Reading Cultures 3700-AL-RC-QHU
The course examines the ways in which diverse reading modes and technologies have contributed to the redefinition of cultural and communal practices. It approaches the subject from a historical perspective, tracing how reading technologies have evolved alongside shifting cultural landscapes: from orality to literacy, through manuscript and print cultures, coffee house culture, serialisation, avant-garde magazines, and institutional and commercial forms of reading, to contemporary digital environments.
The course explores key developments in reading practices, from oral and print cultures to modern, multimodal and haptic forms of reading. It considers a range of reading communities and contexts, including coffee house culture, book clubs, therapeutic and shared reading practices, as well as aesthetic formations such as “cosy” or hygge reading culture. Attention is also given to different reading approaches, including slow reading, fragmented and platform-based reading, and the role of technologies in shaping attention, interpretation, and participation.
A central aim of the course is to help students identify patterns across historical and contemporary reading cultures in order to better understand present-day practices. Is reading primarily solitary or communal? To what extent is it shaped by technology, by cultural expectations, or by the pressures of modern life? What can we learn from past reading practices, and how might they inform our own? Conversely, what might readers of the past recognise, or fail to recognise, in our current reading habits?
Students will engage in regular reading of assigned texts, produce occasional press-style reviews, and complete a continuous Reading Practice Portfolio (notebook), documenting and reflecting on their own reading practices across the semester. The course thus combines critical engagement with reflective writing, thus encouraging students to analyse reading cultures and to situate themselves within them.
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Założenia (opisowo)
Efekty uczenia się
Knowledge
K_W06 – The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the historical development of reading cultures and of the ways in which changing reading technologies and practices have shaped literary and cultural life.
K_W07 – The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of selected theoretical approaches and methodologies used in the study of reading cultures, including theories of literacy, materiality, reception, and digital reading.
K_W13 – The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of reading cultures and explains the relationships between literary, cultural, social, and technological approaches to reading.
Skills
K_U03 – The student critically analyses and interprets literary and cultural texts within the context of historical and contemporary reading practices using appropriate theoretical frameworks.
K_U07 – The student formulates clear and well-structured written and oral arguments, employing specialist terminology in portfolio entries, press reviews, and seminar discussions.
K_U11 – The student independently develops and critically reflects on their own reading practices, using theoretical knowledge and reflective observation to support lifelong learning.
Social competences
K_K01 – The student critically evaluates their own assumptions about reading and culture, recognising the diversity of reading practices across different historical and cultural contexts.
K_K05 – The student responsibly participates in collaborative discussions and demonstrates respect for the cultural value of literary texts, shared reading practices, and academic dialogue.
Kryteria oceniania
Assessment is based primarily on a Reading Practice Portfolio (75%), completed in the format of a Reflective Notebook (writing-based). Throughout the semester, students engage in regular reading of assigned texts, which form the basis for portfolio entries. Students produce ongoing entries analysing how reading happens, its material forms, social contexts, temporal rhythms, and transformations, rather than simply summarising content. As part of the portfolio, students also complete a set of short press-style reviews, offering concise, critically informed reflections on selected texts in the peer-discussion mode that engages with the cultures of reception discussed in the course. The portfolio is selective and cumulative, and is submitted with a final reflective synthesis articulating how the student’s reading practices have evolved in relation to course concepts. The remaining assessment consists of in-class performance (25%), evaluating active participation in discussions, workshops (including the two Reading Notebook sessions), and the ability to engage critically with peers’ contributions.
The final grade is based on two components: regular reading of assigned texts and the Reading Practice Portfolio (75%) and in-class performance (25%). Successful completion of the course requires the timely submission of a complete portfolio (notebook), including all required elements and the final reflective synthesis. Students are allowed 2 absences without penalty. The 3rd and 4th absences must be made up in a form agreed with the instructor (reading assignment for discussion). 5 or more absences result in a failing grade for the course.
Literatura
Students will be asked to read selected chapters from the following book publications. The course will also include selected articles and essays to complete students’ press review assignments.
Allen, Roland. 2023. The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper. London: Profile Books.
Chambers, Matthew. 2020. London and the Modernist Bookshop. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Conboy, Martin, and John Steel, eds. 2015. The Routledge Companion to British Media History. London and New York: Routledge.
Cowan, Brian. 2005. The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Hughes, Linda K., and Michael Lund. 1991. The Victorian Serial. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.
Hynes, Arleen McCarty, and Mary Hynes-Berry. 2012. Biblio/Poetry Therapy: The Interactive Process: A Handbook. 3rd ed. Saint Cloud, MN: North Star Press.
Jones, Rodney H. 2026. Innovations and Challenges in Digital Literacies: Literacies of Repair. London and New York: Routledge.
Kleege, Georgina. 1999. Sight Unseen. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Moss, Adam. 2024. The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing. New York: Penguin Press.
Ong, Walter J. 2002. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. London and New York: Routledge. (Originally published 1982.)
Pearson, David. 2011. Books as History: The Importance of Books beyond Their Texts. Rev. ed. London: The British Library; New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press.
Shah, Bijal. 2024. Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading. London: Piatkus.