This fall, the McLane Scholars Reading Group will be available for SMU students to apply to join.

The extracurricular reading group meets weekly in the SMU Cox O’Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom. A selected 12 students will meet to discuss assigned texts regarding political economy. Examples include works by Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John M. Keynes and Schumpeter.

The readings assigned from the McLane program are also applied outside of the reading group. This past March. the McLane Scholars Reading Group at SMU met with similar programs at Baylor and Texas Tech in Lubbock to discuss political economic findings from the selected texts amongst peers.

For the McLane Scholars Reading Group, attendance and active participation is essential. There will be 12 on-campus meetings in addition to the aforementioned weekend trip to Texas Tech. Only two absences are allowed.

The meetings will be held Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. at designated locations provided by the syllabus upon joining the program. Afterward, students are encouraged to attend dinner with the group to continue discussions informally.

The program involves heavy reading and in-depth discussion of the weekly assigned texts. In order to engage with the group beneficially, a few tips are provided by Professor Robert Lawson, the coordinator for the McLane Scholars Reading Group.

Read ahead. There are about 100 pages of material assigned each week, and the material is not always easy. Students should budget enough time in their schedules to complete the readings ahead of time.

Come prepared. You should have three or four specific questions or comments prepared in advance for each session – hopefully related directly to the texts. Active participation is expected, and planning ahead is the best way to make sure you are contributing to the group discussion.

Be critical. Don’t agree unthinkingly with the readings or each other. Reasonable people disagree, so be reasonable.

Be humble. The writers we read about did not know everything, and neither do you. Be willing to listen to the writers and each other, and don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”.

students who successfully complete the program will receive a $1000 stipend from the McLane Company, Inc.

For students that are interested, please contact Professor Robert A. Lawson at [email protected].

As the fall semester approaches, The Daily Campus will provide more information about the program once available.