Submitted by: Julia Winden Fey, juliawin@uca.edu on 08/08/2024
In an effort to reinforce the importance of reading and engagement for classroom discussions and student learning, we are bringing back the Summer Read! program as part of Welcome Week. All incoming new first-year students are being asked to read a short selection from the Introduction to “A Tremendous Thing: Friendship from the ‘Iliad’ to the Internet” (2014), by Professor of Classics, Gregory Jusdanis, and will be invited to meet with a small group of their peers and a UCA instructor or faculty member for a discussion of the text during Welcome Week.
The Ask: Would you be willing to guide a small group on Tuesday, August 20th from 1:00-2:00 p.m.? Your participation will help our students meet a friendly faculty/staff face and connect with other students over an intellectual discussion about making friends (an important part of transitioning to college!), while also hearing about the need to prepare for classes and engage in their own learning. A discussion guide and background materials will be provided to all volunteers. If the answer is “yes” (or “no” or “maybe”), please complete the survey linked below so we can figure out how many student groups we need to form.
Thank you for considering this! With a large incoming class, we need all hands on deck!