Why should we analyze academic reading strategies?

Our society takes basic literacy skills for granted. Much of our culture relies on the ability to read (and write) and take part in the communication that reading allows. Imagine for a few moments if your ability or freedom to read were stripped from you. What would you miss out on?

Rhetorical readers understand that authors make choices about content, structure, and style based on the rhetorical context in which they are operating. Furthermore, rhetorical readers recognize their own context for reading, match their reading strategies with the text, and vary their reading process according to their purpose for reading. Since academic reading and writing represent an evolving conversation in which both the author’s and the reader’s rhetorical context come into play, it is important for college students to know how to read rhetorically. Additionally, college reading encompasses a wide variety of texts, offering students opportunities to expand their vocabularies.

Consider what you would like to be able to do that your current reading ability doesn’t allow for right now. In what areas could your reading skills improve? Perhaps you’d like to learn more vocabulary words, better understand scientific articles, or better recognize arguments in what you read. What benefits will stronger reading habits bring you in the next few years?

In this module, you will learn what rhetorical reading is as well as strategies for becoming an active rhetorical reader. You’ll also take a closer look at types of readings you may encounter during your college experience.