4 ms·

I've worked at three Canadian universities, including being a senior administrator at two of them, I've been to meetings with other senior administrators accros

I've worked at three Canadian universities, including being a senior administrator at two of them, I've been to meetings with other senior administrators accross the country ... and I've never heard anything of the kind. Profs always have the freedom to decide which textbook(s) to recommend/require - something that is fundamental to Academic freedom.

pmichaud 14y ago
I was married to a professor for years, and it's a little more complicated than that. Full time professors do have some leeway, but they catch shit if they try to require something "weird," or inconsistent with other professors teaching similar classes. Adjunct professors have exactly zero say in the books they teach with, they can't even require extra books (which would be a sort of workaround). And consider the trend to hire more and more adjuncts in lieu of full time faculty.
- aroberge 14y ago
  When I was younger, I really bought in the myth that the U.S. was the country where true freedom could be found. I can guarantee you that here, in Canada, even adjuncts (at universities where I worked) have true Academic Freedom when it comes to choice of books, etc.
obstacle1 14y ago
Specific to Canadian universities, I know that many bookstores have been taken over by Gigantic Multinational Bookstore Management Company. Is it possible that departments incentivize profs somehow (even soft incentives like shaming deviants, etc.) to order strictly through the bookstore, which would have the effect of limiting textbook choices to whatever GMBMC Inc. stocks? The not-so-required texts I speak of were always from the same publisher, which is the 'coincidence' that got me thinking about this in the first place.
- aroberge 14y ago
  The pressure, if any, would likely not come from Academic Departments. I can see how the admin side of the institution might want, for financial reason, to encourage purchases through the bookstore... Also, in order to have books available for first day of classes, it is difficult to do anything other than ordering through the bookstore. At one of the institutions I've worked as a senior administrator, we did contemplate no longer having a bookstore and instead relying on Amazon/Chapters given their excellent service and general book availability. However, I would never have supported the idea of contracting out to some firm that dealt with a limited number of publishers.

pmichaud 14y ago

I was married to a professor for years, and it's a little more complicated than that. Full time professors do have some leeway, but they catch shit if they try to require something "weird," or inconsistent with other professors teaching similar classes. Adjunct professors have exactly zero say in the books they teach with, they can't even require extra books (which would be a sort of workaround). And consider the trend to hire more and more adjuncts in lieu of full time faculty.

aroberge 14y ago
When I was younger, I really bought in the myth that the U.S. was the country where true freedom could be found. I can guarantee you that here, in Canada, even adjuncts (at universities where I worked) have true Academic Freedom when it comes to choice of books, etc.

obstacle1 14y ago

Specific to Canadian universities, I know that many bookstores have been taken over by Gigantic Multinational Bookstore Management Company. Is it possible that departments incentivize profs somehow (even soft incentives like shaming deviants, etc.) to order strictly through the bookstore, which would have the effect of limiting textbook choices to whatever GMBMC Inc. stocks? The not-so-required texts I speak of were always from the same publisher, which is the 'coincidence' that got me thinking about this in the first place.

aroberge 14y ago
The pressure, if any, would likely not come from Academic Departments. I can see how the admin side of the institution might want, for financial reason, to encourage purchases through the bookstore... Also, in order to have books available for first day of classes, it is difficult to do anything other than ordering through the bookstore. At one of the institutions I've worked as a senior administrator, we did contemplate no longer having a bookstore and instead relying on Amazon/Chapters given their excellent service and general book availability. However, I would never have supported the idea of contracting out to some firm that dealt with a limited number of publishers.