University of Louisville
Tier2-8: Themed Semester or Year

Throughout the 2010-11 academic year, UofL students are reading and exploring a common text which has been incorporated into English 101 and other classrooms across disciplines. The text, "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" (2005) by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner challenges students to consider the interconnectivity of major issues shaping our world and the sustainability implications of seemingly unrelated policy and design decisions. The Office of First Year Initiatives has partnered with the Sustainability Council and other campus and local community members to provide a series of out-of-class activities revolving around the sustainability themes and issues raised throughout the book. Related activities are taking place throughout the academic year, including a featured keynote speaker (brought to campus on October 21, 2010 as a part of UofL Sustainability Week), out-of-class group discussions, essay contest, film screening, and faculty lectures/panels. The Book-in-Common program supports new students in their transition and acculturation to UofL and engages the campus community through a series of curricular and co-curricular activities related to a common text. Through cross-campus collaborations, Book-in-Common supports the university mission of intellectual and cultural development, the President’s Vision for Diversity, and the university’s goals of developing students’ critical thinking skills and community engagement.