Summaries

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Summaries Framing
Doug Bradley, UCSB Writing Program16 October 2007
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Summaries Framing

• Summaries
• What is a summary?
• How and why do we summarize?
• How do summaries frame a topic?

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Summaries Framing

• Framing
• How and why does framing arise?
• How does framing control thinking(via writing)?
• What is the role of language?
• How do different stakeholders utilize framing to
  control debate?

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What Summaries Do

• Provide a condensed abstract of covered material,
  saving the reader time and effort.
• Help readers organize and relate the material to
  other topics.
• Highlight the major points, and reduce or
  eliminate the minor points.

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What Summaries Do (cont.)

• May or may not provide commentary on the material
  covered, depending upon framing.
• May or may not suggest new areas of investigation
  and continued work.

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Steps to Summarizing

• READ the material being summarized!!
• Give material a thorough reading
• Think about how the material develops logically
• Identify the authors main objectives
• Is it to inform?
• Is it to persuade?
• Is it to express an artistic vision?

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Steps to Summarizing (cont.)

• Highlight the main points.
• Look especially at the beginning and end of each
  paragraph.
• Watch for transitions! These usually mark the
  beginnings and ends of important ideas.
• Identify the authors sources and supporting
  evidence.

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Steps to Summarizing (cont.)

• Identify and prioritize highlights from most
  important to least important.
• Separate main ideas from supporting (minor)
  ideas.
• Ask yourself. Which ideas, if eliminated, would
  destroy the authors thesis? These are the main
  ideas!

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Steps to Summarizing (cont.)

• Organize points according to a schema
  chronological order, people, location,
  hypothesis, etc.
• Look for commonalities between ideas.
• How do the ideas relate?
• Which ideas depend upon other ideas?
• Organize a schema that most naturally combines
  and conveys the authors main ideas.

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Structuring Your Summary

• Introduce the material being summarized
• Lead off with a sentence that sets the tone of
  your summary, for example
• Quotation
• Anectdoe
• Current event
• Overview what is to follow.
• Transition to your first body paragraph.

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Structuring Your Summary (cont.)

• Develop a series of body paragraphs that follow
  the authors main ideas.
• If you are summarizing more than one work, group
  the authors main ideas together using your
  organizing scheme.
• Compare and contrast ideas as you go, always
  keeping the reader moving forward.

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Structuring Your Summary (cont.)

• Use a concluding paragraph IF you feel you need
  to review main points and/or give cohesion to
  your summary.
• Possible ways to conclude include
• Commentary (yours)
• Make predictions based on ideas presented
• ???

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Framing

• Strategic selection of language, information and
  perspectives to control how a topic is to be
  considered
• Establishes limits that control thinking and
  scope of consideration
• Sets a tone for discourse and debate

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Framing via Language

• Word choice
• The single most powerful element in framing
• May be overt and obvious, or subtle and sneaky
• If accepted by all stakeholders, controls
  possible outcomes of the debate

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Example of Framing Language

• Euphemisms
• Death
• Tax relief
• Freedom fighter
• Polarities
• Democrat vs. Republican
• Right and wrong
• Conservative and liberal

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Framing Language Examples

• Offshore oil platform
• Removal
• Decommissioning
• Abandonment
• Each stakeholder selects language that best
  supports their priority and perspective

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Lets study some examples

• Offshore oil platform removal POV for
• Government
• Oil companies
• Anglers
• Trawlers
• Divers
• Environmental NGOs

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Your Tasks

• Identify specific framing language
• Map the limitations (to debate) inherent in each
  stakeholders statement
• Summarize your stakeholders position on the
  removal of offshore oil platforms
• Prepare to share with class and discuss

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Thank you!