The Active Reader: Strategies for Academic Reading and Writing

Designed to provide students with a practical, integrated approach to reading and writing, The Active Reader is divided into three parts. Part I: Academic Reading introduces students to the conventions of academic discourse and to critical thinking. Part II: Academic Writing begins with an overview of college/university essays and then discusses reports, critical analyses, summaries, and research essays. Part III: The Active Reader features thirty-nine diverse and cross-disciplinary readings that are organized into five thematic sections.

Features

* The essays--most of which are less than five years old--have been chosen specifically for their currency and relevance to students' lives.
* Suggested activities for the individual essays will initiate class discussions and encourage students to work collaboratively as well as individually.
* Diverse and cross-disciplinary, the readings focus on problems and/or solutions applicable to today's world.
* A variety of rhetorical patterns are illustrated within a problem-solving framework, enabling instructors to use a more traditional rhetorical approach if they choose.
* In "The Active Voice" features--which speak directly to students--experts offer their perspectives on particular issues or writing points.
* The rhetoric and handbook section is integrated with the essay section, thus reinforcing all the principles outlined in the first two sections as students work through the essays.

Eric Henderson teaches composition at the University of Victoria.