Why A Common Reading?
Common Readings are prevalent at liberal arts colleges and universities and have been around for at least twenty years.聽The purpose of a Common Reading is 鈥渢o provide a common academic experience for all first-year students and to strengthen the academic atmosphere of the institution from the first day the student arrives on campus.鈥澛�*(Patterson, 2002, p. 8).聽There are other important related reasons, such as connecting students to their peers and instructors and creating a unifying force in which all incoming students share from the very start of their educational journey.
Our goals for the 海角社区 University Common Reading Program are to:
- Provide a shared intellectual experience
- Create a sense of community
- Encourage reading
- Promote critical engagement of ideas
- Set academic expectations
- Create dialog between students, faculty, staff and the community
- Promote interaction between 海角社区 University and the community
- Introduce students to community resources
*Patterson, L. (2002).聽New ideas in first-year reading programs from around the country.聽First-Year Experience Newsletter (FYE), 143, 8-9.