Ahmed: A class by any other name

Usually, we need a catchy name or title to attract our attention to a larger body of… Usually, we need a catchy name or title to attract our attention to a larger body of information. It’s hard for me to pick up “The Economist” and start reading. It’s a lot easier to pull up a blog where the information is short and snappy.

Blame it on technology like instant messaging or rapid-paced television, but we like short attractive bits of information. Long drawn-out descriptions and discourses are just too much to digest and provide entertainment at the same time.

Some college courses are naturally bound to fill up. At Pitt, Foundations of Biology has nothing to worry about in attracting students. There is a high demand for it.

However, some courses that usually have few students, maybe because of economic trends, survive on the demand they receive. To survive, you must increase demand.

But how?

Professors at colleges across the United States have an idea. Specifically, change the titles and content of courses. An interesting title does half the work.

Recently, traditional courses have morphed into bizarre and equally enthralling adventures. For example, how many ways can you title a course that deals with the basics of microeconomics? Introduction to Microeconomics, Introductory Microeconomics Theory — it gets dry after a while.

Jessica Holmes, assistant professor of economics at Middlebury College, had the solution. She called it The Economics of “Sin”: Sex, Crime, and Drugs.

The course is the same Intro to Microeconomics concepts, but the theories are related to activities a college-age crowd might appreciate. The title and, to some extent, the content have changed to maximize appeal.

At Boston College, German Studies Professor Michael Resler faced waning interest in his course “German Literature of the High Middle Ages.” He simply titled it “Knights, Castles and Dragons” and enrollment tripled. Who cares for literature when you can learn about the chivalry and heroism of the actual characters?

Such rebranded and re-engineered courses sound a world more entertaining than their traditional counterparts. Market economy culture is deeply rooted in U.S. society, so it’s not a surprise its tentacles would reach college campuses. People see about 3,000 advertisements per day, so why not add a few more?

Renaming trends in college courses are just the beginning. College rebranding itself looms in the near future. Many colleges have to worry about future enrollment for a few key reasons.

The baby boom echo is fading, college tuition is increasing, the economy is lagging and unemployment is high.

It becomes harder to afford education with a price tag in the tens of thousands. Colleges will rebrand themselves, either to survive as institutions or to prosper above others.

All colleges cannot be compared side by side, as they have different focuses and will attract different students. Still, some institutions don’t rely on student tuition as much as others — some are public and others private. But within their tiers, competition is sure to ensue.

Neighboring schools fighting for enrollment will pursue making their deal more appealing to students. This could mean adjusting attending costs, giving more aid or improving the curriculum. But that all requires money, and decreased state funding for higher education delivers little aid.

Competition is fundamental to our capitalist society.

Competitors try to improve themselves, what they have to offer and their product essentially to win the race.

Without the starting materials, public schools cannot compete to their potential.

They are left to muster what the wallet will allow. Unfortunately, higher education in the United States might see a decrease in quality.

What has a nation but not its youth to advance it? Intangible wealth, education and our future is just as important as the tangible.

The United States ranks 57th in the world for percent of GDP spent on education. We need to start seeing improvement if we want to survive in the global market. Thankfully, our Pennsylvania fared well with an overall state school budget increase of 5 percent.

There are still other states to consider, though, and the country should move forward as a whole.

For now, I will continue to scout around for that “Harry Potter” Literature class. I will be reminded my school is always competitive and always stays keen to improve itself. Panther Pride.

E-mail Abdul some original class titles at aba24@pitt.edu.