In current university curriculum, professors are encouraged to provide a vast amount of knowledge within one semester.
From this, professors are now shifting from assigning whole books to read in their curriculum to assigning short chapters and excerpts of books. And although many students jump for glee as they only must read twenty pages instead of the daunting task of reading a whole novel, this change in curriculum comes at the cost of losing critical skills such as learning how to annotate and read carefully, as well as provide valuable analysis of a whole book.
On April 21st, the Chronicle of Higher Education released researched literacy scores from across the nation and found that students holding bachelor’s degrees showed the deepest decline in literacy scores stating, “While those with bachelor’s and graduate degrees maintained the highest levels of literacy overall, those groups also experienced the steepest declines. Just 31 percent of college graduates were considered proficient readers in 2003, by that test’s definition, down from 40 percent in 1992.”
The test in question had shown a drop of eleven to thirteen points in literacy for those groups.
It comes as no surprise that if a professor does not assign a reading for homework or has no exam based off the reading, students are less likely to complete it. Yet, reading provides valuable skills that students need in every career field. Such skills include learning how to compare and contrast, critically analyze a text, summarize, and form valid and well-versed opinions based on the text.
I am a fan of reading whole books. It is difficult, that is clear. It is hard to put down your phone and focus on the words on a page and sit for an hour or two just reading without getting distracted. It is something I still struggle with to this day, as do many students. However, by assigning whole books to read instead of excerpts, students learn how to engage with a text.
As a philosophy major, for example, I find that reading whole books gives me greater insight to a certain philosopher’s theory. It helps me form more questions and allows me to see the bigger picture. That is not something you can gain with only twenty to thirty pages of reading from a book.
This applies to many other majors as well, and even if your major doesn’t require extensive reading, many classes that are apart of the general education program do. Aside from all of that, you can learn so much from reading a whole book. And knowledge is an incredibly powerful tool to changing the world. Next year I would love to see more professors assign whole books instead of a single chapter of text.
It may take a long time to read. It may often be confusing and frustrating. It may even make you angry that you have to spend so much time dedicated to one assignment.
However, learning through reading is one of the most valuable things we can do. We can not only become more knowledgeable, but gain skills that can create a brighter future.
Emily Rubino
Opinions Editor