Tuesday, October 8, 2013

October 8 - Summaries

Summary Workshop

1. Give me a copy of your summary draft.
2. Hand out your copy to 2 of your peers.
3. Read your summary out loud.  Your peers should make marks as you read.  Especially mark where the writing is confusing and does not make sense.
4. Discuss your summary.  What makes sense?  Where is the language confusing?
5. Repeat for each member of the group.


Good ways to begin:

  • In his/her article (or lecture) "__title of article__________,”  _____Author's name___ (year)                                                argues/claims/reports/contends/maintains/states that ____________________________.

  • In his article "Michael Dell turns the PC world inside out," Andrew E. Serwer (1997) describes how Michael Dell founded Dell Computers and claims that Dell’s low-cost, direct-sales strategy and high quality standards account for Dell’s enormous success.


  • According to __Author's name____________ (year), ___________________________.
                    (main idea; S + V + C)


  • _Author's name_______'s  article on _______topic _______ (year) discusses the ________main idea (noun phrase) ____________.
                                                     
  • ___________ (year), in his/her article, "________________" argues that ________________.
    (author's last name)                               (title of article)                            (main idea; S + V + C)


Helpful phrases:

  • The author goes on to say that ...
  • The article (author) further states that ...
  • (Author's last name) also states/maintains/argues that ...
  • (Author's last name) also believes that ...
  • (Author's last name) concludes that



  • Examples:
    News article and summary about the article.


    A Summary of "National Security Justifies Censorship"
    Introduction
            The article "National Security Justifies Censorship" by Elmo R. Zumwalt and James G. Zumwalt, appears in Censorship, a book in the Opposing Viewpoints Series.  The article asserts that information that is secret and vital to the security of the nation should not be released to the press.  The arguments made by Zumwalt Senior and Junior are summarized below.
    Summary
            Although many journalists contend that the First Amendment guarantees unrestricted printing freedom, the authors believe the press has gained more power than the framers of the Constitution foresaw and therefore neglected to install safe guards that would protect national security.   According to the authors, the power of the media has gone far past what the constitutional framers expected; consequently, several acts since the writing of the Constitution have been implemented to deal with the lack of protection regarding national security.  The authors continue to affirm that even though significant risk exists when confidential information is released to the press, this danger has remained unresolved by the courts. 
              The authors cite an example to prove this point. The CIA during the Reagan administration recognized Muhamar Quadaffi as a known terrorist and a potential threat to national security in a classified document.  The Washington Post somehow had the document disclosed to them, and they soon published the information.  Several months after the operation had been abandoned, the CIA found Quadaffi responsible for the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque. Military action had to be taken because of the earlier release of the classified document.  The operation incurred military casualties.
            The authors then offer a two-part solution: (1) make the publication of classified information a punishable offense, and (2) incorporate a "code of ethics" into media guidelines that safeguards national security.  The paper ends by discussing how ethics are the responsibility of good journalism.
    Conclusion
                Elmo R. Zumwalt and James G. Zumwalt assert that the media are overpowered and the national security is underprotected.  They believe that the government and the media must take steps to assure a disaster does not occur.

    Looking Forward:
    *Friday, October 11 - Summary Due.  Upload to Elearning Dropbox
    *Monday, October 14
    College Writing Skills.  Read chapter 19.
    Bring article to class. 

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