Welcome to the Common Reading program
About the Common Reading Program
What Is a “Common Reading?”
Our program is formed around the concept of a “common reading”—a single book chosen for all incoming first-year students to read. A common reading is one way to create community connections among students, and between students and their professors, residence hall staff, and others. Topics in a selected book are examined throughout the year by members of the university community, sparking academic conversations in and beyond classrooms, highlighting WSU research and the diversity of ideas across disciplines, and introducing different ways to explore complex issues from a variety of perspectives.
Recent Program Impact
Robust common reading programming throughout the year includes expert guest lectures, stimulating events, film showings, and much more. In 2021-22, for example, the Common Reading Program…
- Hosted and collaborated with 19 other campus units system-wide to provide 92 virtual and in0person events, more than double the number of previous years.
- Students can typically select from three to five events per week to enhance their knowledge relating to book topics.
