![On the Same Page](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/legacy/enews/2004/04/e1602/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1534517523155.jpg)
Faculty and English Comp Students Get On The Same Page
Approximately 120 of UCs first-year students will be connecting with the community from their classrooms, as they begin reading and discussing author Caryl Phillips book, Crossing the River. The book was selected for the community reading project On the Same Page 2004.
Students in six classes of English Composition 103 will get started on the book next month, says Jonathan Alexander, director of the English Composition Program for the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. The class assignment coincides with author Caryl Phillips visit to the University of Cincinnati. Hell read from his book and do a book-signing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 4, in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center. Phillips appearance, supported by UC, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, CET and the Cincinnati Enquirer, is free and open to the public.
Students frequently come to us with the notion that literature can mean anything you want it to mean there is no right or wrong interpretation Alexander says. An important aspect of our instruction is to temper that understanding, to help students learn that although literature does mean different things to different people, academic interpretation requires that they read carefully and critically in order to approach meaningful, plausible interpretations.
Book cover
Adjunct instructor Michele Reutter is one of the A&S English instructors now planning the reading assignments and discussions. I like the idea of teaching this book for three reasons: First, through it, we can accomplish the traditional disciplinary goal of teaching students how to read complex texts and write about them well. Secondly, another goal of the comp program is to build connections between students and their community. Because this is a community reading project, students will be building connections both to campus and to the local community. Another goal of the comp program is to teach students to explore beyond the scope of their own experience. This text engages them with international issues.
Other A&S instructors assigning Crossing the River to English comp students are Beverly Brannan, adjunct instructor; Gwynda Casey, field service assistant professor; Joyce Malek, adjunct instructor; and William Zipfel, field service assistant professor.
Related Stories
Meet UC’s Miss Ohio
July 1, 2024
UC biomedical science student Stephanie Finoti credits UC for helping to prepare her for the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant. She will represent Ohio in the national competition in January.
UC alum credits journalism program with early success
June 26, 2024
Zachary Jarrell came to the University of Cincinnati in 2019 to pursue a degree in statistics. In 2023, he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Journalism. For many undergraduates, the journey through college rarely takes the expected track. Detours happen, and majors change. When plans switch up, it can be helpful to a student’s success to find support. For Jarrell, it was the people he worked alongside in the journalism department who helped him on his journey. It has left a lasting impression on his life so far, guiding him to multiple internships as an undergraduate, real-world experience in prominent news outlets, and eventually a successful career in the highly competitive field of journalism.
The health impact of living near a natural gas leak
![BBC logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/bbc.png)
June 25, 2024
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Amy Townsend-Small talks to the BBC about the health issues faced by neighbors of leaking natural gas wells.