2008 Common Reading Program
The Common Reading Program is designed for first-year students at Case Western Reserve University. Students are given a common reading assignment during the summer, which serves as a basis for programs and discussions beginning at orientation and continuing through the fall semester.
The 2008-2009 academic year will feature the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, and Case Western Reserve University is planning a series of programs and activities to celebrate the Darwin Bicentennial. In keeping with this theme, the 2008 Common Reading Selection Committee has selected The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution as the assigned summer reading for all new undergraduate students. The author is David Quammen, a noted journalist and outdoorsman. In his book, Quammen sketches a vivid life portrait of naturalist Charles Darwin and Darwin's reluctance to publish his controversial theory of evolution.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin will be distributed to new undergraduate students during the summer. Faculty will be encouraged to consider the reading, when appropriate, in designing course curricula. New students, as well as returning students, will also be invited to enter the annual Essay Contest.
David Quammen will be the keynote speaker at the University Convocation, Thursday, August 28, at 4:30 p.m. in Severance Hall.
Thw Common Reading Selection Committee has provided some questions to consider about the book and related topics.