Summer Reading

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Every incoming Colgate class participates in the tradition of a shared summer reading.

 

2024 Summer Reading Selection

Poverty By America book cover

Poverty, By America
Matthew Desmond

Desmond, the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, is a former MacArthur Genius Grant recipient.

Despite what spending and programs elected officials have aimed at it, poverty continues to undercut the life chances of millions. This book, we hope, will foster a thoughtful conversation about the multi-layered impacts of poverty on those who experience it, why our current anti-poverty measures have failed to move the needle, and what might be done to reconceive our approach to the problem. 

The Summer Reading Selection Committee, composed of faculty, staff, and student representatives,  stewarded the selection of the text.
 

Accessing Your Copy

You will automatically receive an email from Vitalsource with an access code to redeem your digital copy. Follow the instructions in the email to access your digital copy. You may also follow these instructions:

  1. Sign in to Bookshelf Online using your Colgate email address and password. If you do not have a Bookshelf account, click Create a VitalSource account and follow the prompts to create a Bookshelf account.
  2. Once you are logged into Bookshelf, click Redeem Codes at the bottom right of the page.
  3. Copy and paste the redemption code you received in your email and click Redeem.
  4. Your Bookshelf library will update with your new book. Updating your library may take a few minutes.
    Note: You can manually update your app by clicking the following  icon and selecting Update Library
  5. Tap on the book cover to read it.

Summer Assignment

Due: Wednesday, August 7
Submit your assignment
 

For the first exercise, please write a brief note (one-to-two pages, double-spaced), introducing yourself to your academic and administrative advisers.

  • What would you like Colgate faculty and administrators to know about you as a person and as a learner?
  • How prepared do you feel to take on a transformative education over the next four years?
  • What will you need from the Colgate community to ensure your success?

The second part of your assignment is to read Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond and then craft a written response (750–1000 words) to the prompt below. If you wish, you can write your response in the form of a letter addressed directly to the author, i.e., “Dear Professor Desmond …” 

Poverty, by America will mean different things to different readers, depending on their life experiences, personal values, and political commitments. 

  • What were the book’s two biggest takeaways from your perspective, and if you had a chance to talk with the author about these takeaways, what questions would you ask, and what observations, analysis, or ideas of your own would you share in response?
  • If you found particular lines, passages, or arguments in the book especially memorable or provocative, be sure to incorporate them in your answer and explain why they grabbed your attention.

Please note:

  • While these will not be graded, your responses will be shared with your FSEM instructor, administrative adviser (i.e., dean), and LLW facilitator, so you will want to use this opportunity to make a positive first impression.
  • You may use a spelling/grammar check tool for these exercises, but you may not use ChatGPT or other generative AI technologies. The writing you do for this assignment should be your own. 
  • We recommend that you write your responses in a separate document and then copy-paste them into the form. 

About the Summer Reading Program

This is the first opportunity for new students to engage with the practice of the liberal arts — students engaging in dialogue with faculty and staff members on questions that transcend disciplinary interests and that require independent analysis. Through these conversations, which incorporate multiple perspectives, students synthesize a coherent understanding of human experience. The shared summer reading also provides a foundation for a variety of related events throughout your first year at Colgate.

In addition, your responses to the summer reading will provide a way to introduce yourself to your faculty adviser (your First-Year Seminar instructor) and administrative dean so that they can get to know you better.