You write an abstract to summarize for yourself and to convey to others the methodology, key arguments/points, and supporting evidence from an essay or book. In order to do this well, you need to read carefully and make note of the overall thesis, the arguments that contribute to the thesis, and the evidence used to support these points. Following your reading, you should write a summary of the essay intended to inform your classmates about the author's main points and the evidence that s/he provides. Do not quote from the text and be sure that you are not unintentionally plagiarizing by paraphrasing. Finally, although this is not conventionally part of an abstract, for the two abstracts due on 10/6 and 10/13, write a couple of sentences about how this essay fits into your developing sense of your research (For example: Does it suggest new questions that you need to do more research on? Does it help you to refine the questions that you are asking?)

Your abstracts should be 2.5 -3 typed, double-spaced pages. You should begin with a complete citation.

Grading criteria:
1. Evidence of careful reading (I will read most, if not all, of the essays that each of you abstract, so be sure that you read carefully and thoroughly, and that this is reflected in your abstract).
2. Quality of your summary (Have you given the reader a reasonable idea of what to expect from the essay? Have you discussed how the research was conducted?)
3. Clarity of your writing. (Have you written an abstract that is easy for the reader to read and that addresses your target audience?)

Note: You can find abstracts for many essays on-line. Be sure that you do not plagiarize.