The 2019-20 common reading book, Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World, can now be requested by faculty considering use of the book in classes for first-year and other students.
The online request form is available on the Common Reading Program website. The context of potential use of the book must be described.
The book, published in 2017, is by two Oxford University professors, Alexander Betts, a political scientist, and Paul Collier, a development economist. The book covers global, pressing, and timely issues surrounding forced migration, refugees, and asylum-seekers world-wide.
“I hope that, in the tradition of the WSU Common Reading Program, this book is an opportunity for a broad and thoughtful year-long conversation about the root causes and impacts of forced migration through many different disciplinary lenses,” noted Karen Weathermon, director of the Common Reading Program, said. The program is part of WSU Undergraduate Education.
In addition, she called on faculty from all disciplines to consider delivering an expert lecture in fall or spring semester, as part of the robust programming offered to students. Guest lectures, film showings, and innovative activities complement academic discussions between faculty and students on topics raised by the shared book.
Through these experiences, Weathermon said, common readings introduce students to the power and diversity of ideas, the value of research, and the various but interconnected ways in which disciplines across the university approach similar, complex problems.
Books selected as common readings also align with designated two-year themes. Refuge is the first under the theme of “global stability, scarcity, and security.” It is the thirteenth common book.
Visit the Common Reading Program website for more information and a calendar that will list important events.
