GSI$Teaching$&$Resource$Center,$Graduate$Division,$UC$Berkeley$
Practical(Tips(for(Reading(Sociology!
Loïc$Wacquant,$Professor$of$Sociology$
Adapted$by$Joshua$Page,$Sociology$GSI$
Reading$scholarly$books$and$articles$critically$requires$a$specific$method$and$strategy$that$
makes$it$very$different$from$reading$for$fun,$or$reading$to$survey$a$work.$If$you$care$to$get$the$
most$out$of$the$materials$you$are$assigned,$you$have$to$learn$to$read$critically$or$analytically,$
that$is,$to$break$dow n $an$arg um e nt$into $its$con stituen t$pa rts$(exp lana nd u m ,$expla nan s,$
premises,$hypotheses,$theorems,$laws$and$mechanisms,$conclusions$and $corollaries,$
ramifications$fo r$oth er$the orie s$or$argu m e nts),$retra ce$its$m ajo r$stage s$an d$tu rns,$eva lua te$its$
strengths,$weaknesses,$and$validity,$and$grasp$its$implications$(empirical,$theoretical,$moral,$
practical,$and$so$forth).$Here$are$some$practical$tips$to$help$you$do$just$that.$
Always!Read!with!a!Purpose!
Moving$your$eyes$across$a$printed$page$is$not$critical$reading!$Reading$with$a$purpose$means$
asking$a$question$(or,$better$yet,$a$system$of$questions)$that$you$keep$in$mind$as$you$progress$
and$that$helps$you$put$the$pieces$of$the$puzzle$together.$So$always$identify$from$the$outset$
what$the$author$intends$to$do$in$the$writing,$how$she$or$he$proposes$to$do$it,$and$what$kind$of$
arguments$she$or$he$develops$(causal,$historical,$interpretive,$etc.).$
Scan!and!Scope!the!Text!Beforehand!
You’ll$do$a$much$better$job$of$picking$up$the$argument(s)$in$the$text$if$you$know$in$advance$
what$to$look$for.$For$this,$always$scan$the$full$text$beforehand:$flip$through$the$pages,$grab$a$
few$paragra ph s$he re$an d $there ,$pay $atten tion $to$titles$an d$su b titles,$no tice$h ighlig hte d$p hra ses $
or$italics,$tables$and$figures$(in$particular$their$captions)$—$ in $s h o rt,$g et $a$ro u g h $fe el$f or $w h a t’s$
going$on$there.$You$can$also$read$the$first$and$last$sentence$or$para grap h$o f$eve ry$sectio n,$just$
to$become $fam iliar$with $the$su bs tanc e$an d$to ne $of$the $argu m en t(s).$The n$re ad$th e$tex t$in$dep th.$
Read!to!Identify!the!Logic!of!the!Piece!
This$means$identifying$the$problem$the$author$is$trying$to$resolve,$the$concepts$she$or$he$uses$
or$develops$for$that$purpose,$the$evidence$she$or$he$brings$to$bear$on$the$issue,$and$the$quality$
of$the$argument.$Make$an$effort$to$situate$the$authors’$claims$in$the$broader$constellation$of$
literary$or$c u ltu ra l$th e or ies $o r$rese arc h$yo u$are $fam iliar$w ith$(fro m $class$d iscu ssion ,$othe r$
classes,$other$reading$you’ve$done$—$whatever$you’ve$experienced$that$is$relevant).$Never$read$
a$text$in$isolation:$always$relate$it$to$relevant$texts$you’ve$read$(among$them,$those$assigned$for$
the$same$an d$p rior$w eek s).$Literary $arguments$have$a$struc ture ;$your$re ad ing$sh ou ld$loca te$an d$
mimic$it.$
Read!Differentially!
Do$not$treat$all$printed$text$in$the$same$manner.$“Democratic”$reading$is$analytically$inefficient$
(even$unso un d);$so m e $parts $of$a$text$contain$critical$conceptual$or$causal$arguments$and$should$
be$read$very$cautiously$(and$repeatedly$if$necessary);$others$contain$illustrative$materials,$
empirical$elaborations,$or$theoretical$digressions$and$can$be$read$more$rapidly$(or$sometimes$
GSI$Teaching$&$Resource$Center,$Graduate$Division,$UC$Berkeley$
even$skipped).$So$allocate$your$time$and$effort$wisely,$in$proportion$to$the$difficulty$and$
significance$of$the$passage.$
Annotate!the!Text!as!you!Read!
Read$with$a$pen$or$pencil$in$hand$and$mark$the$progression,$twists,$and$turns$of$the$argument$
as$it$unfolds.$You$can$devise$yo u r$o w n $ste n og ra p hic $sy ste m $(a rro w s ,$sta rs,$circ lin gs ,$
underlinings,$etc.)$to$highlight$in$a$consistent$and$economical$manner$the$main$names,$dates,$
definitions,$and$logical$turning$points,$conclusions,$and$implications,$etc.$But$do$not$defeat$your$
purpose$and$highlight$everything.$
Pay!Attention!to!Passages!that!Confuse!
