Summer reading starts with Guns, Germs and Steel

Starting this fall, incoming freshmen will have their first assignment, to read the book Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, before they even start classes. The book has been chosen for the inaugural year of the Summer Reading program and is the product of multiple faculty, staff and student discussions that began in January. The initiative is unofficially chaired by Paul Supanawich, an Industrial Engineering major and Brett Vogt, a Computer Engineering major.

“The summer reading program is an initiative which unites the incoming freshman class through the reading of a faculty and staff chosen book in their summer before entering Tech,” Supanawich said.

According to Supanawich, the initiative has four principal objectives. The first goal is to improve the educational experience at Tech. The second objective is to increase student-faculty interactions. “This program is something [we think will] help break down the barrier between students and faculty,” Supanawich said.

The third goal is to create a bonding experience for incoming freshman students.

The interaction by establishing an online message board in conjunction with the FASET message board.

The final objective is the creation of an alternative learning environment that fosters different types of learning.

According to Vogt, incoming freshmen will receive information regarding the program shortly before FASET sessions. “Freshmen will receive marketing materials about the program telling them what it entails and how it’s a great advantage,” Vogt said.

Vogt said that the book would be purchased at the Georgia Tech Bookstore. “[The students] will have logins and can use the discussion board,” Vogt said. He said that this procedure will be the same for the first four FASET sessions; students attending the fifth session will have the book mailed directly to them.

The program then offers a series of discussions held in various places during the first few weeks of the semester. It is also planned for all GT 1000 classes to reserve one lecture for discussion of the book. “We’re going to encourage GT1000 instructors to partner with guest lecturers,” Vogt said. “The more faculty we can get in front of students in a small setting, the more successful the program will be.”

The program will culminate a couple of weeks into the semester when the author of the chosen novel will come to campus and give a lecture on his novel.

“After the speech, everyone can break into small group discussions throughout the entire Student Center and Student Center Commons led by faculty that we have recruited to participate in the program,” Vogt said. “That will be the capstone discussion.”

After the final discussion, surveys will be conducted to assess the success of the program and to suggest possible improvements.

In many schools, the program has stimulated the creation and growth of book clubs where the same process is repeated. Students even have their own clubs in their residence halls.

“It spurs learning and growth, and is a great way to bring the entire Tech community together,” Vogt said.

To facilitate this process, the novel is compulsory reading for Leaders (PL) in FE dorms and Team Leaders (TL) in the GT1000 classes.

Guns, Germs and Steel was chosen after looking at several books.“In the first few weeks, we’d have faculty present a book to the group,” Supanawich said. “We started off with a list of seventeen books and then narrowed that list down to six. We then went through the similarities of the books and decided on what made them good for the summer program.”

Guns, Germs and Steel is a novel that, according to Supanawich, bridges the gap between science and society.

“This book has a very worldly focus and can relate on points of science, technology and society,” Supanawich said.

According to Vogt while the book is analytical, it allows for an easy read and complements the Tech student’s mindset. “It’s a New York Times bestseller, but it also flows very easily,” Vogt said.

The program will be funded partly by the Student Foundation, which will cover marketing for the program and purchasing books for the TLs. Housing will contribute towards the books for the PLs. .

Current student’s opinion on the new program varied.

“I would have participated in it had it been around in my freshman year. If it is optional, I think it would be a good idea not only for freshman, but for all students who would like the opportunity to introduce themselves to [new students] and share their experiences at Tech,” said Michael Garner, a first-year Computer Engineering major.

“I guess I would have done [the summer reading] if I was interested in reading, but I don’t read,” said Brendan O’Leary, a first-year Chemical Engineering major.