Summer Reading
Each year, the co-directors of the InFocus program select a book related to the upcoming year’s InFocus theme. All incoming first-year students are required to read the book and submit an assignment prior to their arrival on campus in the fall as part of the First Year Writing Seminar (FYW) Program.
The chosen book is The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
ISBN: 1635578590, 9781635578591
Purchase at Moravian University Bookstore or a retailer of your choice.
The Island of Missing Trees, by Elif Shafak
The book The Island of Missing Trees discusses two major concepts: division (geographic and otherwise) and conflict (personal and societal). Since we are exploring a large theme of War and Peace, our summer reading, The Island of Missing Trees, only begins our exploration into the investigation of War and Peace. Look to the text for examples of reconciliation on multiple levels.
A core approach of both InFocus and FYW is that faculty across disciplines can engage with themes, writing, and reflection through their specific knowledge domain. There are FYW classes in a variety of fields of study, which leads to robust discussion across campus regarding war & peace as students, faculty, and writing fellows engage with the summer text and annual theme from myriad perspectives.
Over the 2022-2023 year, InFocus will continue the conversation about war & peace access by hosting events and providing opportunities for all students, faculty, staff, and the broader community to engage with these issues.
First-Year Writing 2022 Summer Assignments
InFocus/FYW Kickoff Event
Details coming soon!