Students are required to complete a critical summary on resource mobilization theories covered each week in Module 1. This task is designed to ensure that you understand the theories before applying them to practice in Assessment item 2. This includes 4 critical summaries completed in total.

 

Each summary should:

• Summarise, in your own words, the theory including key concepts and how social movements are understood and explained from this theoretical perspective
• Evaluate the significance of the theory for explaining and analysing historical or contemporary social change referring to a specific example
• Draw on the required reading for the corresponding week and at least one scholarly source from the bounded set of literature for each week.
• Incorporate in text citations and a reference list with the relevant readings
• Indicate the word length at the end of each summary. The word count should not be more than 10% over or under the word limit – marks may be deducted if it is.

 

A Guide to writing a critical summary

In this case, a critical summary is a concise review of a theory that combines a summary and critical comments based on your judgements and interpretations of the theory drawing on academic scholarship.

Writing a critical reading summary involves analysis and evaluation. You need to:

• Understand and communicate the main points, key arguments and key concepts of the theory in your own words.

o Ask yourself: What are the main points, key arguments and key concepts and what do I understand them to mean? How are social movements understood and explained from this theoretical perspective?

• Analyse the theory

o Ask yourself: What are some questions that this theory raises for me? What are the strengths and limitations of the theory for explaining, understanding or analysing a specific example of historical or contemporary social change (i.e. a particular social movement)?

• Evaluate the theory

o Ask yourself: Now that I have analysed the theory and discussed its strengths and weaknesses what value does this theory have/ how useful is this theory for explaining historical or contemporary social change and social movements? How (what evidence) can I make this / these claims?

 

What do you mean by ‘reflect on the significance of the theory for historical and contemporary change’?

• Following your reading of the theory I want you to think of examples either international or Australian of where this theory has been or is applied to produce social change or is reflected in strategies adopted by a historical or contemporary social movement. You are required to explain how you think this theory may operate in this context to produce social change either historically or contemporarily or how this theory could explain the strategies adopted by the movement. For example, has the theory explored in the essential reading been used by the feminist movement in Australia to produce social change or is it implicit in their approach? How can you make this claim? What evidence do you have? (Please note that the evidence can be scholarly or from a website affiliated with the social movement, a speech or newspaper article from a reputable news outlet).

 

• Please note: In order to achieve more than a pass for this section you will need to explain and support your claims with evidence. For example, ‘Networking can be seen particularly in recent pushes for social change in the juvenile justice system for Indigenous youth in the Northern Territory. This is because …’

 Action plan

• Read the required reading and sources from the bounded set of literature to understand the theory.
• Think about where you can see this theory in examples of historical and contemporary social change and how (what evidence) can I make this / these conclusion/s (I.e. Is there academic scholarship with also makes these connections? Read these).
• Synthesise your reading on the theory to explain the theory, key arguments and key concepts.
• Analyse and evaluate the theory drawing on academic scholarship and your case study.

            How do I go about this?

Understanding and communicating the main points, key arguments and key concepts

In order to be able to understand and clearly and succinctly communicate the main points, key arguments and key concepts of the theory, it is important to plan to spend at least half the time you devote to this assessment reading and understanding the material. This will also ensure that the example you pick is directly related to the theory.

Before you can write about the theory, analyse it, evaluate it, and pick an example, you must understand it. This can take more time than you anticipate and may require multiple readings of the texts. Reading multiple explanations of the theory from different sources can deepen your understanding, clarify any points of confusion and can help you to paraphrase the ideas in your own words. It is important before you begin writing that the theory makes sense to you in lay terms, for example, could you explain this to someone who knows nothing about the topic? When you can clearly explain the material in your own words then you can write about it.

Strategies for achieving understanding

Before reading in detail, skim the reading to strategically choose where to focus your critical efforts. Previewing and skimming enables you to get a sense of what the text and theory is about and how it is organized before reading it closely. This simple strategy includes seeing what you can learn from the headings and other introductory material as well as skimming to get an overview of the content and organization.