It$may$b e ,$as $yo u $b e g in $to $r ea d $s ch o la rs h ip ,$th a t$t h e $te rms$or$lang u a ge $u s ed $b y $a n $author$m ay $
seem$confusing,$or$that$the$writing$may$be$impene trable.$Be$confident$that$you$ ca n$still$read$
critically$difficult$texts,$and$be$aware$that$reading$these$texts$may$take$a$bit$more$time$than$
reading$prose $that$is$w ritten $to$be $m ore $acce ssib le.$No te$the $sou rce$o f$con fus ion .$Is$there$a$ke y$
term$being$use d$in$a n$un familiar$or$unclear$way?$If$so,$revisit$the$beginning$of$the$text$(or$any$
other$passages$that$set$up$the$framework$of$the$argument)$to$see$if$there$are$helpful$
definitions.$Don’t$forget$that$a$dictionary$is$a$tremendous$aid$—$it$w ill$g ive $y ou $a $ra n ge $o f$
meanings$for$the$term$and/or$related$terms$that$will$allow$you$to$discover,$with$the$help$of$the$
surrounding$context,$what$is$being$said.$Is$the$writing$difficult$to$read$on$the$sentence^level?$T ry$
diagramming$a$sentence,$untangling$complex$syntax,$to$see$if$the$writer’s$meaning$becomes$
clear$(and$then,$having$learned$a$bit$about$the$writer’s$habits,$learn$what$you$know$to$unravel$
other$difficult$passages).$Ignoring$difficult$vocabulary$or$passages$will$likely$leave$you$unclear$
about$the$author’s$overall$work.$
Notice!the!Author’s!Relationship!with!Other!Scholarship!
Are$there$footnotes$and$other$references$to$scholarly$work?$Does$that$author$incorporate$
others’$research$without$comment,$or$does$the$author$discuss$the$pros$and$cons$of$this$
research?$An $article$th at$en gag es$w ith$o the r$scho larship$is$likely$to$have$been$thought$through $
more$thoroughly$than$one$that$sticks$in$references$with$no$articulated$reasons.$
Write!Up!Notes!Immediately!After!Reading!
If$you’ve$r ea d $a $te x t$with$an$ac tive $a n a lyt ica l$in te n tio n,$you$sho u ld $b e $a b le $to $s ummarize$and$
reconstruct$the $m ain $lines$of$its$arg um e nt(s ).$Imm e dia tely$up o n$finish ing $you r$read ing ,$write,$
type,$or$scribble$a$sho rt$reca pitula tion$o f$wh at$yo u$jus t$abso rb ed .$Wh at$w a s$the$ke y$qu estio n$
posed$by$the$author,$what$answers$were$given$to$it,$what$concepts$or$theories$we re$intro du ced ,$
what$evidence$adduced,$how$does$this$or$that$thesis$or$theory$differ$from$rival$views,$etc.$Use$
your$annotations$and$marginalia$as$guides$and$signposts;$if$the$text$introduces$new$concepts,$
make$a$note$of$them$and$write$dow n $t he ir$d e fin itio n $(a s$g iv en $b y $th e $au th o r$a n d /o r$
reconstructed $by $you );$if$it$contrasts$se vera l$ph en om e na $or$the orie s,$enu m era te$w h at$m ak es$
them$differen t$or$sim ilar.$Use$w h ate ver$de vice s$(table s,$lists,$bullets,$diagram s ,$etc.)$give$you $the $
best$synoptic$and$synthetic$view$of$the$piece$you’ve$read.$I$highly$recommend$that$you$try$and$
diagram$the$major$argument(s)$made$by$the$author.$If$you$can$draw$an$author’s$argument,$you$
likely$get$it.$Y o u r$re a d ing $n o te s$will$be$invalu a b le$s e lf^teaching$and$learning$aids$as$long$as$you$
study$(and$beyond).$
GSI$Teaching$&$Resource$Center,$Graduate$Division,$UC$Berkeley$
Reflect!Back!Upon!the!Text!and!Evaluate!the!Argument!
Never$close$a$book$or$put$away$an$article$without$evaluating$its$argument:$was$it$logically$
consistent$and$empirically$adequate,$plausible$or$convincing$and$why$(not)?$What$alternative$or$
rival$argumen ts$some$to$mind?$A gain ,$relate$th e$tex t$you ’ve$rea d$to $othe rs$you $kn ow $(or$th ose $
mentioned$by$the$author).$Never$take$an$author$at$face$value,$no$matter$how$famous$and$
authoritative;$there$is$a$lot$of$poor$scholarly$writing,$as$in$eve ry$o th e r$k in d $of $w rit ing .$It’s $yo u r$
job$to$se p ara te $t he $w h e a t$fro m$the$cha ff.$A ls o ,$do $n o t$b e $swayed$by$e motional$a p p ea ls $an d $
moral$exhortations;$more$often$than$not,$good$sentiments$hide$bad$scholarship.$Watch$out$for$
mere$rhetoric!$
Do!Not!Hesitate!to!Read!a!Text!for!a!Second!or!Third!(or!Nth)!Time!
A$common$myth$among$novice$readers$is$that$if$you’ve$read$well$a$given$text,$you’re$done$for$
life.$This$m a k es $n o $se n se !$A $te x t$may$be$“re d isc o ve re d ”$a s$many$tim e s$a s$t h er e$a re $p u rp o se s$o r$
occasions$for$reading$it.$Genuinely$complex$and$rich$texts$are$profitably$read$several$times$over$
as$each$reading$unearths$new$layers$and$treasures.$
Remember$that$reading$analytically$will$save$you$time,$energy,$and$throbbing$headaches$come$
midterms,$finals,$and$paper$time!$
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