Learning to Read Biology

Christina Haas’ essay describes a study she did with a Biology major, Eliza. This study shows Eliza’s development as a reader through her four years of college. At the beginning of the essay, Haas refers to many other studies about academic reading and writing, particularly in the sciences. Using these studies as evidence, she argues that most students see texts as autonomous (meaning they can stand alone) rather than looking at them in context. Haas and other professors want students to have a rhetorical view of texts, meaning they understand that all texts are written by real people in particular circumstances and are part of larger conversations.

The rest of the essay describes how Eliza thought of her reading and class assignments during her four years of college. In her freshman year, Eliza read texts to find out “what the book says,” which is the autonomous view Haas referred to earlier. But as Eliza continued in her school career, she thought more about authors and context. Her work in a lab made her more aware of how grad students and professors conduct research and write about it. By her senior year, Eliza saw herself as a scientist-in-training and had more of the rhetorical perspective that Haas seems to want all students to have. One of Eliza’s most important developments was when she began to realize that scientists can be wrong or might not know all the answers, just like she doesn’t know all the answers.  

According to Haas and the other sources she cites, science isn’t just about “facts” and whether they’re right or wrong but instead is a conversation among scientists. This is similar to the idea Graff and Birkenstein argue for in They Say, I Say: that all academic writing is part of a conversation and that good ideas don’t exist in isolation but are responding to something. By her senior year, Eliza is able to understand and respond to other scientists, rather than just memorizing facts. Facts are still important, but she realizes that scientists are human beings too and don’t have all the answers. This is something that I hope all students can gain as they develop in their education. In elementary school, the teachers tell you the right answer and you trust them as authorities, but by the time you get to college, I believe that it’s more important to have critical thinking skills and figure things out yourself, rather than just relying on the experts.

Do you agree that a rhetorical understanding is better than an autonomous or authoritative view of texts? How might this be different in different majors or subjects? Has your thinking about texts changed since you started college? Do you relate to any of the stages Eliza went through? How could you develop a better rhetorical understanding of your own major?

Feel free to respond to any of these questions or to the reading in general. Let me know if I left out anything important!