For many years, Associate Professor Stephanie Danes Smith has incorporated a globally themed book into one of the Communication Studies courses she instructs. While the assignment 鈥斺€痗alled the 鈥渂ook club鈥� 鈥� was only a few weeks of the class, it always proved to be the most popular. No matter what book was read or the culture it was based on, students were engaged in reflection and could relate the stories to communication experiences in their own lives.
Smith has also organized a Read-In event for the last three years, where she began to discover students鈥� passion for reading. This combination of experiences inspired her to create a semester-long course out of the "book club," and it launched for the first time this semester, Spring 2024.
The class, Global Perspectives Book Club, has become a refreshing classroom experience for students; it鈥檚 structured as a student-led, seminar-style class, so the students have an important role in deciding the course content and discussions. In addition to expanding their reading library, they鈥檙e gaining exposure to new cultures and learning how to empathize with those they are reading about through a storytelling and communication lens.
Students chose three globally focused books to read, discuss and reflect, with "How to Be an American Housewife" by Margaret Dilloway being the first book students completed. Smith says students walked away reflecting on common themes like the hard path of immigration, cultural assimilation, the importance of family traditions, sacrifice and self-discovery.
In addition to the three books, Smith wanted to provide students the opportunity to share their own favorite books with their peers, so she created a course element called the 鈥淎ll Nighter Book Club.鈥� During these class sessions, students share books that have kept them up all night, bringing an element of fun to the classroom and allowing students to share their love of reading.
Communication Studies student Aislinn Foran, 鈥�25, says the course has opened her mind, making her more likely to pick global books up independently.
She shared, 鈥淭he All Nighter Book Club class sessions have been really fun鈥t鈥檚 great to share your favorite books and hear about others鈥� favorites as well.鈥�
Additionally, students invited 鈥済uest readers鈥� from the community to share books that have given them greater insight into different countries or cultures. One of the speakers Talea R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., 天天吃瓜 Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, facilitated an impactful conversation starting with her favorite books and pivoting to multiculturalism.
Dr. Drummer-Ferrell encouraged students to explore their identities and advocated for identity-conscious leadership to express more empathy for others.
Alex Thompson, 鈥�24, a College of Communication and Information student, said she was inspired to take the course after attending last semester鈥檚 Read-In . Thompson鈥檚 experience in the course has enhanced her love of reading and provided her with new perspectives.
