Upcoming SoTL Reading Group: Range by David Epstein

In his 2019 monograph, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein defends the importance of developing a diverse skillset to achieve career success through a close investigation of some of the world’s top performers and experts. Generalists, he argues, are creative, out-of-the-box problem-solvers who fully embrace the power of knowing a little about a lot. He explains this in full in a recent TedTalk.

In academia, we often pride ourselves on being specialists, and our training follows direct, regimented routes (my own dissertation examines on three specific words in eight specific passages in one specific 11th-century manuscript). However, even academics are not immune to the necessity of broad strokes; our curricula are built with General Education requirements and instructors are frequently asked to teach beyond their specialties. Not to mention, we consistently work with students on developing a range of skills in our classrooms: reading, writing, and producing content in a variety of disciplinary contexts.

As scholars, we love our three-word, eight-passage projects, but our students—especially those in our large, introductory courses—likely do not. How can we accept this fact and still create meaningful courses for our students? How do we utilize breadth to design effective curricula that emphasize important skills that our students will take beyond our classrooms as opposed to promoting rote memorization about special topics? The intersection of our own niche research and the wide-ranging pedagogy needed to teach our students make Range ground-zero for what is sure to be a fascinating interdisciplinary discussion amongst faculty colleagues about range and specificity.

If you’re interested in reading this NYT Bestseller alongside CITL staff and your fellow instructors, fill out an application by Friday, February 2, 2024. Three in-person discussion meetings will take place on campus on the following Tuesdays, from 9:30am-11:00am: February 20, March 26, April 23, and May 7. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the book and meet with our spring SoTL speaker and GenEd expert, Paul Hanstedt.