SJSU
Campus Reading Program
Building a Culture of Reading at SJSU
Campus events for fall - here
About the book and author:
Interview by Boise State Public Radio
New
Stay informed - join the
Campus
Reading Program at SJSU on
Facebook
The Fall 2012 Book
Selection:
(click the book for more information)
Table of Contents
What is the SJSU Campus Reading Program?
The Campus Reading
Program involves the members of our campus - students and employees, reading the same book. A book is selected each
year that students, faculty and staff are encouraged to read during
the summer. Then at the start of the fall semester, readers engage in
critique and analysis of the book in small discussion groups. This
has become a common practice at many universities as a way to help members
of a campus community connect - to have something in common - to engage
with each other in talking about their perspectives of a book and to
engage in a lively and intellectual manner through a variety of campus
activities offered around the book. A book read by many enriches a campus community.
In selecting a book, we look for a bestseller to increase the likelihood of SJSU readers also being able to connect to readers off-campus. We also look for a book that is engaging and likely to be of wide interest. The book should provide a range of topics for discussion and lead readers to look at a topic in a different way than they might have before reading the book. This is what a university education is designed to do - to broaden one's perspectives and ways of looking at the world. The book selected does not indicate any particular point of view held by San José State University as an institution. The book selected might deal with a sensitive or controversial topic, but university-level readers know that that makes for an enriched learning experience.
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Program objectives:
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To help build a Culture of Reading at SJSU as recommended by a fall 2004 Academic Senate resolution.
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To encourage SJSU students to read more by finding ways to get them more engaged and focused on reading and its resulting enjoyment and intellectual benefits.
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To help build community on campus among students and employees.
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About the 2011 Selection - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Reading Guide from the SJSU Campus Reading Program (1 page) (coming soon)
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Events calendar (URL)
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Join an online discussion - blog
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More information - click here.
How to Participate
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Buy a copy of the book at the Spartan Bookstore, your local bookstore or an online store. Or, check out a copy at your local library. Students requiring a copy in alternative format should contact the Disability Resource Center at (408) 924-6000 or www.drc.sjsu.edu.
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Good news for freshmen entering SJSU in Fall 2011 - you'll receive a copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks when you attend Orientation in the summer!
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Read the book. Take some notes of your thoughts, ideas and questions as you're reading.
Check the calendar of events and mark your calendar to participate in a Fall 2011 discussion group, and attend other events. Be sure to bring your book and notes (if any) to the discussion group you'll be attending. Click here for the events calendar.
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Consider sharing your comments about the book with others - at a fall discussion group and/or on the book blog.
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Suggestions for future book readings for the campus? Send an email to the committee. You can also comment on the books the committee is considering by going to the blog set up for your comments.
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Want information about the book and its author? Click here.
Why you should participate: The Campus Reading Program offers a wonderful opportunity to build connections with students, faculty and staff on campus through a common reading - it gives us all a shared experience to talk about. It is a great opportunity to get engaged in the level of intellectual engagement expected of SJSU students. You'll impress your professors, be able to join in on campus life through a discussion group, and enrich the experience you'll have on your journey of becoming a lifelong learner. If you are a freshman starting classes in the fall, you'll find that participating in the reading program to be a great opportunity to get engaged in a college level discussion and get a glimpse of what your university experience will be like and what is expected of you. You should view reading the selected book and participating in a discussion group and attending other events connected with the reading as an important first assignment in your college career.
Why a Culture of Reading at SJSU?
Reading is a crucial for lifelong learning. The campus is dedicated to building a Culture of Reading to help all students have a successful learning experience and to be able to have a successful journey of learning throughout their lives.
"Through
reading we learn about lives other than our own; we learn about history
and culture; and
we learn about economic and political realities and
complexities." Dr.
Ping Hsu, Associate Dean, SJSU College of
Engineering
"NSSE
data indicate that students at most DEEP schools read more both for class
and for pleasure than their peers at comparable institutions."
Kuh, et al, Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter
(2005), page 187
"A capacity, and taste, for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the unsolved ones." President Abraham Lincoln
"Strong reading habits enhance skills required in the 21st-century workplace, such as high literacy and analytical skills. ... A culture of reading helps foster analytical thinking, creativity and innovation, and positive learning habits." National Governors' Association
Additional Information and Resources
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SJSU's Center for Literary Arts - click here to find out what authors will be visiting SJSU this year
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The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at SJSU
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ALA's List of Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners
