Structures and Black Men Readers

By Albert Smith 

Thinking structurally about Black men as readers requires evaluating their relationship to schools, libraries, classrooms, and other institutions that shape reading development.

Reading habits and attitudes are exclusive to individuals who are products of institutions that have made efforts to build upon reading to a greater extent than solely an academic necessity. Course curriculums at SIUE can shape what people encounter and experience. By enhancing the curriculum to reflect a need in identifying reading interests, SIUE could fundamentally change the reading habits and attitudes of its students.

For example, the SIUE John Martinson Honors Program has classes and proseminars that strategically follow a “Question, Patterns, and Problems” format. The goal of this format is to have students apply their learning and experiences to their studies and phenomena outside of the classroom. This program plays a vital role in the development and attitudes of its students. Ultimately, many Black men are at the mercy of these institutions as to whether programs like these are viewed as necessary.

Thinking structurally about Black men as readers allows us to evaluate the experiences of black men within the structures that have produced their habits and attitudes.

Related: 

• Notes on Black Readers & Digital Culture