Nobel Laureate George Akerlof once wrote about “The Market for Lemons” as a barrier to perfect market forces. Akerlof’s lemons referred to cars that were found to be defective after their purchase: buyers, due to information asymmetry, could not know of any defects present in the cars before their purchase. Because of this lack of information, perfect market selection of cars cannot occur. At the University, one prime example of this informational asymmetry comes in the form of course selection, as I have previously discussed. Course syllabi are usually not posted until the first week of classes. This system promotes inefficiency and prevents students from accurately gauging a class before forcing them to sign up. Professors should work to develop their syllabi earlier in the semester so that they may be available online before course registration.
Currently, there is a severe paucity of data for students who wish to learn more about the specifics of the classes that they plan on taking in the future. In some disciplines, such as engineering and the natural sciences, fixed curricula generally mean that information about a given class is less necessary. However, in humanities courses, the specific works that are to be studied can give crucial information as to how the class will be structured and what the overall goals of the class are. However, with the exception of a few professors who consistently teach the same class year in and year out, professors are not required to devise syllabi for their classes until the start of the new semester. This is, I imagine, done to prevent professors from having too much on their plate while the old semester is still going on. Nevertheless, increasing the amount of data available to students can only help students better decide which classes and readings fit best with what they wish to learn in college.
Methods that exist today for determining a given class’s syllabus are generally limited to hearsay from former students and a slideshow of former readings and textbooks used for a class on theCourseForum. Professors reserve broad leeway to change their courses and curriculums semester in and semester out, and that freedom should be preserved; possessing the ability to teach courses that change with the times and emphasize different issues as new ones become salient is a hallmark of the University system. Most professors are generally quite thoughtful and prompt about developing and releasing their curriculums early. However, others may not take the time to release syllabus information in time for the start of course registration, thus depriving students of the opportunity to learn about what they would be studying in the upcoming semester.
Even if the effort is put in, that information is not at all conveyed to potential students who may be interested in taking a given class, but don’t have enough information to decide whether or not the class may be worth it. For example, some students may find that they have already done the readings on the syllabus in a different class, or find that the readings in a given class aren’t as relevant to their major or thesis as those in another class. Being forced to read the same work in three different classes, while potentially enlightening if done from sufficiently different perspectives, prevents students from receiving a truly diversified educational experience.
Instead of the current system, humanities professors should develop blurbs and previews of the syllabus and course outline from the first day of registration, with a list of expected readings and materials covered. While some departments, such as the Philosophy and Religious Studies, already post brief outlines of courses on their websites, that functionality is not yet integrated within SIS or Lou’s List, two commonly used methods to look for new classes before a semester begins. Professors should develop the broader themes of their courses before the next semester’s beginning, in order to better match interested students with the readings and methods that they wish to learn. Rather than letting students fumble in the dark with approaches and readings that are less than perfect fits, professors would be able to give preliminary guidance to students regarding whether a class suits their interests. Eliminating this information asymmetry in course selection is an essential step to improving student experiences at the University.
Eric Xu is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at e.xu@cavalierdaily.com.
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