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Haverford College
Hurford Humanities Center
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For Students: Reading Groups

Reading Groups

HCAH sponsors small Reading Groups devoted to shared close readings of texts without the pressure of pedagogical oversight. Some reading groups might take a single work of relative complexity as their subject; others, a more diverse array of smaller texts. Proposed by students or faculty, groups may consist of a mix of both, as well as College staff (usually three to eight members, total). The Center provides up to $300 for texts and refreshments.

Current Reading Groups

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    Thursdays, 9 - 10pm, Woodside Cottage: PRG discusses poetry the way we all found it first: outside of the classroom. Bring a few copies of a poem (your own or someone else's) that you like/don't like/want to talk about. More info: Cole Fiedler-Kawaguchi, cfiedler@haverford.edu
    Learn more >

Proposing a Reading Group

Awards are made on a rolling, ad hoc basis up to the capacity of the Center's funding line for this program. Student-organized reading groups must have a faculty advisor. To apply, compose a 1-page MSWord document with a substantive description of the goals of the reading group, your interest in the text(s), questions driving the project, and any past relevant experience with the author/subject-matter; a consideration of audience (do you already have a set group, or would you like the Center to help you publicize the group? who would you envision wanting to participate?); a consideration of lifespan for the group (how many times will you meet? will the group spill over to another semester, indefinitely?); and an itemized budget for texts (books, photocopies, films, etc.) and food for each meeting.

If you require help in advertising the reading group, please also compose a short blurb about the group to be used in publicity.

Please address inquiries and proposals to James Weissinger.

Past Reading GroupsContract All | Expand All

2011-12

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    Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey-what is a diva, after all? What are its origins, if locatable, and how has the term evolved and developed musically, temporally, and culturally? Limited spaces; open to students, staff, and faculty. To apply, email hhc@haverford.edu by Sunday, October 23rd.
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    Organized by Andreea Bailuc HC '11
    Curatorial & Research Intern, Slought Foundation
    Deadline: Sunday, October 2nd
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    Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf was written in 1962 and caused a storm of controversy upon its release. This reading group will meet once a week and attempt to read, understand, and ultimately adapt into film Albee's original masterpiece. If you are interested in participating in any capacity, read on for details!
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    Thursdays, Woodside Cottage 9-10 PM The Poetry Reading Group discusses poetry the way we all found it first: outside of the classroom. Bring a few copies of a poem that you like/don't like/want to talk about by a poet other than yourself. We promise hummus. Contact: agangi@haverford.edu
    Learn more >

2010-11

Recent News

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    Organized by JP Bowditch. Open to students, staff, and faculty; stop by an info session at 4:00pm in Gest 101 on Wednesday, 5/4, or contact jbowditc@haverford.edu or kwright@haverford.edu for more information.
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    Michel Foucault is one of the mostly widely cited figures in the humanities, one of the most influential philosophers of the past one hundred years, and one of the most challenging to read and comprehend. Join us this summer in HCA 30 1B to untangle Foucault's classic text Discipline and Punish over food and drink.
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    Monday, January 24, 4:15 PM, Stokes 102: Given the dire urgency of our current economic and ecological crises, perhaps some new insights can be gained from both classic and contemporary accounts of the nature and possible futures of capitalist society. This reading group, open to all bi-co students and faculty, proposes to study the works of Karl Marx's Capital (Volume 1).
    Learn More >
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    Thursdays, Woodside Cottage 9-10 PM The Poetry Reading Group discusses poetry the way we all found it first: outside of the classroom. Bring a few copies of a poem that you like/don't like/want to talk about by a poet other than yourself. We promise hummus. Contact: anikolis@haverford.edu, agangi@haverford.edu
    Learn More >

2009-10

2008-09

2007-08

  • Poetry Reading Group
  • Talmud Reading Group
  • Ancient Greek Lyric Poetry Reading Group
  • Wittgenstein Reading Group

2006-07

  • Talmud Reading Group
  • Bible as Literary Text Reading Group
  • Against the Day Thomas Pynchon Reading Group
  • Derrida Reading Group
  • Death of a Discipline Gayatri Spivak Reading Group

2005-06

  • Literary House
  • Epic Books

2004-05

  • Finnegans Wake