Current Students

If All of the School Read One Book

Dean Nancy J. Smyth, PhD, LCSW

Each summer the faculty, staff, some alum, and incoming masters students all read one book and discuss it in small groups at orientation. The purpose of the “If Whole School Read the Same Book Program” is to generate critical inquiry and discourse about complex contemporary social issues and to encourage creative and innovative thinking among social work students, faculty and staff. Through the shared experience of reading the same book and one that is not covered in the regular coursework, the program challenges us to think differently about ourselves, our country, the world community and the contributions of our profession.

Why Read the Same Book?

Before I came to school for my own graduate education, I had an image of the exciting dialogues that faculty and students could have together about ideas. While graduate school certainly includes such dialogues, it still rarely provides such opportunities outside the structure of a specific class. So this is an opportunity for us to talk together about some important ideas--both at orientation and perhaps in the months to come. The staff and part-time faculty, some alumni, and all the other students in the School will also be invited to read the book with the hope that this will spawn a series of dialogues.

For August 2008, this book was selected by the faculty: The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria, published in May 2008. It was selected because it offers a perspective on global changes that affect all aspects of our lives. While it is not necessarily a perspective that is shared by anyone at the School of Social Work, it is a book that has received some significant attention since its release, having some interesting commentary on the world we live in. The faculty think it’s a book worth exploring and discussing.

What Will We Discuss About this Book?

At a minimum, we'll be interested in hearing people's overall reactions to the book. However, we will also have some specific discussion questions to facilitate a deeper discussion--to suggest a question, click here.

Where can I Obtain the Book?

You can purchase the book through any bookstore, including online bookstores, like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. For people who live in Buffalo, local bookstores, like Talking Leaves also carry the book.

To Suggest a Book for Future Consideration: click here.