ENGL 102
Writing and Research
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These are just the notes used in the lecture. For the information sheet that explains the ideas in more detail, click here.

SUMMARY

• Focuses original source to specific thesis
• Reduces original source to essential points
• Eliminates extra/distracting details
• Saves the reader time
• Does NOT replace the original
• Helps determine use/value of original
• Commonly used in business world
  

SUMMARY

• Basic format for summaries:
  • no more than one paragraph
  • no more than one page
    
• first sentence contains
  • author's name
  • title of source
  • specific thesis for entire source
    
• does NOT use specific details
• is objective - NO personal views
  

How to Summarize

• Read original source entirely
• re-read until you have a feel for overall idea
• identify the primary thesis/idea of entire source
• write sentence summary - your words
• identify the major points supporting thesis
• write supporting sentences - your words
• make sure of accuracy - complete argument
  

First Sentence of "Future of Love" Summary

• "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham discusses the relationship between love and marriage.

• The changing view of marriage and its connection to romantic love is the focus of "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham.
  

First Sentence of "Future of Love" Summary

• Barbara Graham sees society's changing view of marriage as forcing society to realize that marriage and romantic love are not necessarily connected in her essay "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing."

• People have a need to be together as a couple, but not necessarily as a married couple, according to "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham.
  

Complete summary of "Future of Love"

"The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham discusses the relationship between love and marriage. She traces the historical and cultural definitions of marriage to show that marriage being based on love is a recent idea. She then shows how the recent scientific evidence shows that biologically, love is fleeting, and thus not enough to base a long-term relationship on. Graham also indicates that counselors and authors have taken the romance out of romance and tried to make it scientific. She ends the essay by claiming that marriage-style relationships are changing, whether we like it or not.

Complete summary of "Future of Love"

The changing view of marriage and its connection to romantic love is the focus of "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham. Graham argues that our growing divorce and re-marriage rates indicate that our society is looking for something in marriages that it isn't finding. Her argument states that today's society tries to base marriages on love, when history shows us that marriages are designed for social and economic reasons, not romantic reasons. According to Graham, we keep studying the biology and sociology of love in marriage, ignoring the fact that a successful love relationship and a successful marriage are two different things.

Complete summary of "Future of Love"

Barbara Graham sees society's changing view of marriage as forcing society to realize that marriage and romantic love are not necessarily connected in her essay "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing." First, Graham gives historical evidence that marriage had to do with economic and social needs of the culture, not love. Then, she explains how science shows that human biochemistry causes us to have short bursts of romantic longing primarily as a way of starting relationships, not prolonging them. The essay ends with a call to begin trying to understand the "new" form of non-marriage relationships that our culture is creating.

Complete summary of "Future of Love"

People have a need to be together as a couple, but not necessarily as a married couple, according to "The Future of Love: Kiss Romance Goodbye, It's Time for the Real Thing" by Barbara Graham. She discusses the fact that marriage has traditionally been for survival, not for romantic love as a way of supporting her claims. Graham cites scientific literature that indicates that romantic love is biologically short-term, not long-term. The essay ends by indicating that marriage as a social institution is dying, and "something radically different is needed."