Getting to Know an Article

    Most of the time, when you pick up a book or an academic journal article, you’ll probably turn to the first page and start reading. That’s normal and appropriate, but in some cases you’ll want to get the gist of a book or scholarly article without reading it in a conventional sense. How can you do this quickly? My response is that it’s a matter of learning a few techniques and that practice is the best way to learn them.

This assignment is actually going to make your life this week and perhaps this term easier. Before you read the assigned selections, choose one of the articles in the Glickman anthology—Axtell, Breen or Appleby. Set a timer for ten minutes and get to know it. Stop. Spend another five to ten minutes answering the following questions about the article you choose for this treatment:

1. What is this article about? (A sentence or two is all that’s needed in response.) 

2. What kinds of primary sources does the author make use of?

3. How would you describe the main thesis of the article? 

4. From your quick overview, can you think of any criticism of the article? (for instance: inferences from too few examples or thesis conflicts with other, more persuasive, ideas or evidence doesn't fit with the hypothesis)