore, etc etc.
There are several classes I feel are worthy of remaining “required.” They’re classes that cover general areas of magic, and are therefore imperative for students who will need to be well-rounded in their spell-casting to make a proper living. Charms, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Any ideas on more? Some that used to be and should still remain required?
However, I feel Defense might be better named “Defensive Magic” with an additional elective titled “Defense Again the Dark Arts” (perhaps only a semester long like Wizarding Politics?) because defense-oriented magic should not only focus on dark magic-wielding foes or creatures. What about defense against friendlier opponents, or muggle bandits? In addition, I feel that “Care of Magical Creatures” should be changed to “Magical Creatures,” because the class should not just cover care, but recognizing the animals in general, knowing how to stop them if they attack, etc etc. Perhaps “Care of Magical Creatures” could also become an elective lasting only one semester like Wizarding Politics.
I have also thought to add more classes, covering subjects Rowling did not see fit to include. Already added subjects include Wizarding Politics (self-explanatory), Magical Transportation (including broom-riding, magic cars, floo), and Medical Magic (firsties conjuring bandaids and seventh years repairing a shattered skull.)
Let the ideas and opinions flow! Nothing is set in stone.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 11:51 am
This all sounds awesome but I think maybe you should require a potions and then a sort of home-ec class... where you can learn all those useful cooking/cleaning/living spells. This way people can start to be more independent and do things for themselves. biggrin
AND POTIONS IS IMPORTANT, DAMMIT! At least 3 years of it, and then you don't have to take any more. And herbology is important too...
Maybe some sort of combined potions/herbology thing so people learn better/faster. But that kind of stuff really has to be known. x_x
I think Muggle studies should be mandatory too... maybe just 1 semester of it, and 1 semester of the home-ec before 3rd year, and 1 semester after fifth year. XD To get things well rounded.
We must think like educators. razz
At my college we have general degree requirements, where we get a rounded education in sciences, non western studies, arts, math, english, everything really. I think that's pretty cool.
Just like a highschool has certain graduation requirements, so should the school in the guild. You want kids well rounded, and there'll always be the classes which will make the kids groan and grumble.
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Godfrey Potter-Lockhart Crew
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:08 pm
Yup, Kitty's got a character that's doing both the "housekeeping" class (includes cleaning spells, house-protecting/hiding-from-muggles charms, etc etc) and magical cooking. I'm hesitant to make it mandatory simply because it's more of a lifestyle choice than an academic one - some students might live completely muggle or completely wizarding, and the class is geared more towards wizarding with the intent to live among muggles.
I dunno about Potions being mandatory because it's also a lifestyle thing. I can't see more than perhaps half of Hogwarts' students actually using that knowledge. I think - especially these days - potions are more of a specialty.
I was thinking of making a 'General Magical Studies' class that's mandatory, that covers bits of Herbology, bits of Creatures (maybe instead of a Magical Creatures classes), bits of Potions, bits of basics from everything. The bare minimum you'd need to know to be well-rounded-ish.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:21 pm
Some additional specialty classes I know I'm adding:
Auror Pre-Training
Medical Magic
Some that I am considering:
Technomagic
Magical Engineering
Some semester-long electives I'm considering:
Artistic Spellwork (art)
Languages and Translation
Other classes, traditionally considered muggle, such as theatre or music, will be made if/when roleplayers come forward with teachers for such a subject. I've got a muse for a teacher for Technomagic and Magical Engineering, so I might just go ahead and make those legit.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 6:29 pm
Whoa, babe.... Okay, I get your ideas, and I dig them to a degree.
I don't think things need to be switched up this much, though.
Care of Magical Creatures should stay the same. I thought it already covered how to identify and how to stop them? If not, have it in the class and keep it to one.
Same with Defense Against the Dark Arts. You're already learning defensive and offensive spells. Why can't it include regular opponents and the like? It can just be expanded a bit.
I don't think the classes need to be renamed or turned into two. That's just confusing and more classes for no real reason.
Also, I agree with Cassy that Potions and Herbology should be mandatory for a while. I see what you're saying, but those are still important classes and need to be taken for a few years in the very least.
I don't get how Potions are a specialty now, either. confused Shouldn't that be common knowledge to know how to brew some things?
I see where they could be broken up and that could be taught in other classes, but it feels like it's taking away from the traditional set up of Hogwarts....course it is gonna be all new, but still....
