General categories of analysis to interact with academic texts include
the following: (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. The expert reader approaches an
academic text with a specific purpose, e.g., to get ideas about activities that
promote deep learning, to compare Kelsen’s and Austin’s notion of law, to
analyze the use of swimming pool images in Lucrecia Martel’s films, or to
examine the characteristics of dysfunctional families in Alejandro Casavalle’s
dramaturgy. As novice readers in academic disciplines, first-year students do not know why they have to read the assigned texts. In my courses, I produce
reading guides in the form of questions for every single reading assignment.
The reading guides help students navigate through the texts and to help
them focus on the fundamental issues of each text. I also preview the
readings in class, and explain their relevance and purpose. Since some
teachers do not clearly explain the purpose of each reading assignment to
students, I encourage my students to ask these teachers why they need to
read a given text, what they need the text for, and what they are expected to
do with the text.