Muggle Studies

Muggle Studies
Class information
Professor	Quirinus Quirrell (formerly) Male teacher (formerly) Charity Burbage (formerly) Alecto Carrow (formerly)
Classroom	Muggle Studies Classroom
Required textbooks	Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy
Required equipment	Books Parchment Quill

"Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles... how they are not so different from us..."

— Lord Voldemort's scorn and hatred for Muggle Studies

Muggle Studies is an elective class and part of the non-magical studies curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It involves the study of the history and daily lives of Muggles, and how they are able to live without magic, but instead electricity, technology and science.

Class information

This class aims specifically to familiarise wizards and witches with how Muggles live their lives without magic; one known essay topic was "Why Muggles Need Electricity." It is an optional subject, taught from the third year to the seventh. It has both an O.W.L. and a N.E.W.T. exam, and presumably also has practical lessons and exam sections.

Muggle Studies is considered by some to be a soft option, but others, such as Percy Weasley, think it is important for magical people to have an understanding of the non-magical community, especially if they work closely with Muggles, such as in the Ministry of Magic; his father being a case in point.

Wizards may use the Internet as part of their research into Muggle Studies, but is otherwise scarcely used by the magical communtiy.

Classrooms

Muggle Studies classes take place in a classroom on the first-floor, accessed through a showroom displaying Muggle artefacts.

History

Pre 1990

Quirinus Quirrell taught Muggle Studies at Hogwarts until 1990, when he took a year-long sabbatical and spent time abroad before returning to Hogwarts and becoming the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

The position was taken over by another wizard, following Quirrell's death in the Underground Chambers on 4 June, 1992.

1990-1993

In 1990, a wizard took over from Quirrell as Muggle Studies Professor. In 1992, Harry Potter came looking for him with a torch for him to add to his collection. Unfortunately, he was not present and the professor's student assistant took the torch and added it to the collection for him. He presumably left by 1993.

1993-1997

Ron Weasley: "What are you doing Muggle Studies for? You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"

Hermione Granger: "But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view."

— Ron and Hermione, while discussing their new classes

Hermione Granger took Muggle Studies, as well as every other class, in her third year, despite being Muggle-born. By this time, Charity Burbage had taken over from the former teacher. She wanted to study Muggles from the wizards' point of view, and excelled in the class, but dropped it at the end of the year when she found her schedule too demanding. Ernie Macmillan also took the subject.

1997

In 1997, Professor Charity Burbage was captured by Death Eaters and brought to Malfoy Manor, where Lord Voldemort murdered her with the Killing Curse, because she wrote a positive and impassioned piece about Muggles and Muggle-borns for the Daily Prophet. Before her death, she begged Severus Snape to free her and tell Voldemort to let her go. Severus Snape was forced to ignore her, and then she was put to death. Her corpse was then consumed by Nagini.

Voldemort took over the Ministry of Magic soon afterwards and Death Eater Alecto Carrow was appointed the new professor of Muggle Studies, with Professor Burbage noted as "resigned" in the newspaper. The subject was made compulsory, and instead of teaching students accurate facts about the non-magical community and encouraging understanding and tolerance, Carrow taught that Muggles were "like animals, stupid and dirty" and that they "drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them," and "how the natural order is being restored," This was an attempt to brainwash Wizarding children into hating the Muggle world, and into joining Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Neville Longbottom would defy such teachings by asking how much Muggle blood the new professor and her brother had.

Post-war

After Voldemort's defeat, death and the end of the Second Wizarding War, Alecto Carrow was presumably imprisoned in Azkaban for her crimes and Muggle Studies restored to its factual roots. It is unknown who took over Muggle Studies after the war.

Known professors

Quirinus Quirrell (?-1990)

Charity Burbage (1993-1997)

Alecto Carrow (1997-1998)

• Male teacher (1990-1993)
• Unidentified (1998-?)

Required textbooks

Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy

Grades

Passing Grades Outstanding [O] Exceeds Expectations [E] Acceptable [A]

Fail Grades Poor [P] Dreadful [D] Troll [T]

Known O.W.L.s

Arthur Weasley (possibly)

Quirinus Quirrell †

Charity Burbage †

Bill Weasley

Percy Weasley

Behind the scenes

• In the Game Boy Color version of the video game of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, this is referred to as "Non-Magical Studies", as the game curiously goes to great lengths to avoid using the term "Muggle".

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)