President Book, campus leaders discuss Common Reading book ‘Biased’

Five campus leaders recently gathered for a virtual book club discussion about a piece of literature that will shape a number of conversations throughout the Elon community in the coming months.

Naeemah Clark, coordinator for diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives in the Elon Core Curriculum, led a panel of Elon faculty and staff in a discussion of the university’s 2020-21 Common Reading book “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do,” by Jennifer L. Eberhardt.

The panel also included:

• Connie Ledoux Book, president
• Randy Williams, vice president and associate provost for inclusive excellence and assistant professor of education
• Jon Dooley, vice president of student life and associate professor of education
• Paula Patch, senior lecturer in English and assistant director of first-year initiatives of the Elon Core Curriculum

In “Biased,” Eberhardt exposes and addresses racial biases that exist at all levels of society. The author urges readers to recognize how perceptions of race shape every interaction and then encourages readers to address the issue and work toward positive change.

First-year students are encouraged to purchase and read the book before arriving on campus in the fall, as it will serve as a shared intellectual experience throughout the year, both in and out of the classroom. The Common Reading marks the beginning of the Elon Core Curriculum, the shared courses and experiences that put knowledge into practice and enable the integration of learning across the disciplines.

Learn more about the process of selecting this year’s Common Reading book here.