{"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&#038;p=1723"},"modified":"2024-05-01T18:32:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:32:34","slug":"text-types-of-college-reading-materials","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/chapter\/text-types-of-college-reading-materials\/","title":{"raw":"Types of College Reading Materials","rendered":"Types of College Reading Materials"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Identify common types of reading tasks\u00a0assigned\u00a0in a college class<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAs 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, required classes in different subjects. For example, even if you plan to major in English, you may still have to take at least one class in science, history, and math. 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 of materials can you expect to encounter?\r\n<h2>Textbooks<\/h2>\r\nProbably the most familiar reading material in college is the\u00a0<strong>textbook<\/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<h2>Articles<\/h2>\r\nInstructors may also\u00a0assign\u00a0<strong>academic articles<\/strong> or <strong>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. It's common to access academic articles through online databases hosted by\u00a0libraries.\r\n<h2>Literature\u00a0and Nonfiction Books<\/h2>\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-597 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/26211202\/4240056336_88670d07eb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of woman lying on grass, reading &quot;How Ottowa Spends 2009-2010&quot;\" width=\"351\" height=\"233\" \/>\r\n\r\nInstructors use <strong>literature<\/strong>\u00a0and <strong>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 are written to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/482f4e64-f529-4a69-a669-508ad51a616c\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Why Is Academic Reading Beneficial?<\/h2>\r\nCasual reading across genres, from books and magazines to newspapers and blogs, is something students should be encouraged to do in their free time because it can be both\u00a0educational and fun. In college, however, instructors generally expect students to read resources that have particular value in the context of a course.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Information comes from reputable sources<\/strong>: Websites and blogs can be a source of insight and information, but not all\u00a0are useful as academic resources. They may be written by people or companies whose main purpose is to share an opinion or sell you something. Academic sources\u00a0such as textbooks and scholarly journal articles,\u00a0on the other hand, are usually written by experts in the field and have to\u00a0pass stringent peer review requirements to get published.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>You will learn how to form arguments<\/strong>: In most college classes except for creating writing, when instructors ask you\u00a0to write a paper, they expect it to be argumentative in style. The goal\u00a0of the paper is to research a topic and develop an argument about it using evidence and facts to support your position.\u00a0Since many\u00a0college reading assignments (especially journal articles) are written in a similar style, you'll gain experience studying\u00a0their strategies and learning to emulate them.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>You will experience exposure to\u00a0different viewpoints<\/strong>: One purpose of assigned academic readings is to give students exposure to different viewpoints and ideas. For example, in an ethics class, you might be asked\u00a0to read a series of articles written by medical professionals and religious leaders\u00a0who are pro-life or pro-choice and consider the validity of their arguments. Such experience can help you wrestle with ideas and beliefs\u00a0in new ways and develop a better understanding of how others' views differ from your own.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>glossary<\/h3>\r\n<strong>academic article:<\/strong> a stand-alone text authored by a specialist in a given field, and typically peer-reviewed by other scholars\r\n\r\n<strong>literature:<\/strong>\u00a0typically refers to novels, short stories, poetry, and drama\r\n\r\n<strong>news article:<\/strong> a general interest piece fond in a newspaper, magazine, or website\r\n\r\n<strong>nonfiction:<\/strong> history, biography, reference materials, creative nonfiction, or stories told from real life\r\n\r\n<strong>textbook:<\/strong> an assigned academic text that typically addresses one subject area\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify common types of reading tasks\u00a0assigned\u00a0in a college class<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>As a college student, you will eventually choose a major or focus of study. In your first year or so, though, you&#8217;ll probably have to complete core, required classes in different subjects. For example, even if you plan to major in English, you may still have to take at least one class in science, history, and math. 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 of materials can you expect to encounter?<\/p>\n<h2>Textbooks<\/h2>\n<p>Probably the most familiar reading material in college is the\u00a0<strong>textbook<\/strong>. These\u00a0are academic books, usually focused on one discipline,\u00a0and their primary purpose is to educate\u00a0readers\u00a0on a particular\u00a0subject\u2014&#8221;Principles of Algebra,&#8221; for example, or &#8220;Introduction to Business.&#8221; It&#8217;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<h2>Articles<\/h2>\n<p>Instructors may also\u00a0assign\u00a0<strong>academic articles<\/strong> or <strong>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<p>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&#8217;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. It&#8217;s common to access academic articles through online databases hosted by\u00a0libraries.<\/p>\n<h2>Literature\u00a0and Nonfiction Books<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-597 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1110\/2016\/02\/26211202\/4240056336_88670d07eb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of woman lying on grass, reading &quot;How Ottowa Spends 2009-2010&quot;\" width=\"351\" height=\"233\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Instructors use <strong>literature<\/strong>\u00a0and <strong>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<p>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 are written to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_482f4e64-f529-4a69-a669-508ad51a616c\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/482f4e64-f529-4a69-a669-508ad51a616c?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_482f4e64-f529-4a69-a669-508ad51a616c\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Why Is Academic Reading Beneficial?<\/h2>\n<p>Casual reading across genres, from books and magazines to newspapers and blogs, is something students should be encouraged to do in their free time because it can be both\u00a0educational and fun. In college, however, instructors generally expect students to read resources that have particular value in the context of a course.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Information comes from reputable sources<\/strong>: Websites and blogs can be a source of insight and information, but not all\u00a0are useful as academic resources. They may be written by people or companies whose main purpose is to share an opinion or sell you something. Academic sources\u00a0such as textbooks and scholarly journal articles,\u00a0on the other hand, are usually written by experts in the field and have to\u00a0pass stringent peer review requirements to get published.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You will learn how to form arguments<\/strong>: In most college classes except for creating writing, when instructors ask you\u00a0to write a paper, they expect it to be argumentative in style. The goal\u00a0of the paper is to research a topic and develop an argument about it using evidence and facts to support your position.\u00a0Since many\u00a0college reading assignments (especially journal articles) are written in a similar style, you&#8217;ll gain experience studying\u00a0their strategies and learning to emulate them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You will experience exposure to\u00a0different viewpoints<\/strong>: One purpose of assigned academic readings is to give students exposure to different viewpoints and ideas. For example, in an ethics class, you might be asked\u00a0to read a series of articles written by medical professionals and religious leaders\u00a0who are pro-life or pro-choice and consider the validity of their arguments. Such experience can help you wrestle with ideas and beliefs\u00a0in new ways and develop a better understanding of how others&#8217; views differ from your own.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>glossary<\/h3>\n<p><strong>academic article:<\/strong> a stand-alone text authored by a specialist in a given field, and typically peer-reviewed by other scholars<\/p>\n<p><strong>literature:<\/strong>\u00a0typically refers to novels, short stories, poetry, and drama<\/p>\n<p><strong>news article:<\/strong> a general interest piece fond in a newspaper, magazine, or website<\/p>\n<p><strong>nonfiction:<\/strong> history, biography, reference materials, creative nonfiction, or stories told from real life<\/p>\n<p><strong>textbook:<\/strong> an assigned academic text that typically addresses one subject area<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1723\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Jolene Carr. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Image of woman reading on lawn. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Grant. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7sFp2A\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7sFp2A<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Jolene Carr\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of woman reading on lawn\",\"author\":\"Grant\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/7sFp2A\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"531b492c-dfe3-47ba-90d9-fc836cef9426, 9d468ec3-756a-41a1-ad29-b74c6ffc8205","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-1723","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":133,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7610,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1723\/revisions\/7610"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/133"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1723\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1723"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1723"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-collegesuccess-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}