The most important mode of instruction in university is the lecture. This is where a professor gives their unique perspective on the subject. Miss the lecture and you miss the message. PowerPoint lecture outlines give students a partial and sometimes distorted view of the lecture. However, in most UK universities lecture attendance is not compulsory whereas tutorial attendance is. Click here to read an interesting student post at the Guardian which argues that lectures should be made compulsory.
My colleague and former PhD student Gareth Campbell has created a website about the British Railway Mania - click here . This episode has been described by the Economist as probably the greatest bubble in human history. Gareth's website provides background on the Mania and posits some explanations for the 'bubble'. In his explanation of why the bubble happened, Gareth places a lot of emphasis on investor myopia regarding future dividends and uncalled capital. His study of investors during the episode does not support the view that this episode was fuelled by naive and irrational investors.
