“The Reading Project”: A Humanities Center Research Collaborative
The idea for this research collaborative emerged out of conversations about the difficulties that our students have in completing the assigned reading for class. Students themselves offer a range of explanations: They cannot focus; they never developed the habit of reading; they have long struggled with reading; they are too busy to read; or they do not see the value in reading.
“The Reading Project” will explore these concerns and challenges by addressing three interrelated questions:
1. What value does reading (still) have?
2. Why do so many students find reading difficult and/or unimportant?
3. What can we, as university instructors, do about it?
These three questions will guide the Research Collaborative in its yearlong discussion of articles on the subjects of attention and reading; Zoom conversations with specialists in the field; and focus groups with Miami students about their reading practices. We will conclude with a panel in spring 2026. These events are open to the entire Miami community—you can come to all of them or just to one or two, depending on your schedule and interest. Just as importantly, “The Reading Project” creates a community of faculty who care about student reading and who will continue to explore, experiment, and share their experiences with each other outside of these scheduled events and beyond this academic year.
We invite you to join us! For more information or to be put on the mailing list (and the Canvas site), please e-mail Erik Jensen (History Department) at: jensenen@miamioh.edu.
Our third discussion session takes place on Monday, November 10, 4:30–6:00, in Upham 243, and it focuses on how we can help our students to read more effectively.
For more information, or to be added to the Canvas website, contact Erik Jensen, jensenen@miamioh.edu.
Our two readings are now uploaded on Canvas, under "Files":
