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Textbook prices

Read an article by Confessions of a Community College Dean on Textbooks

Some students have been complaining about the price of textbooks for certain classes. Curious, I went to the bookstore and roamed the stacks, seeing just what they’re paying.

Wow.

The students are right. The costs are absurd.

Intro to [a popular foreign language] — $200.

He starts out getting it, then rambles on about how not much can be done by the College.

Come on now, why would an introductory language class *need* a new textbook? Language instruction changes very slowly. Why not pick the best from the last decade’s editions and use only used textbooks?

And your complaints about a system where the college buys the books seem poorly thought out. The *point* of such a system is to put the college in the crunch zone. And the college is better able to handle it–pressure publishers, reuse books, or pick inexpensive titles.

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