frequently asked questions

The University of Kentucky's Common Reading Experience is a collaborative effort between Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and New Student and Parent Programs to engage the entire UK community in a common intellectual experience. Each year students, faculty, and staff will read a common book and participate in year-long programming which focuses on the book's themes and issues. For more information, visit Introduction to the Common Reading Experience.

The Common Book Selection Committee is comprised of faculty, staff, and students who evaluate numerous books prior to making a selection each year. Book recommendations are evaluated for possible selection based on several criteria. The book should:

1. Be intellectually stimulating in order to stretch students' minds and cause students to think about issues they might not have before.
2. Be enjoyable, engaging, relatively short, and easy to read.
3. Provoke interesting discussion.
4. Addresses a theme/topic that can be made applicable to a wide range of students.
5. Be unlikely to have been read by students in high school.
6. Be relevant to first-year students, the institutional mission, campus initiatives, the current society, and/or the local community.
7. Provide possibilities for additional programming.

Please visit our "recommend a book" tab to recommend a book for the next Common Reading Experience.

Freshmen - Read the book! Attend your K Week Discussion Group and bring your QLC! Then attend events all year long which will allow you to delve deeper into the book while reflecting on your personal collegiate experience. View the Checklist for more info.

Upperclassmen - Apply for K Crew! As a member of K Crew you'll not only be able to participate in all the fun events of K Week, but you'll also get to lead the small group discussions for the Common Reading Experience. Also, check out all the fun Common Reading Experience events throughout the year.

Faculty & Staff - Have a good idea for an event? Email commonreading@lsv.uky.edu to connect with the Common Reading Experience Programming Committee. Faculty and UK101 Instructors are also encouraged to incorporate the book into their class(es).

Freshmen will receive a FREE copy of the book during their Advising Conferences. Faculty and staff who choose to use the book in their classes may request a free copy by emailing CommonReading@lsv.uky.edu.

Visit K Week Discussion Group Assignment under the Students or Discussion Leaders tabs.

Small group discussions about The Unforgiving Minute will be held during K Week. For more information, visit K Week Discussion Group Assignment.

It is expected that you read the book and attend your K Week Discussion Group. The Common Reading Experience is meant to be an introduction to academic life at UK. Not only will you enjoy a common academic experience with the campus community, but you'll get to interact with faculty, staff, and students - all before classes even start. The program will prepare you for what to expect in some collegiate classes, while allowing you to learn from your peers. You do not want to be the one to miss out on this great introductory experience.

Bring your copy of the book and your QLC. It's always great to remember a pen, just in case you want to jot down some notes!