How would you respond to thia student?

[jthomas60506]

I have been a college professor for 13 years, and I thought I had heard everything. . . until today. I received an email from a student (a graduate student, no less!) who asked the following: "How important is it that I acquire the books required for your course?"

I am still puzzled about a graduate student's inability to understand the term "required text."

I'll buy a virtual beer for the best response. . .

jt

[kronos9]

"The aggregate of concepts required to attain a passing grade for this course may be acquired through Twitter, Facebook, or Google. However, this being a graduate level course, you may find that tweeting, facing, or googling will prove insufficent in that respect. Therefore, yes, opening a book and actually reading it may prove to be conducive to a better understanding of the subject matter."

[jthomas60506]

"The aggregate of concepts required to attain a passing grade for this course may be acquired through Twitter, Facebook, or Google. However, this being a graduate level course, you may find that tweeting, facing, or googling will prove insufficent in that respect. Therefore, yes, opening a book and actually reading it may prove to be conducive to a better understanding of the subject matter."

Ed,

I may just put that in my syllabus!

jt

[SteveK]

"I direct your attention to the word “required” in the syllabus. In contradistinction to much that has occurred in education of late, suffice it to say that in this case, the word "required" is imbued with Webster’s original meaning. There is no contextualization, relativism, or alternative narratives or meaning involved. With regards to your inquiry as to the importance of acquiring the book for the course, let us revisit the word “required.” If the text was not important, then perhaps another word would have been used, say, “suggested.” I hope this clearly answers your question, and I remain optimistic that your grasp of the English language will improve sufficiently for you to someday become a worthy example of one who will hold an advanced degree."

(A bit harsh, but the sort of answer I would have received from any one of my professors at my Alma mater. Of course, no one would have ever had the temerity to raise the question back then!)

Steve

[jww]

Or you could just answer the question straight up - It is essential in order to pass.

[kronos9]

Steve, that's good.

[Squire]

I still write with a fountain pen.

[desertbadger]

Or you could just answer the question straight up - It is essential in order to pass.

Simple and to the point!

Regards,
David

[Kyle76]

"I believe it to be essential. Your mileage may vary."

[jww]

"I believe it to be essential. Your mileage may vary."

+1 --- the purist SMF-member answer --- why didn't I think of that????

[LouisIII]

The student may be inquiring about how much of the reading is available online. I have spent a lot of money on books only to later find all the stuff available for free download.

[jthomas60506]

"I believe it to be essential. Your mileage may vary."

Ha! Another syllabus-worthy response!

[sgtrecon212]

The student may be inquiring about how much of the reading is available online. I have spent a lot of money on books only to later find all the stuff available for free download.

Absolutely. Having seen the cost of any schoolbooks nowadays, I consider it a scam. In our public school system, the cost of books is beyond ridiculous. And that is to rent them... and they are used.

College books are just the same... All my opinion, of course.

[aircraft_electrician]

I agree wholeheartedly with the above posts on the current costs (nothing short of robbery) of textbooks, the syllabus does use the word required, and considering this, I would respond this way:

"Dear Student,
In reference to your question, I believe the answer is found in one word, a word contained in both your question and my syllabus. That word is required. I could lecture you on the definition of this particular word, however, if you do not already possess the education or intelligence to understand the most basics of the English language, I must admit that I question your ability to earn the advanced degree you pursue."

[maskaggs]

Given that I have no idea what the student meant and don't mean to put words in his mouth, my (limited) personal experience has me reading the question another way. In our grad program students often order the books through interlibrary loan or check them out from the library; in terms of both student and professor expectations, this is completely normal here. Of course, the situation may be entirely different at the OP's school, and I wouldn't presume that expectations are the exact same as I'm accustomed to here. I read the student's question as wondering if the books for the course ought to be purchased - perhaps they are seminal or foundational to the field - for future reference. If not, might the student be asking if a library loan would suffice for the semester/term?

Of course, if they're asking whether they need to read then or not, they deserve a swift kick in the seating apparatus. As in all things, YMMV.

[Squire]

jt of course we are speculating but being a grad student his question may actually be economic. My son achieved a 4.0 point his second semester without using the "required text books" because it turned out they weren't. His professors relied on lecture, notes, outlines and referred their students to the internet for research. The University made a lot of money on the book sales though, I know because I'm the one who paid.

So in my view it's a perfectly valid question for a financially struggling student to ask the professor. After all, it's up to the prof what resources will be required.

[jthomas60506]

jt of course we are speculating but being a grad student his question may actually be economic. My son achieved a 4.0 point his second semester without using the "required text books" because it turned out they weren't. His professors relied on lecture, notes, outlines and referred their students to the internet for research. The University made a lot of money on the book sales though, I know because I'm the one who paid.

So in my view it's a perfectly valid question for a financially struggling student to ask the professor. After all, it's up to the prof what resources will be required.

That's a good point, Squire. Believe me, I know just how expensive those textbooks are, and I ensure that any text that students are expected to purchase is, in fact, used throughout the term. I often hear from students that they were required to buy a book for another class and then barely cracked the book open. That is just untenable to me. We're also required to post whether the text is required or optional, which is supposed to limit confusion.

The thing that I did not mention in my original post, though, is that this is a pretty technical research course that, by reputation, students know will be rigorous. Regardless, I am enjoying all of your responses to this one.

jt

[Squire]

Ah, got it, not Western Civ 101. I'd offer to rent him a book just to hear his response.

[Steve-o]

My son achieved a 4.0 point his second semester without using the "required text books" because it turned out they weren't.

I went to college mumblety-teen years ago and I learned after the first year to quit buying books until they actually were used in the course. I used to load up at the bookstore with all the "required" dead trees and ended up selling many back, unused, at the end of the year for pennies on the dollar (or, worse, being told that the book was no longer going to be used for that class going forward).

Without a doubt there are fields in which the information and concepts change quickly. I did save some textbooks which are useful even today. But even back then the word "scam" came to my mind. I think the student asks a very fair question.

[Bargepole]

My favourite response to that sort of stuff is simply: "Meaning...?"