REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer Discussion Leader: Dr. Alex Reed, Associate Professor of Legal Studies Date: Wednesday, October 5, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: BEATLEBONE by Kevin Barry Discussion Leader: Dr. Nicholas Allen, Director of the Willson Center and Professor in Humanities Date: Monday, October 10, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: It is 1978, and John Lennon has escaped New York City to try to find the island off the west coast of Ireland he bought eleven years prior. Leaving behind domesticity, his approaching forties, his inability…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: GOLD DIGGERS by Sanjena Sathian Discussion Leader: Ms. Jessica Hunt, Assistant Dean and Director of Scholarships, Morehead Honors College Date: Monday, October 24, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: A magical realist coming-of-age story, Gold Diggers skewers the model minority myth to tell a hilarious and moving story about immigrant identity, community, and the underside of ambition. A floundering second-generation teenager growing up in…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: UNIVERSAL MATERIALITY: WEARABLE INTERACTION DESIGN AND COMPUTER AIDED PROCESS FOR ACCESSIBLE WEARABLE SOLUTIONS by Jeanne Tan and Grace Jun Discussion Leader: Professor Grace Jun, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design (and co-author of book) Date: Wednesday, October 26, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (note special time) Location: Moore Hall 309 Description: Universal Materiality is a summary of design examples from a collaboration including designers, engineers, occupational therapists, nonprofits, academic…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: THE FAR RIGHT TODAY by Cas Mudde Discussion Leader: Dr. Cas Mudde, Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF Professor of International Affairs (and author of the book) Date: Wednesday, October 26, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: The far right is back with a vengeance. After several decades at the political margins, far-right politics has again taken center stage. In this timely book, leading global expert…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester JESUS AND THE DISINHERITED by Howard Thurman Discussion Leader: Dr. Carolyn Medine, Professor of Religion and Director of the Institute for African American Studies Date: Tuesday, November 1, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Famously known as the text that Martin Luther King Jr. sought inspiration from in the days leading up to the Montgomery bus boycott, Howard Thurman’s Jesus and the Disinherited helped shape…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: OLGA DIES DREAMING by Xochitl Gonzalez Discussion Leader: Dr. Éric Morales-Franceschini, Assistant Professor of English and Latin American and Caribbean Studies Date: Wednesday, November 16, 6-8 p.m. Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo, are boldfaced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Olga…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel Discussion Leader: Dr. Karen Russell, Jim Kennedy New Media Professor and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Public Relations Date: Wednesday, February 8, 6-8pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: THE BASTARD BRIGADE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE RENEGADE SCIENTISTS AND SPIES WHO SABOTAGED THE NAZI ATOMIC BOMB by Sam Kean Discussion Leader: Dr. Luke Naeher, Professor of Environmental Health Science Date: Wednesday, February 22, 6-8pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Scientists have always kept secrets. But rarely have the secrets been as vital as they were during World War II. In the middle of…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: A TESTAMENT OF HOPE by Martin Luther King, Jr. Discussion Leader: Dr. David Williams, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Religion Date: Tuesday, February 28, 6-7:30pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: "We've got some difficult days ahead," civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. told a crowd gathered at Memphis's Clayborn Temple on April 3, 1968. "But it really doesn't matter to me now because…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: HEALING GROUNDS: CLIMATE, JUSTICE, AND THE DEEP ROOTS OF REGENERATIVE FARMING by Liz Carlisle Discussion Leader: Dr. Amy Trauger, Professor of Geography Date: Wednesday, March 15, 6-8pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: A powerful movement is happening in farming today—farmers are reconnecting with their roots to fight climate change. For one woman, that’s meant learning her tribe’s history to help bring back the buffalo. For…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester Book: THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND ZOMBIES by Daniel Drezner Discussion Leader: Dr. Amanda Murdie, Georgia Athletic Association Professor and Department Head, International Affairs Date: Wednesday, April 5, 6-8pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: What would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to eat the living? Daniel Drezner's groundbreaking book answers the question that other international relations scholars have…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE SECRET LIFE OF GROCERIES by Benjamin Lorr Discussion Leader: Dr. Jerry Shannon, Associate Professor of Geography Date: Wednesday, October 4, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: The miracle of the supermarket has never been more apparent. Like the doctors and nurses who care for the sick, suddenly the men and