Common Read theme: Authentically Human: Who are We in the Digital Age?

During summer orientation, the Class of 2029 was invited to participate in the Common Read on the theme Authentically Human and reflect on a critical question for our times: What does it mean to be uniquely human in a world shaped by artificial intelligence?

First-year students chose one of three titles and will be uploading their audio response to a provided discussion page:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
I, Human by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Graduate students, new and continuing, were invited to read I, Human and will have their own discussion forums.

Copies of the Common Read books were made available by the DiMenna-Nyselius Library in audio and ebook format, with instructions for both first-year and graduate students posted on the Library's Stags Read page (two separate tabs via the link below). Print copies are for sale in the Stag Spirit Shop, and there are also several physical copies to borrow from the Library as well.

To create a space for faculty and staff to engage with the Authentically Human theme, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) and DiMenna-Nyselius Library will host a Faculty & Staff Book Club to discuss I, Human on Wed. 9/24 at 3:30pm and Mon. 10/20 at 11am (RSVP details forthcoming). Staff and faculty are also invited to attend the First-Year Convocation on Saturday, August 30th at 10:00am in the Leo D. Mahoney Arena to hear the Provost Siegel's remarks and selected student responses to the Common Read.

Conversation about the Common Read will continue throughout the academic year, with additional opportunities for gathering and reflecting as a campus community.

For more information, contact Lisa Thornell / 2138 / lthornell@fairfield.edu