UMEI 005 University of Maryland Pop Culture Summary
Writing
The Summary Response builds on summary in two ways.First, before you can respond to a text, you must be able to summarize its main points.In other words, you must understand a text on its own terms before you can express an opinion about it.Second, the Summary Response expands textual meaning by including reader response.It’s the kind of reader response, however, that distinguishes a good Summary Response from a bad one. A good Summary Response incorporates personal response and supports and develops that response with evidence.
The Summary Response, then, asks you to go beyond mere summary in order to use it to make and support a point.This assignment asks you to write a Summary Response of a text from our current topic “Is Pop Culture Actually Good for You?” There are 7 texts and lectures to choose from.Your summary response should include 1 of the following:
Gross, T. (2005).“DJ Kool Herc and the Birth of the Breakbeat,” Fresh Air, npr.org.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.npr.org/2005/08/29/4821646/dj-kool-her…
Hohmann, J. (2019).“Barack Obama Criticizes Pop Culture for Promoting the Wrong Values to Young Men,” The Washington Post, The Daily 202,” February 20, 2019.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/palo…
Manjoo, F. (2016).“How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth,” The New York Times.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/technology/how-the-internet-is-loosening-our-grip-on-the-truth.html
Martineau, P. (2018).“Inside the Pricey War to Influence Your Instagram Feed,” Wired, November 18, 2018.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.wired.com/story/pricey-war-influence-y…
Poole, C. (2010).“The Case for Anonymity Online,” ted.com.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_m00t_poole_t…
Ronson, M. (2014).“How Sampling Transformed Music,” ted.com.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_ronson_how_sampling_transformed_music
Russell, C. (2012).“Looks Aren’t Everything.Believe Me.I’m a Model,” ted.com.Taken 3.1.19 from https://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_russell_looks_ar…
Your purpose is to contextualize the topic, summarize the main argument of the text, and then make 2 claims that persuade an academic audience that your response is reasonable. Your evidence will come from the text, from any of the lectures we will listen to supplement this unit, and from your own personal knowledge and insight.Your language should be descriptive, precise, and persuasive for an academic audience.The essay should be approximately 2-3 pages (typed, double-spaced) in length, excluding your title and bibliography pages.Your essay should cite the original source appropriately (and any other sources you include as evidence to support your claims) and should contain a title page with an original title.
Your summary should contain the following elements:
Introduction (1 paragraph)
Move 1—Create a context/ background in which to consider the topic.
Move 2—Conclude with a thesis.
Body (3 paragraphs)
Move 3—Summarize the main idea(s) of your chosen text.Move 3 is 1 paragraph.
Move 4—Respond to the main idea(s) of the text you summarized by making a claim.
Move 5—Provide evidence to support your claim.
Repeat moves 4 and 5 twice for a total of 2 additional body paragraphs.
Conclusion (1 paragraph)
Move 6—Paraphrase your thesis.
Move 7—Answer the question “So what?”(For example, Why should I care?What should I do?What have I learned?).
What the Summary Response is:
1) a means of going beyond the literal content of the source
2) a tool to summarize ideas from academic sources
3) a tool to personalize ideas from academic sources by reacting and making a point
4) a means of providing support for that point
What the Summary Response is not:
1) a mere expression of personal, unsupported opinion
2) a means of offering only negative criticism of sources while ignoring the positive
3) a text that only summarizes sources
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Assignment Goals |
Upon completion of this assignment, writers will be able to
– Summarize a short source text, using appropriate citation conventions.
– Write a thesis statement that integrates original opinion with information from the text.
– Support a thesis with a body of argument that integrates original claims with evidence to support and develop those claims.
– Organize a body of support logically, using paragraphs and transitions appropriately.
