Common Reading Selection Process

To ensure adequate time for speaker scheduling and other advance preparation, the Common Reading will be agreed upon by September 15 in the year before it will be used.

Faculty and staff who wish to recommend a book to the committee will be asked to explain how the text addresses the four goals of the ECRP (listed above) and how it supports the objectives of GST 110 or ENG 110. (A recommendation form will be developed and posted on an ECRP website or Blackboard site.) In evaluating suggested texts, the CR committee will consider how well they meet these goals and objectives, their relevance to current global events, and their suitability to cross-disciplinary discussion and co-curricular forums featuring invited speakers, panels, etc. By the end of spring semester, the committee will decide upon a short list of books for final consideration. This short list will consist of no more than three or four titles. These books will be read over the summer, with reactions shared over email. The committee will reconvene during Planning Week in August to work out a schedule for completing the selection process so that the choice can be finalized early in the fall semester.

Once the committee defines the short list, possible speakers and related events to support the short-listed titles will be proposed. The Dean and Assistant to the Dean will explore potential speakers and prices, and develop corresponding programming for the pending cultural calendar. The committee should also solicit input from faculty, staff, and students who would be helpful in making the final selection.