{"id":1723,"date":"2016-09-09T19:56:51","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T19:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/?post_type=chapter&p=1723"},"modified":"2016-09-26T18:16:23","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T18:16:23","slug":"text-types-of-college-reading-materials","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-buffalo-wmopen-collegesuccess\/chapter\/text-types-of-college-reading-materials\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Types of College Reading Materials","rendered":"Text: Types of College Reading Materials"},"content":{"raw":"As a college student, you will eventually choose a major or focus of study. In your first year or so, though, you'll probably have to complete \"core\" or required classes in different subjects. For example, even if you plan to major in English, you may still have to take at least one science, history, and math class. These different academic disciplines (and the instructors who teach them)\u00a0can vary greatly in terms of the materials that students are assigned\u00a0to read. Not all college reading is the same. So, what types\u00a0can you expect to encounter?\r\n

Textbooks<\/h2>\r\nProbably the most familiar reading material in college is the\u00a0textbook<\/strong>. These\u00a0are academic books, usually focused on one discipline,\u00a0and their primary purpose is to educate\u00a0readers\u00a0on a particular\u00a0subject\u2014\"Principles of Algebra,\" for example, or \"Introduction to Business.\" It's not uncommon for instructors to use one textbook as the primary\u00a0text for an entire\u00a0course. Instructors\u00a0typically\u00a0assign chapters as readings and may include any word problems or questions in the textbook, too.\r\n

Articles<\/h2>\r\nInstructors may also\u00a0assign\u00a0academic articles<\/strong> or news articles<\/strong>. Academic articles are written by people who specialize in a particular field or subject, while news articles may\u00a0be from recent newspapers and magazines. For example, in a science class, you may be asked to read an academic article on the benefits of rainforest preservation, whereas\u00a0in a government class, you may\u00a0be asked to read an article summarizing a recent presidential debate. Instructors may have you read\u00a0the articles online or they may distribute copies in class or electronically.\r\n\r\nThe chief\u00a0difference between news and academic articles is the intended audience of the publication. News articles are mass media: They are written for a broad audience, and they are published in magazines and newspapers that are generally available for purchase at grocery stores or bookstores. They may also be available online. Academic articles, on the other hand, are usually\u00a0published in scholarly journals with fairly small circulations. \u00a0While you won't\u00a0be able to purchase individual journal issues from Barnes and Noble, public and school libraries do make these journal issues and individual articles available. \u00a0It's common to access academic articles through online databases hosted by\u00a0libraries.\r\n

Literature\u00a0and Nonfiction Books<\/h2>\r\nInstructors use literature<\/strong>\u00a0and nonfiction books<\/strong> in their classes to teach students about different genres, events, time periods, and perspectives. For example, a\u00a0history instructor might ask\u00a0you to read the diary of a girl who lived during the Great Depression so you can learn what life was like back then. In an English class, your instructor might assign a series of short stories written during the 1960s by different American authors, so you can compare styles and thematic concerns.\r\n\r\nLiterature includes short stories, novels or novellas, graphic novels, drama, and poetry. Nonfiction works include creative nonfiction\u2014narrative stories told from real life\u2014as well as history, biography, and reference materials. Textbooks and scholarly articles are specific types of nonfiction; often their purpose is to instruct, whereas other forms of nonfiction be written to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.\"Photo<\/a>","rendered":"

As a college student, you will eventually choose a major or focus of study. In your first year or so, though, you’ll probably have to complete “core” or required classes in different subjects. For example, even if you plan to major in English, you may still have to take at least one science, history, and math class. These different academic disciplines (and the instructors who teach them)\u00a0can vary greatly in terms of the materials that students are assigned\u00a0to read. Not all college reading is the same. So, what types\u00a0can you expect to encounter?<\/p>\n

Textbooks<\/h2>\n

Probably the most familiar reading material in college is the\u00a0textbook<\/strong>. These\u00a0are academic books, usually focused on one discipline,\u00a0and their primary purpose is to educate\u00a0readers\u00a0on a particular\u00a0subject\u2014”Principles of Algebra,” for example, or “Introduction to Business.” It’s not uncommon for instructors to use one textbook as the primary\u00a0text for an entire\u00a0course. Instructors\u00a0typically\u00a0assign chapters as readings and may include any word problems or questions in the textbook, too.<\/p>\n

Articles<\/h2>\n

Instructors may also\u00a0assign\u00a0academic articles<\/strong> or news articles<\/strong>. Academic articles are written by people who specialize in a particular field or subject, while news articles may\u00a0be from recent newspapers and magazines. For example, in a science class, you may be asked to read an academic article on the benefits of rainforest preservation, whereas\u00a0in a government class, you may\u00a0be asked to read an article summarizing a recent presidential debate. Instructors may have you read\u00a0the articles online or they may distribute copies in class or electronically.<\/p>\n

The chief\u00a0difference between news and academic articles is the intended audience of the publication. News articles are mass media: They are written for a broad audience, and they are published in magazines and newspapers that are generally available for purchase at grocery stores or bookstores. They may also be available online. Academic articles, on the other hand, are usually\u00a0published in scholarly journals with fairly small circulations. \u00a0While you won’t\u00a0be able to purchase individual journal issues from Barnes and Noble, public and school libraries do make these journal issues and individual articles available. \u00a0It’s common to access academic articles through online databases hosted by\u00a0libraries.<\/p>\n

Literature\u00a0and Nonfiction Books<\/h2>\n

Instructors use literature<\/strong>\u00a0and nonfiction books<\/strong> in their classes to teach students about different genres, events, time periods, and perspectives. For example, a\u00a0history instructor might ask\u00a0you to read the diary of a girl who lived during the Great Depression so you can learn what life was like back then. In an English class, your instructor might assign a series of short stories written during the 1960s by different American authors, so you can compare styles and thematic concerns.<\/p>\n

Literature includes short stories, novels or novellas, graphic novels, drama, and poetry. Nonfiction works include creative nonfiction\u2014narrative stories told from real life\u2014as well as history, biography, and reference materials. Textbooks and scholarly articles are specific types of nonfiction; often their purpose is to instruct, whereas other forms of nonfiction be written to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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CC licensed content, Original<\/div>