On Reading Critically—questions to help you get more from the assigned reading.

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Some disciplines expect you to read primarily as a means of acquiring information.  You may have read with the sole expectation that you would be tested on your ability to assimilate that information.  Such a relationship with the printed word tends to create the impression that texts simply convey information or “meaning” in a direct, transparent, and uncomplicated way.  Probably you were not encouraged to become more aware of HOW the words themselves work; only what they say.

¨ Advanced work in the humanities requires you to read critically.  What does that imply?

Critical reading is active reading, not passive information gathering.  This method of reading requires you to change your relationship to the reading matter.  The word “critical” is, of course, related to “criticism.”  Reading critically, however, does not mean that you must seek constantly to find fault with what you read (that is practicing criticism at its narrowest).  Synonyms for criticism that will be useful in helping you get at what criticism means in the context of reading critically include:

ANALYSIS ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY EVALUATION EXAMINATION

¨ How do these words suggest ways that you can be an active participant in critical reading?

APPROACHING THE TEXT:

Be an active reader: underline, highlight, write in the margins.  Even if you are not an “expert” in the material, you have a stake in what you read.

Consider the following (as appropriate to what you are reading):

¨ When was this text written?  How should that affect the way in which I read it?

¨ Is is a primary or a secondary source? 

¨ Where was this text published?  If a secondary source, consider particularly whether it is a scholarly journal or university press (where it would have undergone peer review)?  A newspaper or magazine?  Commercial press?  The Internet?

¨ What is/are the subject/s that the author addresses in the selection?  Pre-read by looking at paragraph or section headings (if they are marked), topic sentences, and conclusions.  This will help you structure your reading experience and set up questions for you to ask yourself during the reading process.

¨ Who is the author?  Every text has an author (even a science “textbook”). 

§ Despite a desire to present an “objective” account, everyone writes from a particular position.  Factors such as age, gender, educational background, social class, religion, ethnicity, and disciplinary orientation can affect that position.  What other factors might there be?  How might these impinge on what you are reading? 

§ Acknowledging that writers write from a position means recognizing that they probably have some assumptions or biases.  The critical reader must attempt to determine what these are and if and how they affect the text.  How do you detect assumptions?  How do you uncover biases?

Most texts, even if presented as a narrative (“I’m going to tell you a story about …” ), contain an argument: they seek to make a point about whatever it is the author describes and analyzes.  Understanding that argument is key to reading critically.  Ask yourself questions like: what point/s is the author trying to make in this text?  Are these points clearly stated, or do I have to look for them?  How is the argument constructed?  Does it depend upon building a sequence of interdependent items and can I locate them?

Once you see the structure of the argument, you can then proceed to a full critical analysis.  Consider items like these (as appropriate to the particular selection):

¨ Does s/he write from an authoritative position (a position of some expertise)?  

¨ What methodology does the author use?  Is s/he explicit about it?

¨ What evidence does the author set out in support of her/his argument?

¨ Is this evidence reliable?  Why or why not?

¨ Is the argument effective overall?  Are you persuaded?  Why or why not?