The Freshman Common Book Experience involves the communal discussion of issues raised in the selected book for the incoming freshman class. The 2019- 2020 common book is The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. The overall theme of the course is to introduce students to the seminar experience – one of the core principles of an Honors education. The skills that are practiced in a seminar provide the opportunity to grow in the timeless method of learning where deep, critical reading is followed by a discussion of texts. Further, the seminar provides the opportunity for students to practice speaking about and forming critiques of the ideas encountered. In a seminar, there is no final authority on matters of discussion. Instead, the purpose is learning to be a better critical thinker, listener, and interpreter through the seminar experience itself.
