My favorite college things consist of the day that the upcoming semester’s course listings are posted, reading my syllabi for the first time, and finally, when the Tufts bookstore lists which textbooks are required for classes! Contrary to the beliefs of almost all college students, textbooks are what I look forward to the most. I am one of those strange people who genuinely enjoys buying a fresh notebook and a bunch of new pens to color code my notes. However, nothing beats the excitement of seeing my textbook listings and reading about them online. Nerdy? Absolutely. But, with the unique and interesting classes offered by Tufts, how could I not be excited to see what I will spend my semester reading?
Here are some of the books I am most excited to read for my classes:
Being Mortal by Atual Gawande (ISBN 9780805095159)
For the class SOC0149-12 Death and Dying
I seriously planned my entire schedule around this class because I was so excited to take it. Written by a surgeon, this book examines how the medicalization of society can often be emotionally and spiritually harmful in the long run. I am curious to read a practicing doctor’s perspective on how medical intervention is not always the best option.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (ISBN 9781595586438)
For the class PJS0001 Introduction to Peace and Justice Studies
With the Black Lives Matter movement fresh in society’s mind, this book is being taught in my class at an extremely unique time. I can only imagine the emotional and invigorating discussions that this book will bring to my classroom. I look forward to the opportunity to engage in discussion with a diverse student body about this book.
Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject by Saba Mahmood (ISBN 9780691149806)
For the class ANTH0146 Global Feminisms
According to Amazon, “Politics of Piety is a groundbreaking analysis of Islamist cultural politics through the ethnography of a thriving, grassroots women's piety movement in the mosques of Cairo, Egypt.” Wow. That summary pretty much speaks for itself about why I cannot wait to read this book.
Call me crazy, but I am so excited for this semester to get started! Happy textbook hunting!