For the primary text book in the course, I recommend THREE (3) readings. Each comes at a different point in time, and is accomplished in a different manner.

    (1) At the very beginning of the assignment period, establish the total assignment in the text up to the next hour examination; clear some time and read all of it in a maximum of two hours. Obviously you cannot read it word for word. You can read section titles and chapter titles, and you can attempt to scan the paragraphs (the thought packages) of each page seeking the topic sentences, or pause periodically and read a paragraph in its entirety. Keep up the pace and finish in the two hours. By doing this, you establish an outline in your mind, much in the way a computer formats a disk. Your mind establishes categories in advance, and places the ideas and facts you subsequently read in those pre-established categories. You have provided a basis by which your mind can sort information in advance. It's a two-hour period that pays important dividends later.

     (2) The second reading is the slowest and the most intense. It should be done at a time slightly in advance of the class topics with which it is scheduled to be read in the syllabus. The timing permits you to raise questions in the class while the reading is fresh in your mind. This second reading is best done in short, concentrated, intense sessions. You should develop an "attack" philosophy in dealing with the text; that is, you should seek out what you consider to be the most important elements in the reading that you will attempt to remember as against that which you choose to give less emphasis. You can't remember everything, so you seek to identify what you can remember, and mark the text in such a way that you can readily find those elements again. Deal with each paragraph as the unit to be "attacked": make it disgorge its core of information, usually its topic sentence and the key elements that support that sentence. When you have made a judgment regarding the critical elements, mark them with a highlighter, pen or pencil, so that your eyes will automatically locate them in future. Possibly a note in the margin is worth adding. Most important, be certain you are staying alert, making rational judgments as you progress, not simply coloring the page. Never mark more than half the text, as that indicates you are no longer making judgments regarding what is important, but rather coloring the lines, hoping your brain will somehow absorb information from your highlighter. Check yourself to be certain you can say in a moment what the preceding paragraph contained. You can't do this kind of reading for more than an hour or two at a stretch. If your concentration starts to break, quit. Without "locked-on" concentration, you are not learning, and you will not be laying down a good base on which the next reading can be built.

    (3) The third reading should take place just before the examination, and is the review reading. If the first two readings have done their work, you should find that you have already absorbed and remember much of the material. The purpose of the review thus becomes one of bringing the key points to the top of your mind, and creating the packages that you will write should you be tested on those particular points. This can be done by sketching them out in writing, or by forming them intellectually without writing if you have disciplined your mind to think this way. Since the exam will, in part, take the form of identifications requiring a paragraph-long answer, search the text for potential identifications of that type. Put yourself in the position of making up an examination on this material, and ask yourself with each paragraph in the text whether you would make up an identification question based on that paragraph. If so, write it down in a list, and write beside it a few bits of information you would want to say in discussing the identification. When you have completed reviewing the text in this fashion, you have not only created a potential list of all of the identification questions, but also have digested the book into your own information packets. This is a useful method of summarizing the contents of the text, making it available for your test, and gathering larger blocks of information for the purpose of writing essays, the other form of examination question which you will encounter. Continue to review your list at convenient moments as a way of keeping the material fresh as you approach the hour of the examination. Retain the lists after the exam, as they will be very useful in preparing for the final examination at the end of the semester.

    As for the other readings outside of the text book assigned in the course, proceed as follows:

    The primary source collection should be approached as though each selection were a potential identification question. You will want to take note of the introductory paragraph written by the editor, but your focus should be on the gist of the reading's content. Particularly, what does it add to the information you have gained elsewhere? Recall here will be less demanding than for the text book, but you should be able to note what is distinctive about each source selection, either as the total basis for an identification or as a supplement to an identification for which other information exists.

    For the other outside reading books, try to establish the main theme for the book, often found in the Preface or Introduction. Then examine each chapter to ascertain how it fits into the overall thesis of the book. You should be able to write a solid paragraph summarizing each chapter, with a sentence explaining how it elaborates the author's central thesis. For articles, be able to summarize them in a solid paragraph or two. In all cases, write these paragraphs out, and use them as study guides.