Professor Virinder S Kalra University of Warwick Academic Reading Professor Virinder S Kalra University of Warwick

Why Reading? paRh paRh likh likh laaweyN Dheyr veyd kitaabaaN chaar chafeyr girdey chaanan wich anheyr apney aap dee khabar naa saar Bulleh Shah Beḏ paṛe paṛ barahme hāre ik ṯil nahī kīmaṯ pā▫ī. Guru Arjun So not to read?

Deep Reading Simply put, surface readers focus on the sign, i.e., the text itself, while deep readers focus on what is signified, i.e., the meaning of the text (Bowden & Marton, 2000, p.49). In our tradition, reading is to change the self not for outward validation

Aim of Today Get to know each other Engage in deep reading Review skills for reading

Reading Audit On the other side Two paragraphs on yourself and your research project (if Phd) or a piece of research doing (if academic)

Categories of Analysis (i) reading purpose; (ii) context; (iii) author’s thesis; (iv) deconstruction of assumptions; (v) evaluation of author’s arguments; and (vi) consequences of author’s arguments for your own work!

Questioning the text the author intention: Is this a challenge to an existing position? Is this an examination of a new variable? Is this an application of an old theory to new data or new place (context)?

Look at Bhambra, para 1 and 2 Read one sentence per person (repeat to complete paragraph) What does the paragraph say ? (in your own language) What does the paragraph do?

Developing Your Vocabulary Consider the context around new and challenging words. Jot down unfamiliar terms and find the meaning using a dictionary. Analyze terms to discover the most meaningful part of the word (especially true in Biology). Take the opportunity to use new terms in your writing and speaking. Learn to read “outside the box!”

Did you use any of these techniques? Cause-effect How one thing causes another to happen Compare-contrast How things are similar and how they are different Draw a conclusion To make up your mind about an idea Context clue Getting the meaning of a word from the words around it Implied Suggested without being directly stated Inference To guess or speculate to draw a conclusion Main idea The primary subject of a passage or paragraph Objectivity Not influenced by personal feelings or prejudice Prior knowledge What you already know Supporting details Specific items that elaborate on the main idea

Answer these questions What is the aim of the article? What definition of the state is being deployed? Look at this quote ‘this definition is associated with the emergence of the state in Europe, notwithstanding that in all cases used for illustration the state in question was a colonial and imperial state.’ Were all states in Europe colonial/imperial? If so were they all to the same extent?

General Context Tell each other what you know about Weber and Marx Then talk about the two paragraphs again Tell each other what you know about the formation of the Pakistani state Then talk about the paragraphs again

Reading the Paper Abstract and Key words Approach to the investigation of the topic Will report on what was discovered during the work Analysis, discussion or results – in short What is ”new” about the work?

Reading the Paper Introduction This is where the authors make a promise Like a contract between authors and the reader Identifying relevant research gaps Presenting a road map of what is to come

Reading the Paper The Context of the Research Reading the ”background” section will give you a better grasp of the situation that gave rise to the research The ”real world” location into which the research problem might fit Clue to how it may relate to your own problem

Reading the Paper The Literature Review If you were an architect and we asked you to build a house in an earthquake zone, you would make sure that the foundations were strong and solid Not just a description of others previous work, but the litterature review: Appraises, compares and contrasts it with each other and relevant work Article will become part of your literature review

Reading the Paper Method(ology) Discusses how the research was carried out – often called methodology or research design Research Strategy: case study, survey, observations Research Methods Why these methods? Population, the sample, data collection, interpretation, analysis

Reading the Paper Findings Do the findings confirm the litterature? Do the findings dis-confirm the litterature? Do the findings go further than the litterature? There is no single manner or method of presentation of research findings

Reading the Paper Conclusion The authors try: To deliver the promise given in the introduction section Make a ”minor” contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject Should be MORE than a summary, namely synthesizing the overall arguments presented in the paper, and Highlight meanings Emphasize contributions

From understanding to analysis Finding the Claim; critical analysis What question does the author pose? What is the primary argument? Why is this argument significant?

Validity of the arguments? 1. Evidence: What evidence do the authors offer in support of their position? How convincing is the evidence 2. Counter-arguments: What arguments are made in opposition? What evidence was used in the refutation 3. Effectiveness: What were the strength of the article? Did you get a clear picture?

Carry out analysis on Bhambra and Ya-Wen Lei Overall One is theoretical paper Other is theory and empirical material (quantitative mainly) Remember from understanding to critical evaluation Look at content and structure Both from leading Sociology journals: British Journal of Sociology and American Journal of Sociology

Session 3 What are we reading? A text may be: a book a textbook a newspaper article a journal article a report an online document a graphic/table/illustration Also A song A film A documentary A TV show A speech at a rally

Text and Genre Texts in the same genre have similar characteristics or conventions. Recognising the particular features of different genres helps you to skim a text and determine if it is appropriate to use for your present research. . You need to be able to identify: different types of text you will need at university the data or information available in each Critical to distinguish between academic texts and data material Internet problem

Academic texts and data How is an academic text different from other things you read? Journalism vs academic text Blog vs academic text Website vs academic text In your groups

Homework One side of A4 of your academic writing to share with group