Welcome to the Honors College at West Virginia University. Each year we ask the incoming class to read a book over the summer before they enter college. This year the book is “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner published by William Morrow 2006 ISBN 978-0-06-123400-2 (this is the “Revised and Expanded Edition”) you can pick up a copy at the book store or it is readily available on-line.

“It is the first duty of the university to teach wisdom not trade, character not technicalities; young people study at universities to achieve knowledge and not to learn a trade; we must learn to support ourselves but we must also learn how to live”
Sir Winston Churchill

As Sir Winston Churchill indicates there is much more to attending a University than preparing for a job, in fact I would argue that if all you do while at WVU is focus on courses that “are relevant” you will be wasting you time at WVU and you might just as well stay at home in your parents basement and take classes on-line. While the courses that “are relevant” will prepare you for that first job, they will not prepare you for life and they will not give you the skills you need to succeed in the future. These skills will come from interacting with your peers and professors out side the classroom, from being part of student organizations, from late night “fixing the world” discussions with your friends, from long discussions over coffee in Jay’s or the Blue Moose.

The book we have chosen for this summer is designed to begin those conversations; we live in a world where ideology, anecdote and “gut feelings” seem to weigh more than logic and evidence in argument both at the personal and national level. This book is about looking at data and following its implications to its logical conclusion. This is not always a comfortable thing to do but as individuals and as a nation we ignore this approach at our peril.

The book is really a collection of essays that loosely fit together, as the authors readily admit in the introduction there is not unifying theme. The assignment, to be completed by the Honors Retreat (August 16th) is to write a short essay (2 to 3 pages single spaced 12 point font) on a topic of your choice covered by the book. You may agree or disagree with the implications the authors raise just make sure your arguments are backed up by facts and logic ? realize that “because ‘X’ says it so” is not considered an appropriate response in college whoever or whatever ‘X’ (including the authors of this book) is.

Enjoy the book, it will make you think and it might make you mad – Welcome to University