Common Reading
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Each summer students, faculty, staff and administrators at Florida College have the opportunity to read and discuss a significant work, a “common reading,” that can foster meaningful discussions across the campus; it will be discussed formally in classes and in a public forum led by faculty members from various disciplines. Below you can find our most recent common readings.
“An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?”
2019-20
The year was 1784. The American Revolution was (recent) history; the French Revolution was still to come. The era often called “The Enlightenment” was drawing to a close, along with the 18th century, although its legacy remains with us …
“Hiroshima”
2018-19
On August 15, 1945, people throughout Japan had an unprecedented and historic experience: they heard the voice of Emperor Hirohito himself on the radio, announcing that the war, World War II, was over. Just days before, the United States …
“The Condensed Wealth of Nations”
2017-18
In a healthy atmosphere of debate—permitted, and even encouraged, in a free society allowing for the thrust and parry among those with competing opinions—Americans, among other Western peoples, have long traded ripostes …
“Funeral Oration”
2016-17
In an uncertain political era, (yet, it is often an “uncertain political era”), our Common Reading for 2016-2017 shifts our thinking to the principles of antiquity, as well as the era of our own republic’s most difficult hours. Certainly, the Greeks …
“Alice in Wonderland”
2015-16
Alice in Wonderland is a marvelous children’s book full of jokes and wordplay and just plain nonsense; but it also wrestles with some serious issues such as growing up and the nature of personal identity. This is the 150th anniversary …
We are looking forward to discussing these books and concepts with you!
