The national bestseller “Outcasts United” has been selected for Missouri University of Science and Technology’s 2015 One Book program. Approximately 1,200 freshman students will be expected to read the book during the summer before they arrive on campus. It will then be taught in all sections of English 1120, a required course for most Missouri S&T students.
In addition to giving students an intellectual experience in common, Missouri S&T’s One Book program creates opportunities for critical thinking on a topic of social relevance, while promoting the value and importance of reading beyond the classroom. Throughout the upcoming school year, numerous public events will be held that relate to the program, such as guest lectures, live experiments and demonstrations, and more.
“This is a great way to involve the whole campus in thinking outside the classroom and connecting an interdisciplinary audience,” says Dr. Kathryn Dolan, director of the One Book program and an assistant professor of English and technical communication at Missouri S&T. “The One Book committee’s selection has a broad appeal and I can see it really impacting the campus.”
Warren St. John’s non-fiction work expands on his initial reporting in the New York Times on the story of a youth soccer team and the transformation of Clarkston, Georgia, as a refugee settlement center in the 1990s. It follows Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian immigrant who founded the team to help unify the city’s numerous refugee children and to “keep them off the streets.” The book was published in 2009 by Penguin Random House.
“‘Outcasts United’ is an absorbing read about a true story that shows the struggles of culture clashes,” says Dr. Daniel Reardon, director of composition and an assistant professor of English and technical communication at Missouri S&T. “The book has a real depth and the fact that these are real people you are reading about leaves a lasting impression.”
The One Book program and related events are sponsored by the undergraduate studies office and the English and technical communication department at Missouri S&T. More information is available online at onebook.mst.edu or by email at onebook@mst.edu.
Leave a Reply