CIS 215 - The Art & Practice of Reading

In nearly all classes at Davidson, reading is a means to an end. It is “telic”: it has a purpose, a goal, a telos, to use the Greek term. Students read to acquire knowledge, to cover material, to prepare for a class or to write a paper that demonstrates mastery of a subject, all in order to do well in a class that goes on a transcript that becomes part of an academic record that will lead to next-level success. And because the process of meeting expectations and becoming successful is high stakes, it comes with pressure and therefore, anxiety. As part of this stressful process, reading can be experienced as an obligation or a burden; a requirement, rather than a respite.

In this course, reading is approached as an “atelic” activity: that is to say, an activity without an ulterior motive or reason. There’s no pressure to read 40 pages to be ready for class on Wednesday. On most days, we’ll spend time in discussion, but most of class consists in simply reading.  You’ll read at a natural pace, as slowly or quickly as the material seems to require. Depending on the material, it might be desirable to re-read and even re- re-read a single passage or a single page. In this course, you can do that. You’ll find that this changes the experience of reading. And we do it in physical books, putting aside all electronic distractions: phones, computers, etc.

The goal for this atelic course is to help you reclaim (or establish) a “reading self” through continuous practice. And even beyond this, students have found that deliberate and disciplined reading at this level of commitment actually changes your mind your mind for the better: how you think and feel, not just about reading, but about other things as well.

Please note: the class meets for a two-hour block on MWF. We’ll also find a class block on Tuesday and Thursday that fits with your schedule. That is a significant investment of time, but students have experienced rich benefits that come from this level of disciplined commitment.

There will be a reflective writing component, but no formal essays and no tests. Grading is P/F.