About the Program
Through the SHSU Common Reader program, SHSU students and faculty participate in curriculum development workshops to expand the reach of common intellectual experiences related to the annually selected book. First-year students receive their copy as a summer reading assignment during orientation sessions. Faculty and staff develop and present scholarly dialogues about complex subjects through coursework and through co-curricular scholarships and events at the biannual Author’s Forum. Students experience a common campus-wide cross-disciplinary conversation designed to enhance critical thinking about complex subjects.
Our Mission
The mission of the SHSU Common Reading Program is to create a shared academic/intellectual experience, facilitate a campus-wide cross-disciplinary conversation, and enhance the community with students, faculty, and staff.
For more information on the SHSU Common Reading Program, contact us at commonreader@shsu.edu.
Past Common Readers
2023-2024: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
2022-2023: Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig
2021-2022: Counting Descent by Clint Smith
2020-2021: American Like Me edited by America Ferrera
2019-2020: Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
2018-2019: What Unites Us by alumnus Dan Rather
2017-2018: The Good Food Revolution by Will Allen
2016-2017: An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Col. Chris Hadfield
2015-2016: Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
2014-2015: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2013-2014: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
2012-2013: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
2011-2012: Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
2010-2011: China's Son by Da Chen
2009-2010: The Fly in the Ointment by Dr. Joe Schwarcz
2008-2009: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf
NOTE: Events open to Sam Houston State University students, faculty, staff, and alumni. You must present your active Bearkat OneCard to attend these events.