Assignment 2

It's Not Harry Potter by Rob Weir

Well first off I am happy that this article references Harry Potter, one of the most iconic and popular books written in our lifetime. I agree with Weir's idea that we must establish academic peers as our readers, instead of general readers (friends, family, etc.). We must adapt to the intended reader better; communication, appropriate styles, and purpose will be written differently in a text message as opposed to a letter of recommendation. I also find that reading a professional article in small doses helps me to retain the information easier, thereby leading to a better overall understanding of that article. I've learned that the abstract, introduction, footnotes,and title are some of the most important theoretical and analytical points to be observed more carefully. Footnotes in particular can provide the reader with a hunch as to whether the author's sources are credible or not. This, in my opinion, may be most important to the academic when deciding whether to use a certain book, journal etc. for his/her bibliography. I think that Weir's end note defending his recommendation of just skimming through journals, to be, unnecessary. Perhaps he should have some courage of his convictions! :)

How to Read a Scholarly Article - Western Libraries

Overall, I found this article to be most important in terms of what sections to read in what order. I enjoy reading the conclusion, and then coming to the conclusion that this article is no longer worthy of reading!

Reading Actively (and Efficiently) for History Courses by Leyba

I very much agree with the the approach of at least starting assigned readings far ahead of when they are due. Time management aids in this. For instance, if I have a number of recitals to attend in an upcoming week along with working my job, it might behoove me to start that assignment a week prior to when it's due. Recording notes on paper, and summarizing key sections (while reading) also helps. I prefer to highlight important words, quotes, and sections. Some questions that I find extremely important to ask oneself while reading are: Why did the author write this, and for whom was it written? and Does the author make a compelling argument? I believe it is a good thing to try and get inside of the author's head while reading one of his works.

On Writing Well by Walt

I believe that quality of writing is vital, especially academic writing. I am looking forward to my professors encouraging and demanding good writing. This is something that I've felt I could always improve on, and believe that I have, by setting high standards personally. Throughout this article, I found Walt's explanations of quality writing to be highly influential. He states that " Persuasive writing doesn't just convince the already-converted, a really well-crafted and well-supported argument will overcome a skeptic's initial resistance." I couldn't agree more.

This Sentence Has Five Words by Gary Provost

This article differs from the other four in that it is a work of art, poetry almost.  I think the artistic style can have more impact on the reader/listener.  I very much enjoyed the musical references at the end. And when writing in this class, I and others, seem to be insecure about writing too large of sentences that they almost become run-on! I now feel a lot better and secure about my length of writing sentences.