The Duke Common Experience
The Duke Common Experience program is designed to introduce students to the academic climate at Duke University and to encourage discussion and intellectual dialogue among undergraduate students. The program was initiated during the 2001-2002 academic year from conversations between representatives from the Kenan Institute for Ethics, the Office for Institutional Equity, and the Division of Student Affairs. The program is coordinated by the New Student & Family Programs Office in the Division of Student Affairs with significant involvement from the President’s Office, the Office of Undergraduate Education, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, the Pratt School of Engineering, and the Duke student body.
Goals
- To enrich the intellectual life of students.
- To promote a shared/common experience among first-year students.
- To prompt stimulating debate and lively discussion outside of the classroom.
- To foster interaction between and among peers.
Summer 2022 Selection
Film: Bending the Arc
Book: Point of Reckoning
Podcast: How to Save a Planet
You may choose to watch/read/listen to one or all three! Duke's selections center on justice and include topics of healthcare, Duke's own racial history, and the environment. We encourage students to dive deep into a topic they are passionate about AND a topic they wish to learn more about!
How to Access
Students have a variety of ways to engage with the three selections. Please utilize whatever platform is preferred and available to you.
Point of Reckoning: We are currently in the process of sending a physical copy of this novel to the home address listed in Dukehub to all new-to-Duke students.
Bending the Arc: This film is available on the Duke Libraries website. Students can log in using their netID and password. It is also available for view on Netflix via a subscription.
How to Save a Planet: This podcast is available via the Gimlet website and on Spotify via a subscription. Student can find any episode's topic that they find interesting, and may choose as many episodes as they wish to listen to.
Past Selections
2025: Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid
2024: Know My Name, Chanel Miller
2023: There There, Tommy Orange
2022: Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
2021: The Prince of Los Cocuyos, Richard Blanco
2020: Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson
2019: Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
2018: Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2017: Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
2016: State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
2015: Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer
2014: Everything Matters, Ron Currie, Jr.
2013: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
2012: What is the What, David Eggers
2011: Best of Enemies, Osha Gray Davidson
2010: My Sister's Keeper, Judy Picoult
2009: Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
2008: Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder
2007: Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol
2006: The Palace Thief, Ethan Canin