Reading projects

As the name implies, the purpose of this kind of unit is to assimilate a wide selection of written material. It is halfway between a theory-driven classroom unit and a research project. In some older style universities, this approach is central to university education and weekly essays may be required. The expected writing load (usually given in number of words) is much higher than a research project, because the number of papers is greater but each paper is shorter and less complex.

It may take two forms, one for a group tutorial and one for an individual student. A few reading programs also include a weekly lecture, which, unusually, is simply intended to be an aide to understanding the literature rather than a core activity of the unit.

Primarily tutorial. The unit has a core purpose and is based on a particular body of literature. The teacher sets the direction, expressed in a core reading list and a schedule of readings for tutorials. Students may also negotiate with the teacher a supplementary reading list. In tutorials, students can present and discuss their papers as well as reflect on readings and integrate viewpoints.

A formula for a three-semester hour undergraduate unit is as follows:

• Two 90-minute tutorials each week
• 3,000 words of writing during the semester (e.g. one 1,500-word essay and three 500-word reviews)
• 60 pages of reading each week, depending on the difficulty of the material. This assumes that students can read a page of ordinary text in three minutes.

Primarily reading. The student negotiates a reading list with the supervisor and produces written work such as book reports, annotated bibliographies, and essays. This is appropriate for an individual final year undergraduate student with a specialised research topic or a graduate student. For a three-semester hour undergraduate unit, the structure may be:

• One 60-minute meeting with the supervisor each week
• 5,000 words of writing during the semester (e.g. two 1,500-word essays and two 500-word reviews)
• At least 100 pages of reading each week.