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 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 is exactly what the name implies — the study of the daily lives of Muggles and how they cope with electricity, technology and science, and not magic.

The subject was made compulsory in 1997 by Lord Voldemort, and instead of facts being taught regarding muggles the class was used to spread prejudice and lies.

Class information

This class aims specifically to acquaint wizards and witches who do not have direct contact with Muggles with the way they live; one known essay topic was "Why Muggles Need Electricity." It is an optional subject, taught from the third year to the seventh.

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.

Muggle games, such as hangman, cards, noughts-and-crosses, rock-paper-scissors, dominoes and crosswords are part of the curriculum, as are playgrounds.

Some wizards doing research into Muggle Studies will use the Internet for such information, a rare example of wizardkind using that service.

Classrooms

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

History

Before 1990

Quirinus Quirrell, former Muggle Studies professor

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.

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.

Professor Alecto Carrow

Voldemort took over the Ministry of Magic soon afterwards, and Death Eater Alecto Carrow was appointed 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 professor and her brother had.

Post-war

Boy 1: "What've we got next? I've lost my timetable."

Boy 2: "It's Muggle Studies next. I wonder what we're doing today."

— Two students going to a Muggle Studies class.

After Voldemort's defeat and the end of the Second Wizarding War, Alecto Carrow was presumably imprisoned and Muggle Studies restored to accurate and unbiased teaching. 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

Known O.W.L.s

Arthur Weasley

Barty Crouch Jr †

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)