The thought of kids not bitching about Snape or Man-Eating plants in their first couple of years seems a little sad.
And how can Potions only be a specialty now? Lookit how useful they were in the books. O.o
Not to mention, the subject was mandatory for at least the beginnings of your school career for how long? They can't have updated and changed that quickly in less than three decades... That just sounds weird to me.
I love the other class ideas you have, though.
I don't mean to disagree with you so much, Jess. v.v;;; Just giving you my thoughts on it.
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:56 am
I'm just saying that I feel that the Creatures class should put less emphasis on caring and more on general identification, handling, etc. I dunno how much a kid needs to know how to keep a unicorn in his backyard. XD But then again, if Janine is going to write for Hagrid, the class name and content is more her end of the ballpark.
We've already bickered over DADA offline, and my opinion still stands. Call it what you want.
Potions were useful in the books because Harry needed them. The average student wasn't searching for the heir of Slytherin, drinking poisoned alcohol, or sneaking into wizarding banks.
And I disagree completely on the length of time it takes to change a school curriculum. The Ministry is a completely different government from Harry's school days, laws rewritten and the chain of command altered, why can't the school have gone through the same changes? It's the building block of future generations -- too important not to have undergone substantial changes after the war. There's more emphasis on choice now - a freedom that wasn't particularly apparent before. Students have more bonding time with family now, more choice in the courses they take in school, more freedom in shaping their future lifestyles.
And I know, Kat. And I appreciate opposing opinions, it's provided some much-needed reflection on the process.
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:02 am
Additionally, I'm giving thought to the concept of '3 years required' for Herbology, Potions, etc etc. So Cassy might have won this round. ninja
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 12:36 pm
razz Yeah, because mostly what we saw of potions in books was mostly action/action/action.
But I don't really think a family would go to Mungos every time someone had a cold, or pop into the apocathary and buy a potion, I think mostly they'd make stuff themselves.
Besides that, potions and herbology can actually be very dangerous. I'd think that by not being as prepared or able to identify plants, or make a potion on their own, people would be worse off and things like accidents and even deaths would be on the rise.
x_x I mean, imagine having a plant growing in your yard and not knowing it was venemous tentacula! Or not knowing that this or that plant, while pleasant smelling, was actually deadly at night, or under the light of the full moon, or that some plants had properties in the pollen to cloud your mind and bring you closer so you could be EATEN.
And imagine being at home and not knowing how to even make a simple burn salve. I'd think it'd just be cheaper for people to make their own potions and grow their own ingredients. As things go on, people might modernize more, but they're still a rather small community compared to muggles, and I think even with modernization the old ways would stay in place soemwhat and get passed down, mostly because wizards live so long. biggrin
But 3 years would be enough to know basic things. Sort of like having to take math just to get enough down, but they don't force you to take the harder stuff if you need to. ^_^ Besides, 11/12/13 year olds need more structure and need to get the basics down a bit more, I think, before they figure out what kinds of things they're really interested. You've got to show them all areas of magic, a full spectrum, in order for them to develop properly and figure out what it is that actually interests them. 8D
I might think you'd even make a music and art class mandatory, so kids can at least get a feel for things, even if they end up not liking them.
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Godfrey Potter-Lockhart Crew
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Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 6:03 pm
The classes concept I've been toying with goes as follows:
5 Credits in:
• Charms
• Transfiguration
• History
2 Credits in:
• Potions
• Herbology
• Defense
• Creatures
A 'credit' is defined as one entire year completed and passed in the subject. Obviously students will have to take more than these, and I've got some options on the burner already; more subjects will be introduced (theatre, art, etc etc etc) when people make the teachers who teach them. And I mean any subject.
So get creative, guys. Come up with neat new classes. I DEMAND IT.
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Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:03 am
I'd bump up defence to at least a 3-5 credit and potions to a 3, but otherwise it's awesomecakes. ^_^
D: I'd like to come up with new classes but I can't remember all of what you've already created..... >_<
I think we might have to be careful about making too many REALLY specialized classes, because that'd be more suited to a magical college....
Like specialized art/music classes. Like they might have 'intro to musical magic' class, but not a real advanced one such as 'Ancient Musical Magic, Classical Musical Magic, Modern Musical Magic'
Again that'd be better set for a college atmosphere. D: Don't want to overwhelm the poor kiddies.
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Godfrey Potter-Lockhart Crew
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