Faculty and English Comp Students Get On The Same Page

Approximately 120 of UC’s 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 Phillip’s visit to the University of Cincinnati. He’ll 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.”

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.