On further thought, maybe the kids are NOT alright. Just read an anonymous course evaluation, full of INDIGNATION, because there had been in this course a reading assignment for EACH class session. The horrific criminality of it! EACH class session. Could we try to normalize reading, please?
Wow. I remember having to read a full book/week in some undergrad courses — anthropology, contemporary poetry, etc.
I think normalization matters. According to the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, for the first time in 2022, it became more likely than not for Americans to report not having read any book in the preceding year. (And "report" is the key word!) Recent talk on this: fredner.org/reading/
I have seen this kind of feedback over the past decade, including for subjects like Law, for which surely a lot of reading is expected. I do wonder when was the day that preparing for every seminar to a reasonable level, became deemed an unreasonable imposition; a fair target for complaint.
Trying so hard. Really challenging when they read like 3 books in all of high school.
I had a student drop my class this semester upon realizing that I required them to acquire and read a book. ONE book.