More information is available at www.iup.edu/commonreader.

May 18, 2007

A complete set of activities through a national program will enhance the experience of those who participate in the Common Freshman Reader program next academic year.

The book, Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert, will be supplemented by activities surrounding the national Focus the Nation program, which is addressing growing concern about global warming and creating discussion about solutions. Tentative plans at IUP include a teach-in in January.

Kolbert published the book after writing a three-part series for the New Yorker, for which she won a National Magazine Award in 2006. The Common Freshman Reader committee plans to bring Kolbert to campus for a lecture in March and other classroom activities.

Field Notes follows Fast Food Nation, the Common Freshman Reader program’s first book. The 2007 reader was selected by a panel of faculty and staff members. The selection is based on accessibility to recent high school graduates, applicability to many disciplines, and whether the author is alive and able to visit campus.

The goals of the Common Freshman Reader are to enhance new students’ understanding of the academic climate, what it means to be a member of IUP’s learning community, their connection with faculty and fellow students, and their academic success. Copies of the chosen reader are distributed to incoming freshman students as part of their orientation experience.



 

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