Introductory Reading Assignment

When it comes to reading and writing assignments, I’ll be the first to admit that I am a procrastinator at heart – I typically wait until the night before the assignment is due to begin working. This method was successful throughout my high school career; however, the stress that accompanies said approach has always been an aspect I hoped to avoid in my future. I need to take this course because of a requirement for expository writing within the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy curriculum. The best reason for why I shouldn’t have to take this course is that I have AP credits for English and Language Composition from junior year.

I think “to use writing as a way of thinking new thoughts” means being original and allowing creativity to become a tangible concept. It provides a medium for ideas to not only be born but also intertwine with others. The “shared horizon” is any connection made among literary works. It is the overarching relation between the context of one source and another. This can be in terms of themes, conflicts, or even setting. This is important because it is the substance one pulls from any story; it inspires original thought and can be applied to different aspects of life.

As stated in The New Humanities Reader, “If the humanities are going to survive, they must be understood in a new way: not as a particular area of knowledge but as the human dimension of all knowledge” (xxiii). This best exemplifies the rationale of the New Humanities because it describes the fluid and ever-changing nature of “humanities.” The human race is constantly developing and thus humanities expand into new areas that cannot be categorized in the same way as that of the past. It is a broader study now rather than a select margin of interests.

The phrase “creative reading” is not one I have yet heard, as opposed to the more common “creative writing.” Creative reading involves challenging and thought provoking content that is ready for critical analysis and applications. Reading is an activity that can be approached in levels. The depth of one’s perception while reading can affect what a person gets out of the experience. If someone barely scratches the surface of text, he or she simply takes what is read at face value without prompting any further thought. No reflection or connections are made and the potential stimulation from the reading is never explored.