What is the First Year Programs Common Read?
In the Fall of 2020, the First Year Common Read Program was established via collaboration between First Year Programs and UHM professors teaching 100-level courses. By incorporating a chosen text into each of the courses' lesson plans and designing assignments, activities, and lectures in which all participating students can engage in, the Common Read works to create an interdisciplinary community among first year students on campus.
The common read program seeks to:
- Provide an introduction to the academic rigor and challenge students intellectually.
- Foster interdisciplinary intellectual discussions.
- Establish individual academic relationships amongst students.
- Foster a sense of community amongst students, faculty, and the campus.
- Help students develop skills in literary analysis, discussion facilitation, and reading comprehension.
- Cultivate intellectual curiosity.
At the end of the Common Read, students will:
- Explain the connections between different fields of study.
- Explore the process of scholarly research across multiple disciplines.
- Describe social and historical connections to the issues raised.
- Evaluate multiple perspectives of an issue.
- Describe personal strategies for independent thinking in preparation for future intellectual pursuits.
Participation in the Common Read Program will enhance the undergraduate experience and help integrate students at UH Mānoa both academically and socially.
The Common Read text for Fall 2021 was "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
