This document outlines Buffy Hamilton's proposed independent study project for the summer session from June 6 to August 5, 2005. The project will examine different literate communities and literacy sponsors, with a focus on libraries and the Oprah Book Club. Hamilton will complete independent readings on this topic and present findings in a literature review. She also proposes participating in the face-to-face book club component of the ELAN 7700 course, attending discussions and completing response journals and assignments.

1. ELAN 8005
Proposed Working Contract/Prospectus
Buffy Hamilton
Summer “Through” Session
June 6—August 5, 2005
Independent Study Version Related to Themes of ELAN 7700
Dr. Mark Faust, Instructor and Supervising Professor
Overarching Questions
• What different kinds of literate communities exist, and how are they
sponsors of literacy?
• How do these literate communities and literacy sponsors shape
lifelong reading? How do they affect cultural perceptions about
reading?
• How do books and reading define culture? How does culture define
books and reading?
Proposed Project Activities
Independent Reading:
I propose to read the texts from the working bibliography (see end of
document) to examine and explore the overarching questions above.
In particular, I wish to focus on two literate communities and what
Deborah Brandt terms as “literacy sponsors”: libraries and the Oprah
Book Club. In addition, I may look at the Library of Congress “One
Book” community program. I would like to present the findings of my
readings through a written literature review or as a possible literature
review presented in a hypertext format.
Deadline for submitting final project will be mutually determined by
Ms. Hamilton and Dr. Faust.

2. Face-to-Face Participation in ELAN 7700 Book Club Community:
If enough students sign up for ELAN 7700, I wish to participate in this
literate community. Please see the timeline below for activities I
would complete as this part of the independent study.
ELAN 7700 Component Participation and Timeline
July 8, 2005---July 22, 2005
• Attend face-to-face sessions daily and participate in literature
circle/reading group discussions.
• Prepare formal and informal reader response journals.
• Complete all requirements set forth in syllabus
July 25, 2005---August 3, 2005
• Participate in class through distance learning. Options include:
Online Medium Options
WebCT • Threaded discussion board
• Option for live text based
chat
Horizon Live/Wemba • Option for live chat with real
time audio discussion and/or
chat
Blog • I could post my responses
via a blog and group
members could respond
Other activities:
• Compare and contrast this book club experience to that when I
took ELAN 7700 in Spring 2002 and ELAN 8410 in Spring 2004.

3. References
Ashton, S. (2003, Spring). A Corrupt Medium: Stephen Burroughs and the
Bridgehampton, New Hampshire. Libraries & Culture, 38(2), 93-121.
Retrieved May 1, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (10046675).
Augst, T., & Wiegand, W. (Eds.). (2003). Libraries as agencies of culture. Madison,
WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
Battles, M. (2003). Library: An unquiet history. New York: W.H. Norton and
Company.
Birkerts, S. (1995). The Gutenberg elegies: The fate of reading in an electronic age.
Ballantine Books.
Farr, C. K. (2004). Reading Oprah: How Oprah’s Book Club changed the way
America reads. New York: State University of New York Press.
Hall, M. R. (2003, July). The “Oprahfication” of literacy: Reading Oprah’s book club.
College English, 65(6), 646—667.
Library of Congress Center for the Book (2005, April 18). “One book” reading
promotion project. Retrieved May 1, 2005, from Library of Congress Center
for the Book Web site: http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/one-book.html
Manguel, A. (1997). A history of reading. New York: Penguin Books.
Rooney, K. (2005). Reading with Oprah: The book club that changed America.
Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press.
Sedo, D. R. (2002, Fall). Predictions of life after Oprah: A Glimpse at the power of
book club readers. Publishing Research Quarterly, 18(3), 11-22. Retrieved
February 1, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database (8841215).
Sumara, D. J. (2002). Why reading literature in school still matters: Imagination,
interpretation, insight. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.