Assignment 2: Process: Reading and Summarizing

When you are writing a critical analysis, the invention stage is the stage of reading. For Tuesday, October 1:

PART 1


Write a 1-page (250 – 300 word) summary of ONE of the following readings:

Eli Pariser’s Introduction to The Filter Bubble.
OR
Sherry Turkle, “The Flight from Conversation”
OR
danah boyd,Read: “Truth, Lies and ‘Doxxing:’ The Real Moral of the Gawker / Reddit Story”
OR
Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
OR
Clay Shirky, “The Political Power of Social Media”

We’ll be discussing all these pieces in class, so you should have a good idea of what’s important about all of them by the time this is due.

Step by step instructions
1. As you read, underline or highlight the key points.
2. Make notes, in a separate document on your computer, of what strikes you about the essay.
3. Try to create an outline of the text (handwriting this may be easiest). What is the thesis? How does the argument unfold? What kind of evidence is used?
4. Then read over the essay again, focusing on the places you marked the first time, to see if you think your understanding of the argument  is correct.
5. Then and only then… write your summary.

PART 2



Select 2 different passages that you might want to write about for the close reading section of the summary. Each passage should be around 100 words long.

Write 2-3 sentences explaining why each of the passages stood out to you.

Due: October 1