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Textbooks and Supplies

This section should include:

required and optional textbooks
required and optional supplies

Required Textbooks: Students must know at the beginning of the course what they have to buy, the cost, and where they can buy books and supplies. Since textbooks are frequently very expensive, make sure that the textbook is truly required and that students will need it to successfully complete the course. Many students complain of buying a book listed as "required,", but never needing it in the course.

@SFSU: The university bookstore takes textbook orders during the previous semester, so orders made less than a month before the semester may not arrive on time. The SFSU textbook order contact for your subject can help you.

Putting books on reserve:Copies of required textbooks may be available in the SFSU library: you can reserve them for the semester in the Reserve Bookroom under the course and your name. If you have multiple copies of the book, you can put those in the Reserve Bookroom as well, giving more students a greater opportunity to have access.

Putting materials on electronic reserve: ERes is the Electronic Reserve System at SFSU. Faculty can take electronic or hardcopy documents to the Reserve Bookroom and library staff will place the documents on electronic reserve. The library staff will publish the documents on the web in a password protected environment under your course name. This gives students 24/7 access to the required reading. The files are in portable document format (PDF) so students can read them online or download and print them.

Example from Dr. Jane DeWitt:

Textbooks:

Required: Chemistry, McMurry and Fay, 3rd Edition, 2000

Optional: Student Study Guide Model kit (see Chem 333 section in bookstore).

Other Gear: All required and available at the SFSU Bookstore.

Calculator: An inexpensive scientific calculator with logarithms, exponential operations and scientific notation, such as the Casio FX260 (or similar model).

Laboratory Manual: The Chemistry 115 lab manual will be available from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Student's Association in Science 102A, date to be announced.

Binder: You will need a 3-ring binder for the lab manual.

Laboratory Notebook: An inexpensive 5" x 5" quad-ruled composition or laboratory notebook is required. You do not need a carbon paper lab notebook.

Safety Goggles: The bookstore carries the appropriate goggles.

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