women who stock our shelves and operate our warehouses are…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: HUMANITARIAN AFTERSHOCKS IN HAITI by Mark Schuller Discussion Leader: Dr. Emily Sahakian, Associate Professor of Theatre & Film Studies and Romance Languages Date: Friday, October 6, 3:00-5:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: The 2010 earthquake in Haiti was one of the deadliest disasters in modern history, sparking an international aid response—with pledges and donations of $16 billion—that was exceedingly generous. But…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI by Shannon Chakraborty Discussion Leader: Ms. Jessica Hunt, Assistant Dean and Director of Scholarships, Morehead Honors College Date: Monday, October 16, 6:00-7:30pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands,…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE DEVIL’S ELEMENT: PHOSPHORUS AND A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE by Dan Egan Discussion Leader: Dr. Amy Rosemond, Distinguished Research Professor of Ecology Date: Monday, November 6, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Dr. Rosemond’s home (address will be sent to registrants) Description: Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it’s…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: WHAT THE BEST COLLEGE STUDENTS DO by Ken Bain Discussion Leader: Dr. Gary Green, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Natural Resources, Recreation, and Tourism Management Date: Monday, November 6, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Combining academic research on learning and motivation with insights drawn from interviews with people who have won Nobel Prizes, Emmys, or otherwise led…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: HOW TO BE PERFECT: THE CORRECT ANSWER TO EVERY MORAL QUESTION by Michael Schur Discussion Leader: Dr. Laurena Bernabo, Assistant Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies Date: Tuesday, November 14, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Most people think of themselves as “good", but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “good” or “bad” - especially in a world filled with…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE WANDERING MIND: WHAT MEDIEVAL MONKS TELL US ABOUT DISTRACTION by Jamie Kreiner Discussion Leader: Dr. Jamie Kreiner (author), Associate Dean, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of History Date: Thursday, February 15, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Although we think of early monks as master concentrators, a life of mindfulness did not, in fact, come to them easily.…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: GOING INFINITE by Michael Lewis Discussion Leader: Professor Usha Rodrigues, M. E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law (Dr. Meg Amstutz, Dean of the Morehead Honors College will also be attending) Date: Monday, February 19, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: Sam Bankman-Fried was once the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: POVERTY, BY AMERICA by Matthew Desmond Discussion Leader: Dr. Katie Hein, Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Behavior Date: Monday, February 26, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Dr. Hein's home Description: The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: YOU LOOK LIKE A THING AND I LOVE YOU by Janelle Shane Discussion Leader: Dr. Katie Hein, Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Behavior Date: Tuesday, February 27, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: “You look like a thing and I love you” is one of the best pickup lines ever…according to an artificial intelligence trained by Janelle Shane. We…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: SELECTED STORIES OF ANTON CHEKHOV, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Discussion Leader: Dr. Meg Amstutz, Dean of the Morehead Honors College Date: Tuesday, March 26, 6:00-7:30pm Location: Dr. Amstutz' home Description: Considered the greatest short story writer, Anton Chekhov changed the genre itself with his spare, impressionistic depictions of Russian life and the human condition. From characteristically brief, evocative…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE STORM IS HERE: AN AMERICAN CRUCIBLE by Luke Mogelson Discussion Leader: Dr. Daniel Rood, Associate Professor of History Date: Monday, April 1, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: After years of living abroad and covering the Global War on Terrorism, Luke Mogelson went home in early 2020 to report on the social discord that the pandemic was bringing to the…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY A DOG by Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz Discussion Leader: Dr. Janet Frick, Associate Professor of Psychology Date: Thursday, April 4, 6:00-8:00pm Location: Moore Hall 116 Description: How does trauma affect a child's mind—and how can that mind recover? Child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce D. Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder…

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - All book discussion sign-ups announced at the beginning of the semester on the Honors listserv Book: WHY THEY DO IT: INSIDE THE MIND OF THE WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINAL by Eugene Soltes Discussion Leader: Dr. Tina Carpenter, EY Faculty Fellow and Professor of Accounting Date: Thursday, April 11, 6:00-8:00pm Location: TBD Description: From the financial fraudsters of Enron, to the embezzlers at Tyco, to the insider traders at McKinsey, to the Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, the failings of corporate…