The Wildcat in the Rye

Photo by Auraleah Grega

During the week preceding Fall Break, the English department ran their fourth annual freshmen program in Good Counsel Hall. A group of grads and undergrads volunteered to assist Dr. Kamran Javadizadeh in leading a discussion of a chapter from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. The point of the program was to introduce Villanova freshmen to the level of thoughtful analysis they can encounter through the English Department here.

The event began with Dr. Javadizadeh presenting some context for the chapter, as well as an introduction to the great benefits of pursuing study in the field of English.

Then student volunteers, each designated a role, read through the 13th chapter of Catcher. The freshmen were then broken into small groups to discuss their ideas about the text they had just heard.

Photos by Auraleah Grega

With a grand total of 89 first year students signing in to the event (though numbers were likely higher than recorded), it was a great success! Thanks to Dr. Javadizadeh for organizing the program, and to the students who volunteered their time to make the event possible!