Sebastien Angel | Enough with the useless books already

We're nearing the end of the advanced-registration period, which means it won't be too long before the Penn Bookstore hits us up for another $400 (or more, if you're buying science textbooks or taking more than four classes).

But as I bemoan the need to buy the newest edition of a textbook that's only marginally different from its cheaper counterpart, I'm also keeping track of another total: "money spent on pointless books."

Every term, I buy at least one book that sits on my shelf all semester. Failing that, I'll have one book of which only a small percentage of the text is assigned. And, of course, a professor can always imply that a book is required, assign it and then not discuss it in class or test on it.

If you're in a social-science major, this probably isn't a foreign concept to you. I took Econ 1 last semester, and, in addition to the textbook and workbook, I bought Sex, Drugs and Economics. I got a paperback book that was essentially a layman's review of economics. I've since talked to several people who took the class with me in the spring, and all of them bought the book under the impression that they were going to use it.

If they'd known that it was going to be rarely discussed in class and not covered on tests, I doubt they would have. But the syllabus didn't divulge any of that. Instead, the book was listed in the "Homework Assignments" section, italicized and advertised as part of each week's assignment.

Rebecca Stein taught the class I took and is teaching it again this term. She assigned Sex, Drugs and Economics in part because a lot of the people who take her course benefit from the real-life applications in it. "I have some students who are more verbal-minded," Stein said. "They sort of relate to these wordy examples, and I try to give them the option for that."

Students who would otherwise feel alienated by economics are often drawn in by the approach of the book. So Stein decided not to label it as "optional," even though it wasn't going to be tested on.

"I do list some things as optional, . [but] I felt it was a good application. . It was another way of looking at the material."

There are certainly things about introductory economics that you can pull from the book that you couldn't from class. But Sex, Drugs and Economics is the textbook example of a book that's optional and should be labeled as such.

If you get an A in a microeconomics class, the professor is affirming that you have mastered the material in that particular course. If you can get an A without reading one of the books, the professor thinks you can master the material without the book. And, if that's really true, how could it be anything but optional?

Fortunately, this book was only a small, relatively cheap paperback book. But as I say, there have been other examples. One was a $30 book that the class referred to all of three times. Another was a $130 textbook that was only available new because it was the first time the professor was using that particular edition. He assigned two-thirds of the book, never so much as mentioned it in the class, and it wasn't helpful on the midterm, final or paper. When I did read the book, I read it out of guilt because of the money that would go to waste if I didn't.

You can probably fill in your own horror stories.

According to the office of the Dean of the College, the University doesn't have a cogent, universal policy about what's a "required" book and what's a "recommended" one. The guidelines I outlined above would do fine.

Learning for the sake of learning is admirable, but not at the expense of honesty and clarity in what a particular course will entail. At a time when the cost of even used textbooks is a real burden, the University ought to be doing all it can to cut down on these extra expenses.

That means you, professors.

Sebastien Angel is a College sophomore from Worcester, Mass. His e-mail address is angel@dailypennsylvanian.com. Overnight Celebrity appears on Wednesdays.

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