BiddiesInMyBrain

Northwestern 21, Michigan 14

Friend of mine e-mailed me tonight after our win.

Her comment?

"OMG! You saucy little nerds!"

::giggle::

Saucy little nerds?

::giggling some more::

Les Misbarack

OK, I am laughing my butt off... wish I had seen this before the election!!!!

h/t to Kaleigh

Rant on History Textbooks

Why, oh why, must textbooks... especially college history textbooks... not only cost a fortune (for god's sake, it's HISTORY)... but also WEIGH a ton???

I just got a new history textbook for review... and it weighs... ELEVEN POUNDS. Either that, or my scale is off. *I* think it weighs 11 pounds.

Weird thing about it? The main body of the text, from the beginning of time to the present, is less than 1000 pages.

What the hell??

I can tell you right now that I will stay with the condensed textbook I am currently using ($45), teach from my lectures, and supplement from my website with the things I think they *really* need. They can print/view the supplemental materials and not spend an extra $50. Yeah. A basic history text which costs $95.

 

Many (most?) older profs do not take the textbook cost into account... but I have spent a lot of time recently shopping and asking; I am not about to ask non-majors to ever again buy a hugely expensive book for something they will never use again - or will keep only for occasional reference. It just makes NO SENSE. I've had students take my class in previous semesters and GO WITHOUT THE BOOK because they couldn't afford it. With history you can sometimes get away with that (though it's hard when you are supposed to be doing chapter summaries). I just can't can't can't break any more students' budgets. It breaks my heart... and there is something that also breaks my heart when I hear that a student has dropped all his other classes but mine because mine was the only book he could afford.

My criteria? Has to have the founding docs, has to be accurate. Everything else is gravy - because *every* book is going to cover basically the same material, no matter which publisher prints it. Different points of view, yes, but same basic story. Doesn't match my point of view? GREAT! I have a wonderful teaching experience ahead!

The way other profs justify it is that they want the best reference book possible for the students to keep. I want the best textbook for the money, and I will teach them what else I feel they need to know. That's what the classroom is for, asshats. Earn your keep.

It's HISTORY for god's sake. There are only so many ways to teach it from a book (I know, I know.. there really are.. but come on!). I appreciate that they are sexing it up - and I have been part of that movement - I've been in on the late writing/editing stages of two new textbooks so far in my career. But I can't justify this kind of cost for a course for non-majors. I mean... for Pete's sake. I have the ability to choose my text... and I assure you that this one won't be it, no matter how sexy it is.

The damn textbook companies just aren't getting it.

 

And I am fed up. Right up to here.