October 14, 2017 | UHCL Staff
It’s hard to stay focused and interested when you’re expected to listen to just one professor’s voice, says Wanalee Romero, lecturer of literature and director of the first-year seminar program at University of Houston-Clear Lake. Additional points of view with lots of participation help keep students engaged in any activity – and that, she says, is the key to the success of the Common Reader Program.
The Common Reader Program began in 2014 as an extension of the first-year seminar, when the university expanded to include freshmen and sophomores, Romero said. This year, the first-year seminar students have been assigned “Hidden Figures,” the true story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
“We’ve planned events to take place throughout the year attached to different themes in the book to include the entire university and community,” Romero said.
In 2016, the book was made into a film starring Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson.
The concept of recommending a book for an entire university population to read together has gained momentum across the country, Romero says. “The purpose is to give everyone in our academic community a common place for conversation,” she said. “When all the faculty, staff and students have read the same book, they all have something to talk about. So, when you see someone in the library reading the book, you can walk up to them and say, ‘Did you get to the part where…’ and start a conversation.”
“Hidden Figures” discusses themes such as race, the role of women in science and technology fields, and mentorship. “The events we’re planning will center on these themes,” Romero said. “The goal of the first event, which was held in coordination with the Film and Speaker Series organized by Student Life, was a screening of the film, with special speaker, Dr. Estella Hernández-Gillette, who spoke about her time working for NASA during the 1960s.”
Since mentorship is one of “Hidden Figures’” overarching themes, Romero said, the event later in October underscores the role that mentorship played in the success of the women in the book. “We hope this will be particularly successful for students who, like the women in the book, are minorities in their field and ultimately were able to excel in part because of the support they received from mentors.”
Romero said that the beauty of these events was that freshmen quickly feel comfortable enough to add to the book discussions as experts. “They’re learning that they’re a part of the intellectual community at this university,” she said.
She added that throughout the year, professors in disciplines as varied as anthropology, literature, writing and humanities have assigned the book to their upper-class students. “We look for ways to explore the common reader selection in various disciplines from different angles,” she said.
Other topics for events include activism around race, scheduled for February, is in conjunction with Black History Month. Another event focusing on women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, is scheduled for March, which is Women’s History Month.
“We are working collaboratively with student organizations, like the Black Student Association, and the Hispanics Advancing Culture Education Rights and others in the university to help get more people involved. We want the book selection and the events to be engaging for everyone at the university,” she said.
For more information about UHCL’s Common Reader Program, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/first-year-seminar/common-reader.
