Participate

Join the Conversation

As we look toward the 2022-23 academic year, we are asking all faculty and staff to consider participating in the campus events associated with this year's book, How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith.  In addition to the on-campus and virtual events planned for the fall and spring semesters, look for information on the formation of faculty and staff discussion groups.

Select the Next Book

Each year, The College Reads! book for the following year is chosen by a large committee made up of faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Anyone is welcome to participate in the selection process by serving on the committee or by reading books from the list of recommendations and providing the committee with feedback.

If you would like to recommend a book, please use this online submission form to do so which will be updated in Fall 2022 for the 2023-2024 selection. This will allow the committee to keep track of the submissions and give every book its full consideration. Feel free to forward this call for books to friends of the College in the community. You may want to consult the Past Books list to be sure your title hasn't been featured in a previous year.  For maximum impact, please make your nomination by October 1, 2022, but the committee will continue to receive nominations until a final book is selected.

The committee maintains an open selection process designed to accommodate people who cannot attend committee meetings by posting the list of books under active consideration with updates on the website. Beginning October 1, the selection committee meets weekly for one hour to review and discuss books on the list. You can read more about the process and view the committees timeline of selection on the website under Participate.  If you are a College of Charleston student, faculty or staff and are interested in joining the committee or getting involved, please email thecollegereads@cofc.edu.

Criteria for Book Selection

  • Intellectually stimulating-a book that stretch students' minds, causes students to think about topics or issues they might not have encountered before, or a book that engages familiar themes in a new way.
  • Readable-a book that is enjoyable, engaging, and of a manageable length(typically;350 pages). It can be fiction or non-fiction
  • A living author-one of the highlights of The College Reads! is a public lecture by the books author and an opportunity for students who have read the book to meet with the author in small groups.
  • Provocative-a book that will provoke discussion across campus; one that will provide a way for multiple departments and campus constituencies to develop engaging co-curricular activities throughout the academic year.
  • Relevant-a book with a topic or theme that will resonate with the campus; a book in which students can locate themselves, their lives, and their futures