The Mission of the Readers Workshop at Messiah University:
- To enable students to become explore literature in a safe and positive learning environment
- To develop a community of readers that is established during the week and endures beyond the week.
- To give students a foretaste of college experience and college level thinking, reading, and literary analysis.
- To introduce students to Messiah College in a way that will encourage them to think about Messiah as a future academic home.
- To encourage students to understand the value of the humanities.
What You Will Learn
In Class Track Learning Outcomes
- Students will read and extensively discuss works of science fiction and fantasy by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others.
- Students will learn how to evaluate and discuss literature, learning how to express themselves in an academic manner, listen to their peers, and work together as a group to find a deeper understanding of storytelling through the lens of the works studied.
- Students will utilize literary elements such as plot, character, setting, and point-of-view as they learn to analyze literature.
- Students will work together to create a podcast about the literature studied.
- Students will take part in worldbuilding workshops; creating their own settings, characters, scientific laws, and maps for the fantastical worlds they imagine.
Out of Class Learning Outcomes
- Students will learn to live together in a supportive academic community.
- Students will learn more about what it is like to live and work in a university environment.
- Students will learn about the mission and values of Messiah University.