Typically, we have selected texts that are highly engaging, but not necessarily very challenging... ones like Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let me Go, and The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. The text has been integrated into a few of our freshman courses (and by integrated, I mean that professors have the option to use it if they teach freshman-level courses). Some proffies enthusiastically embrace the common reader, using it as a text in composition courses, or in other courses, depending on what text has been chosen.
I'm curious what your thoughts and experiences have been with a common text on campus. Do you have one? If so, how is it used? What has made it a successful program (or not)? Have you had any particular success with a specific text you think we could adopt?
Q: If you don't have a common reader, do you feel it's necessary for a college campus to have one?
Our campus is a small one. We have a First Year program on all campuses, but not all have a common read. Our campus has tried it (and continues to try) but buy-in has been, shall we say, dismal. We did 1 Dead in Attic: After Katrina and organized some campus-wide lectures and discussions. No one came except the profs involved in the project and the students we bribed with extra credit.
ReplyDeleteI was only able to use the chosen read one year (The Omnivore's Dilemma), and used it for both of my sections of comp and my literature of nature course. We had a lot more food-related activities (and even got Will Allen, founder of Growing Power onto our campus). Lots more interest (but we're in a rural area and lots of these kids are farm kids, so there was some built-in interest). That was 2 years ago.
This year's common theme was War, and the common read was The Things They Carried. Couldn't use it (even though I've read it). As far as I know, the only classes to use the book are the 1-credit freshman seminars, and only a few of those.
I've never heard of the three that are up for a vote this year, but I'm not on the committee that picked them. I can't see being able to use any of them in my classes next year.
Buy-in is difficult--if the prof isn't familiar with the book, and the prof is very busy (as is the case here--we've all got 4/4 loads), it's a lot harder to see why we should change our courses to incorporate new stuff, especially when we've got a lot of ground to cover in the subject area.
It's a fine idea in theory, but in practice (here, anyway) it's not really working.
Agreed. It's always a book I cannot imagine fitting into the classes I teach. Fine for comp. classes I guess, but not for nation-period literature classes.
ReplyDeleteMy undergrad institution does this every year as a part if the mandatory first year seminars. The book is always compelling and there are talks and seminars and guests organised around it. Even the alumni are involved with our own fall book clubs around the nation. The college sends material developed for the book's discussion to the alumni club leaders. It is a truly successful program. Even though I hated English I look forward to book month every year. I just wish I lived closer to other alumni so I could host a club.
ReplyDeleteI look back fondly on those days.
Thanks for the feedback. We have managed to get the authors of the books every year, and that is a hugely popular lecture, but other events are dismally attended. I appreciate your feedback on experiences.
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