Highlight and underline the main key points and key phrases. Write one sentence summaries for each of the main points on a separate sheet of paper. Always note definitions, key words and technical terms. These one sentence summaries can be used later when you draft your critical summary.

Analyse the theory

Leave space after your one sentence summaries for later notes and comments so you move beyond mere description of the theory to analysing. For example, note when things are not clear, any contradictions, points of agreement or disagreement with other readings on the same topic, controversial statements or viewpoints presented, whether you agree with what is being said and any questions you may have about the theory and its application. Ideally your questions should focus on a main idea, not on illustrations (examples) or details. It might be worthwhile jotting down questions next to the text upon your first or second read.

You are required to read critically. To read critically is to make judgments. This is a highly reflexive skill requiring you to “stand back” and gain some distance from the theory you are reading about.

Ultimately, all writers make assertions that they want you to accept as true and this may be the case for their explanations of the theories. As a critical reader, you should not accept anything on face value but should recognize every assertion as an argument that must be carefully evaluated. An argument has two essential parts: a claim and support / evidence. The claim asserts a conclusion that the writer wants you to accept. The support / evidence includes reasons that give readers the basis for accepting the conclusion. When you assess an argument, you are concerned with the process of reasoning as well as its truthfulness. At the most basic level, in order for an argument to be acceptable, the support must be appropriate to the claim and the statements must be consistent with one another. Therefore, determine the argument and unpack it. Then consider whether you agree with it, if the argument is strong, why? Could it be better or differently supported? Are there gaps, leaps or inconsistencies in the argument? Is the method of analysis problematic? Could the evidence be interpreted differently? Are the conclusions warranted by the evidence presented? What are the unargued assumptions? Are they problematic? What might an opposing argument be? Is the evidence and conclusions you are expected to accept plausible? If the argument is bad, then you need to explain how? For example, does the evidence not support the conclusions you are required to accept, are there assumptions, etc? What does this say about the value of the theory?

As an aside, I could apply the same questions to your critical summary, critically analysing the evidence that you present to support your conclusion about the value of the theory for explaining historical or contemporary social change relative to your example so remember this when writing your summary.

Evaluating the theory

Following your analysis, it is important to evaluate the theory. Evaluating the theory means making judgments about the value (both positive and negative) of the theory based on your analysis above and your application of the theory to an example. It may be easier to do this by drawing on other scholarly references.

TIP For weeks which cover multiple theories you only need to focus on ONE theory. However, you might draw on descriptions of the other theories to help you analyse and evaluate the theory you are critically summarising.

What suggestions do you have for setting out my critical reading summary?

A critical summary has an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

 In the introduction you should describe the theory. This could weave together the themes from the one-sentence summaries you made while you read materials about the theory. It should also give an indication of your overall impression of the theory (argument). You may also want to include a brief explanatory sentence on your example before outlining the structure of the paper.

The body should discuss the strengths / usefulness of the theory and the weaknesses / problems / limitations with the theory (think analysis and the argument). This should include a reflection on the significance of the theory for historical or contemporary social change.

The conclusion should summarise what you have written in the body, make a final judgment on the value of the theory indicating the balance that you see existing between the strengths and limitations of the theory and comment on the future of the issue / topic or implications of the view expressed (think evaluation).

Please note: In order to communicate the main points, key arguments and key concepts in the theory you are not permitted to use dot points.

TIP

Keep direct quotes to a minimum – We are assessing your ability to summarise the main points, key arguments and key concepts and using extensive quotation does not demonstrate your abilities. This means that you should substitute the quotation for your own articulation of a point.

What will I be marked on?

– How well you summarise the main points, key arguments and key concepts of the theory

– Your ability to analyse and evaluate the theory

– Your reflection on the significance of the theory for historical or contemporary social change and how well you explain how / why you can see this connection

– Your argument about the theory (If you follow the above instructions this should naturally happen)

– The structure of your assessment

– Your spelling, grammar, clarity and punctuation

– Your in-text referencing and reference list