Common reading program

Browse our full events calendar ». A common reading is one way to create community connections among students, and between students and their professors, residence hall staff, and others. Topics in a selected book are examined throughout the year by members of the university community, sparking academic conversations in and beyond classrooms, highlighting WSU research and the diversity of ideas across disciplines, and introducing different ways to explore complex issues from a variety of perspectives.

Robust programming includes expert guest lectures, stimulating events, film showings, and much more. In , for example, the Common Reading Program…. All students are expected to read the book by the time they return to campus in the fall. As part of Phase 2 Orientation, students will participate in a discussion of the book that will simulate the manner in which many college class discussions are conducted. The book's author addresses the new students some time in the fall semester.

The book is required reading in First Year Seminar classes, and students will be able to participate in a number of events and activities related to the book and its themes. We're always looking for enthusiastic University faculty to lead a minute discussion with new students at Welcome Weekend in August.

Other times, we can accept change and adapt more slowly, like new students transitioning to college life, graduates starting their careers, or life-long learners encountering different cultures.

In being adaptable, we learn from and support one another, and our flexibility provides new opportunities to further ourselves. Change is inevitable. How will you adapt? Lyons, Class of Speaker: Keith E. Derrick Brooms, associate professor of sociology and Africana studies at the University of Cincinnati and author of Black Men Emerging.

Theme: What does it mean to be educated? Academic Resources. Discover Susquehanna. Campus Life. Division of Student Life. The online survey was created using SurveyMonkey. The survey was meant to gather information about the logistics, purposes, and outcomes of these programs. The full set of survey questions is attached as an appendix to this report.

One admitted limitation of the survey is that there was nothing to prevent multiple responses from any one institution. This may make the quantifiable percentages a little less reliable, but provides for a wider sampling of opinions on some of the more open questions.

We sought the opinions of administrators, faculty, staff, librarians and others and it is possible that we received a few different points of view on the same program. It was our hope that we would get a variety of respondents and perspectives. For a few programs we sent out a more in-depth interview, which is also included as an appendix. The object was to get at a few areas that the survey could not.

Review of Literature. The amount of work done specifically on common reading programs in higher education remains small. However, there are a couple that were important to the current study. This monograph is a valuable resource for colleges looking to begin, improve, or assess the program on their campus.

Another helpful article came from Michael Ferguson, the associate editor of Peer Review. The current study is informed by these two works, but differs in approach and focus. While Laufgraben provides a thorough how-to for these programs, this project seeks to look more at the nature and implications of these programs.

Laufgraben does this too, but this study strives to go deeper in this respect. Likewise, Ferguson deals with similar issues and topics, but differs in approach. While Ferguson used college websites to gather his information, we decided to use an online survey of those involved in the programs.

This project seeks to add to works such as these and contribute a new collection of information on this topic. Beyond these two articles centered only on programs in higher education, there are a number of articles and books focused on similar, possibly related, events and issues.

A third article that addresses college programs specifically also happens to suggest an intriguing correlation between such programs and other related cultural phenomena. To make this claim is to suggest some new implications, which may be important to explore.

There are a number of articles written about Oprah Winfrey and her book club. See the Works Cited page for more information on this ongoing discussion. There are also several articles and books about social book clubs and community reading-in-common programs.