We have an issue on college campuses across America, a habit of limited thought and self-serving attitude that runs contrary to the goals of institutions of higher learning — and it isn’t about free speech.

Professors that assign their own book in the syllabi of their class are academically lazy. Put aside STEM teachers who may have legitimate reasons for this and we are left with professors that prioritize their own vanity over the well-being of their students. Bearing similarities to the censorship of conservative ideas on college campuses, professors that assign their own books for a class are promoting a single viewpoint on their subject matter.

In a 15-week semester, the professor has ample time to plead their case, explain their ideas and advocate for their viewpoints. Rather than allowing students to form their own ideas from various sources on the subject matter, they are instead fed the same ideas in lecture, in reading and on exams. This is just not the best way to learn.

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It is doubtful that any professor would claim to be the sole proprietor of wisdom in their field, so they shouldn’t build a class that way.

Not to mention the questionable ethics of a professor profiting off of their captive students — forced to buy their textbook, blackmailed by the threat of a poor grade. Obviously professors are not showered in wealth from this enterprise, but nonetheless, it’s a gray area.

A liberal economics professor would do well to assign a conservative textbook and discuss the ideas openly in class, willingly giving their opinion, but acknowledging that it is indeed an opinion, not fact.

College classes shouldn’t be about the professor’s ideas alone. It would be great if they were about the professor’s ideas regarding other people’s work, as this opens up the discussion to questions, different angles and analysis.

Textbooks are expensive enough. Some estimates find that students spend about $600 on average on textbooks every year, shouldn’t this be spent on broadening horizons rather than narrowing them?

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There is also the issue of the awkward nature of having an honest discussion with the author of the textbook. Nobody wants to piss off their professor by disagreeing with their work or even misrepresenting it. In a perfect world, a professor would be open to criticism of their work, but more often than not, the same professor who finds it necessary to shape a class around their own textbook is probably not the most affable receiver of criticism.

At the very least, as it’s obvious this bogus practice will continue for the foreseeable future, professors should include a section on the syllabus of their reasoning. A quick summation of the reasons why assigning their own work isn’t a sales pitch or an ego trip.

Will Stern ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in journalism.