Fall 2007
Selecting Texts
To fulfill the reading requirements for this course, you will need to read three books. You will base the writing that you do on these books. You will be expected to select one in each of the disciplinary areas: the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences.
I have developed a list of books from which you may choose. As you decide what to read, consider what you are interested in. Brief descriptions of these books will help you make your selections. You may read three books on a particular theme, for example:
Music Theme--
|
Humanities |
Social Sciences |
Sciences |
| Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang | Stand and Deliver: Political Activism, Leadership, and Hip Hop Culture by Yvonne Bynoe | Music, The Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination by Robert Jourdain |
For the moment, let's not worry about how long they are or how much they cost. The first question to consider is how you might get hold of these books, since I haven't ordered 20 copies for the bookstore. If the library has the books, you can check them out--check the online catalog. If the library does not, you may order them via Interlibrary Loan, very easy to request online. You may want to check whether someone you know owns the book and borrow it. Or you may purchase them, as you purchase books for your other classes. The difference is that you'll have to order them. We can talk more about this as you make your selections.
Now we come to the big question you have--how long are the books? The books I've listed above may sound very interesting, but they're long! Since they are so long, I would probably expect you to read about 250-300 pages of each book. So don't avoid selecting texts that interest you because you're concerned about the length.
Let's take another example.
Forensic Theme--
|
Humanities |
Social Sciences |
Sciences |
| Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje (320 pp.) | The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner (320 pp.) | The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation by Ngaire E. Genge (240 pp.) |
This is about the right amount of reading. If the subject interests you, you should enjoy reading these books, and it should be worth making that little bit of extra effort to get hold of them.
Let interest in your reading be your guide. You won't have this much control over your course texts in many college courses, so take advantage of it! Interest in your topic will make it easier for you to stay focused on your reading. Also, interest in your topic will result in better writing.
Check out the evolving list of Book Recommendations or return to the Welcome page.
Dr. Trupe's Choices: I'm planning to reread To Kill a Mockingbird, since Massanutten Regional Library is sponsoring a community reading project known as The Big Read that will use this book. My social science book will be on the Civil Rights movement, but I haven't picked it yet, and I'll be reading/rereading Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man as my science text (which I've read parts of in the past--but never the whole book). I'll be reading along with you and writing reading responses and essays, too.
Updated by Dr. Trupe Aug. 29, 2007