Latest study finds few reading for pleasure
Hopkins alumnus Jared Beloff completed his masters in the English department last year. He echoed the importance of reading for pleasure.
"Classic literature and the 'cultural literacy' that it promotes?is usually left to high schools, colleges and graduate programs ," Beloff said.
"In other words, they are read because they are assigned, not because we want to read them."
On the Hopkins campus, where a strenuous academic environment surrounds students, the opportunities for students to read for pleasure seem to be treasured, but limited.
For senior English major Mike Levin, the combination of in-class reading and the amount of work courses entail becomes a "net gain."
"I'm constantly learning about new authors to read, and my English courses have allowed me to get more out of my reading when I do have time," Levin said.
"I have less time to read for pleasure, but when I do, I feel like I've definitely learned a lot from what I've read in class."
"Pleasure reading, then, should become more of a part of our daily lives as students, because it allows for both an outlet outside of our normal study and an inlet into literature that we wouldn't normally read," Beloff said.
Despite the fact that the science, engineering and mathematics departments generally have less required reading for their classes, that doesn't necessarily mean that these students have additional time for pleasure reading.
"I don't have time to read new books, no," sophomore biology major Stuti Parasrampuria said.
"But for me, it's really relaxing. I have to get rid of science, so I pick up a book."
Sophomore Sneha Ramesh, also a biology major, finds it relaxing as well. "I would definitely read more if I had more time," she said.
However, the effect of less coursework is not a guarantee that the amount of pleasure reading for students would increase overall, as Professor Richard Halpern of the English department points out.
"Classic literature and the 'cultural literacy' that it promotes?is usually left to high schools, colleges and graduate programs ," Beloff said.
"In other words, they are read because they are assigned, not because we want to read them."
On the Hopkins campus, where a strenuous academic environment surrounds students, the opportunities for students to read for pleasure seem to be treasured, but limited.
For senior English major Mike Levin, the combination of in-class reading and the amount of work courses entail becomes a "net gain."
"I'm constantly learning about new authors to read, and my English courses have allowed me to get more out of my reading when I do have time," Levin said.
"I have less time to read for pleasure, but when I do, I feel like I've definitely learned a lot from what I've read in class."
"Pleasure reading, then, should become more of a part of our daily lives as students, because it allows for both an outlet outside of our normal study and an inlet into literature that we wouldn't normally read," Beloff said.
Despite the fact that the science, engineering and mathematics departments generally have less required reading for their classes, that doesn't necessarily mean that these students have additional time for pleasure reading.
"I don't have time to read new books, no," sophomore biology major Stuti Parasrampuria said.
"But for me, it's really relaxing. I have to get rid of science, so I pick up a book."
Sophomore Sneha Ramesh, also a biology major, finds it relaxing as well. "I would definitely read more if I had more time," she said.
However, the effect of less coursework is not a guarantee that the amount of pleasure reading for students would increase overall, as Professor Richard Halpern of the English department points out.
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