Common Reader

The Department of First-Year Programs requires the common reader in every section of KSU 1101 First-Year Seminar, whether or not it is a course in a learning community. The Department of First-Year Programs cannot require content in any course taught outside the department. However, instructors of other courses may choose to include assignments and discussion of the common reader. Use of the common reader in learning communities that do not include KSU 1101 is optional. Desk copies of the common reader will be provided to all KSU 1101 instructors by the Department of First-Year Programs.

Contact
Jim Davis, Ph.D.
Department of First-Year Programs
Kennesaw State University
678-797-2475
jdavi231@kennesaw.edu

About the Common Reader for Fall 2009:
Loeb, Paul Rogat (1999). Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN: 0-312-20435-3

Synopsis
(Retrieved April 1, 2009, from www.soulofacitizen.org.)

"SOUL OF A CITIZEN: LIVING WITH CONVICTION IN A CYNICAL TIME explores what leads some people to get involved in larger community issues while others feel overwhelmed or uncertain; what it takes to maintain commitment for the long haul; and how community involvement  and citizen activism can give back a sense of connection and purpose rare in purely personal life. Writing in an engaging and evocative style, Loeb offers profound lessons on civic engagement:

• Our efforts can do more--for ourselves and for the world--than we may ever imagine.
• We don't have to become saints--or wait for the perfect situation--to take action.
• Change happens little by little, step by step.
• We can savor the journey of engagement, even though our ultimate destination is unclear.
• The impact of our efforts will often ripple outward in ways we can't predict."

Objectives of the Common Reader Program at Kennesaw State University
Students participating in the Common Reader Program will:

1. Gain reinforcement of the KSU 1101 learning outcomes by participating in this program
2. Engage all KSU 1101 students in reading
3. Join their peers in a common academic experience
4. Be able to demonstrate a knowledge of academic, political, social, and world issues
5. Explore the development of their individual identities
6. Develop multicultural awareness

More about the Common Reader at Kennesaw State University

• Getting Students Engaged: Effective Common Reader Strategies, by Keisha Hoerrner, Deborah Mixson-Brookshire, Julia Morrissey, Lesia Schnur, and Ruth Goldfine, 2008. (PowerPoint file, 3,096 KB)

Send emails regarding this web site to: david_thompson@kennesaw.edu
This page last modified April 1, 2009.
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