1. Reading for writing

Everyone has their own way of approaching a text. Some people like to take meticulous notes as they go along. Others prefer to read through swiftly and then return to look at the text in depth. Develop your own style of reading. However, here are a few things to remember.

Keep an open mind about the text. One of the most valuable things you can learn as you study sociology is the ability to suspend your own preconceptions as you read. Learning to see things from different perspectives is a vital part of the reading process. Do not attempt to make a text fit your own agenda as you go along, or dismiss it because it challenges what you believe. You do not have to agree with the text, but give it a chance to speak for itself. If you react strongly to something, try to work out why. Alternately, do not accept uncritically everything a text is trying to convey. Identify the assumptions and critically asses the argument as you read.

Think about language. It is easy to be carried away (or confused!) by engaging ethnography or intriguing theoretical perspectives, but keep one eye open for the language the author uses. Develop an eye for style. What makes Marx different from Durkheim, or Foucault different from Bourdieu? What kind of words do they choose? Do they use a lot of adjectives or a lot of verbs? Is their language formal or colloquial? Is their language abstract and philosophical or concrete and particular? These simple questions give you an insight into the author’s underlying concerns and preoccupations. Language does more than tell a story. It creates a world of ideas. What makes a degree in sociology really worth having is an understanding of how this process operates. Do not just look at what the text says. Try to work out how it conveys ideas and elicits certain responses.

Think about structure. This will depend on what kind of text you are reading. Rules of form are constantly evolving. However, it helps to have some idea of conventions and techniques so that you can see when something interesting or unusual is happening. Compare the text to what you already know about the area. Ask yourself how the text is put together and whether it seems to be following a convention or defying it. If something jars or seems out of place, there may be a good reason for this. Explore it.

Read between the lines. Be careful about this, because you could end up supplying a number of ideas that the text does not support. However, authors often manipulate the unspoken and the unseen as carefully as the things they tell. Identify the author’s assumptions. What are their key terms? Are they explicitly defined, or can you identify implicit definitions? What time period is covered in the description? Have things changed since then?

Take notes. This is obvious, but vital. If you see something interesting or have a good idea, write it down and note the page number. You will save hours trying to find it again later.

2. Reading the question

The easiest way to fail an exam or assessment is not to answer the question. Make sure you understand what the question is looking for. Be especially careful if the question includes technical terms such as culture, class, social structure, etc. These vary among sociologists and are rarely used in the same way as in common parlance. Thus, a standard dictionary can be misleading. If you are unclear about this you can discuss it with your tutor and clarify exactly what they want. Alternatively you can look the terms up in sociological texts for the course or previous courses you have taken. Make it clear in your essay exactly how you are using the term, and back this up with an outside source if possible.

Think about the kind of course to which the assessment belongs. Sociologists are looking for evidence of sociological thinking. Insight from psychology, anthropology, art history, and other subjects may be helpful, but make sure you are writing sociology and not something else.

It is often worth considering more than one question while you are doing some background reading for an essay. You can then choose the one that you find most interesting or stimulating as you go along. This way you avoid heading up a blind alley and then having to start all over again. Keep your question in mind as you write. Everything you say should be connected to it. Avoid rambling. You will not get credit for including irrelevant information, however interesting you may think it is. Indeed, excessive rambling will count against you. Answer the question.