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A new course offered this semester by the Department of Comparative Literature, COLT1740F: "Comparative Textbook Analysis," has drawn criticism from students for its heavy workload and costly reading materials.
Required reading for the class includes several editions of several textbooks on each of several scientific subjects, as well as two editions of the course text, Modern Approaches to Textbook Analysis, a compendium containing full reproductions of dozens of textbooks. End-of-chapter questions in Modern Approaches focus on comparing and contrasting other textbooks' end-of-chapter questions.
A further 10 textbooks and reference books were listed as "optional but strongly recommended." The professor, Patricia Hoit, admitted that many were long out of print, but she explained that this was "one of the many challenges facing the serious textbook analyst."
Many of the required textbooks came shrink-wrapped together with superfluous textbooks, which Hoit nevertheless encouraged students to buy since "owning more textbooks can only help you in this class."
"Students can acquire the necessary textbooks online, at the bookstore or for their e-readers. They are expected to read each book in all three of these formats," said Hoit.
The only prerequisites for the class were an upper-level literature course and either access to a wheelbarrow, the ability to singlehandedly lift 300 pounds or instructor's permission.
Christopher Massan '13 noted that although Hoit did technically manage to fill the classroom, this was largely due to the volume taken up by the textbooks themselves.
In a recent class discussion, students examined the typographical and structural changes made across the first nine editions of both Campbell's Biology and Sears and Zemansky's seminal University Physics. An essay assignment asked students to compare their experiences reading the new and used versions of the textbooks.
Anissa Gorani '12 said that the six hours allotted for the course's open-book midterm exam turned out to be "not even close to enough time."
For some, the class was a refreshingly straightforward alternative to the semester's other offerings, which included EDUC1140: "Seminar on Seminar as a Form of Communication," BIOL0200B: "The Biology of Ken Miller," ENGL0270: "The Academic Syllabus," APMA1200: "Statistical Grade Computation," LITR1430: "The Art of Course Naming," and ANTH0660: "So You Want to Change the Way 'So You Want to Change the World' is Run."
And as expensive as the class is, Hoit reminded students that it isn't nearly as expensive the companion course to be taught in the fall, COLT1740G: "Comparative Textbook Analysis While Dumping Bags of Diamonds Into a River."
