African Studies

AFRS 100 Summary Assignment Spring 2019

Mostly in your own terms, write a brief 500 word (one-page) single-spaced summary, restating the main ideas of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. This document is located in Call and Response: Key Debates in African American Studies.

The aim of this assignment is to thoroughly comprehend a text and to translate the essential meaning of the text into terms accessible to others. You will need to identify the author’s subject, audience, and purpose.

Strategies:

· Identify the main claims in the text and restate them near the start of your summary.

· Paraphrase the supporting points, examples, and details; use a thesaurus to find synonyms for key words.

· Condense the original text, keeping your writing within one single-spaced page.

· Be “objective” rather than “critical” – try to narrow down the original, without adding editorial comments.

· Use verbs that capture the author’s argument and analysis.

This essay should be formatted in MLA style, i.e., typed, *single-spaced, 500 words, 1 page in length, with one-inch margins.

The first draft of this assignment is due Wednesday, January 30th at the beginning of class. Please bring a typed copy of your draft to class and post a copy to the Dropbox on Beachboard prior to the start of class. This draft should be approximately ¾ page in length.

The final draft of this assignment is due Monday, February 4th at the beginning of class. Please bring a typed copy of your draft to class and post a copy to the Dropbox on Beachboard prior to the start of class. This draft should be 1 full page in length.