Hello! My name is Dr. Chris McGee and I am the director of Longwood Seminar here at Longwood University. As a representative of the First Year Reading Committee that chose The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as this year’s freshman reading, I’d like to welcome you to the First Year Reading blog. This is a space where people all across the Longwood Community, whether it is current students, incoming students, faculty, or staff, will have an opportunity to share their perspectives on reading this provocative book. The blog is also open to anyone outside of Longwood, including members of the Farmville community, or even students, faculty, and staff from other universities and colleges.
The First Year Reading Experience is designed to provide all incoming students with a shared reading experience — the aim is to create a tighter community of scholars and citizens that are thinking about and discussing complex topics. You don’t have to like the book, you don’t have to agree with everything in it, but you should be ready to talk about it. In fact talking about big ideas critically and carefully and never settling for the easiest answer, these are the vital traits of a college student.
So take a moment and jump in with a post or a comment. Be thoughtful. Be engaged. Stand by your ideas but be ready and open to learning from other people. That’s what this blog is all about! Once again, welcome!