“Service Learning and Literary Studies in English,” the first book published by the Modern Language Association on the subject of service-learning pedagogy in literature classrooms, features a chapter written by English professor Emily VanDette.
Dr. VanDette’s chapter, "The Literature Classroom, College Library, and Reading Publics: Building Collaborative Critical Reading Networks," theorizes the impact of pedagogy that connects college English students with public libraries to produce literary programming.
VanDette has been engaging Fredonia literature classrooms in community literary reading programs since 2009, mostly in support of the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Big Read program. During the semester, two sections of her English capstone course Senior Seminar are partnering with 16 libraries throughout the region to produce materials and events in support of a Big Read that focuses on F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.”
Her students' programming, which is an example of the type of pedagogy she theorizes in her book chapter, is funded by a grant from the Carnahan-Jackson Fund for the Humanities, the NEA and Reed Library.
