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The Open Syllabus Project aims to enhance transparency in higher education. Recently, they unveiled data on the most commonly assigned books in English-language colleges worldwide, drawing from a database of over one million syllabi. This list, offering intriguing insights into modern academia (along with excellent reading suggestions), can be sorted by institution, region, and academic discipline.
It’s no surprise that English-speaking institutions favor the works of Ancient Greeks. Over a quarter of the top 20 most assigned books are authored by Greek playwrights, poets, and philosophers like Aristotle, Homer, and Sophocles. Plato’s Republic ranks as the second most assigned book, trailing only William Strunk’s The Elements of Style.
Male authors dominate the list, with only two women making the top 20: Mary Shelley, whose Frankenstein holds the fifth spot, and Kate L. Turabian, with her A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations ranking 13th.
The top 20 list is largely predictable, featuring books that have been staples in higher education for centuries. Hobbes’ Leviathan ranks seventh, Machiavelli’s The Prince eighth, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet tenth. However, filtering the list by institution, location, or academic field reveals intriguing patterns: Yale’s top choice is Plato’s Republic, while Oberlin, known for its progressive student body, favors Marx’s Communist Manifesto.
The diversity of reading assignments becomes more apparent when filtered by state. For example, Oregon’s most assigned book is Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Colorado prefers David Besanko’s Microeconomics, and Connecticut frequently assigns Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations.
Whether you’re passionate about academia, an avid reader, or both, this list offers a captivating glimpse into educational trends. Explore it further here.
