MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE
This Model Summary exercise is designed around the detailed instructions on
summary writing provided on page 23 of Knowing Language. Please carefully read
page 23 of Knowing Language in preparation for this activity, as only an abbreviated
version is included in this packet.
STEP 1
Read the article “Does Diversity Create Distrust?” by Daisy Grewal (Module 2,
Reading 1) closely and carefully to identify the author’s thesis and main arguments.
Underline key words and look up their meanings if necessary. Write a one-sentence
summary for each paragraph or each main idea. You can also identify a good
quotation to use in your summary.
EXAMPLE:
Original Paragraph
Paraphrased Main
Argument
In 2007 the Harvard professor Robert Putnam
published a paper that appeared to challenge the
benefits of living in a racially diverse society.
Putnam’s study, which used a large, nationally
representative sample of nearly 30,000 Americans,
found that people living in more diverse areas
reported lower levels of trust in their neighbors.
They also reported less interest in voting,
volunteering, and giving to charity. In other words,
greater diversity seemed to be linked to both
feelings and behaviors that threaten a sense of
community. The finding was alarming to many
people, including Putnam himself, because the U.S.
continues to grow in racial and ethnic diversity with
each passing decade.
A 2007 study by
Harvard Professor
Robert Putnam
showed that
greater diversity
leads to weaker,
less engaged
communities.
Putnam’s research was widely cited, both within
academia and by the media, as a counterargument
to popular notions about the benefits of diversity.
His paper was even cited in a brief filed for the highprofile case, Fischer v. University Texas, concerning
the legal fairness of affirmative action processes at
public universities. Abigail Fisher, a white woman,
Putnam’s study
was spread
widely and even
used to support
anti-diversity
policies.
Key Vocabulary
was denied admission to the University of Texas at
Austin in 2008 and filed suit, alleging racial
discrimination on the part of the university due to
affirmative action. Putnam filed a brief of his own,
objecting to the use of research findings in
making a case against diversity policies. But
what if the conclusions stemming from Putnam’s
research were actually wrong to begin with?
Guiding question
for this article: is it
true?
Sociologists Maria Abascal, of Princeton University,
and Delia Baldassari, of New York University,
published a paper late last year which refutes
Putnam’s conclusions. After reanalyzing the same
dataset used by Putnam, Abascal and Baldassari
asserted that when it comes to distrust and diversity,
most of the distrust is expressed by Whites who feel
uncomfortable living amongst racial minorities. In
other words, greater distrust may stem from
prejudice rather than from diversity per se.
Therefore, Putnam’s conclusion that racial diversity
leads to less altruism and cooperation amongst
neighbors was incorrect. If there is a downside to
diversity, it has less to do with the behavior of racial
minorities and more to do with how Whites feel
when living amongst non-Whites.
Opposing study
by Maria Abascal:
the problem is
racial prejudice
by white people,
not diversity
To understand why Abascal and Baldassari came to
such different conclusions than Putnam, one has to
start with understanding how researchers have
traditionally defined and measured the
“diversity” of a community. Scholars, including
Putnam, have measured diversity through a concept
called the heterogeneity index, which tells you
what proportion of a community is made up of
members of different groups. Using the index, a
community made up of 80% Whites and 20% Blacks
would be considered equally “diverse” as one
made up of 20% Whites and 80% Blacks.
Putnam uses
traditional
measures for
diversity:
heterogeneity
index
This is a problematic assumption. Think about the
example of a neighborhood that’s 80% White and
20% Black. If I am a White person living in that
neighborhood, I’m much more likely to interact with
Heterogeneity
index does not
account for fact
that white people
people who are the same race as me than if I were
living in a neighborhood that is 80% Black. If I’m
Black living in the same neighborhood, the opposite
is likely to be true. Abascal and Baldassari found
that Whites living with more racial minorities
report the highest levels of distrust.
are most likely to
report higher
levels of distrust
about racial
minorities.
They also found another factor which skewed
Putnam’s results. The survey that Putnam drew his
findings from is called the Social Capital Community
Benchmark Survey. It was administered in 2000 to a
nationally representative sample across 41 U.S.
communities. The survey had five questions about
trust. One question reads, “Generally speaking,
would you say that most people can be trusted or
that you can’t be too careful in dealing with
people?” and respondents are asked to answer on a
three-point scale expressing high, moderate, or low
levels of trust. Past research has shown that
Blacks and Hispanics, on average, report less
trusting attitudes than do Whites. Without
controlling for this, neighborhoods with more
Blacks and Hispanics will appear to have lower
“trust,” but for reasons having nothing to do with
the degree of diversity.
Wording of survey
questions does not
account for
cultural
differences and
instead falsely
assumes
causations
between diversity
and stated
distrust.
There is a third factor to consider, the authors argue.
In the U.S., heterogeneous communities tend to be
undergoing demographic change, either due to
white flight or gentrification. Sadly, it’s rare to see
well-established and stable racially diverse
communities. Therefore, it may be the instability
of diverse communities, rather than diversity
itself, that erodes trust. Greater neighborhood
instability has been linked to many other negative
outcomes such as more substance abuse, child
abuse, infant mortality, and crime.
White flight and
gentrification in
diverse
neighborhoods
leads to
instability, which
is the reason for
distrust and weak
communities
(rather than
diversity itself).
Abscal and Baldassari’s findings lead to
uncomfortable conclusions about the role that racial
diversity plays in our society. When non-Whites
move into predominantly White communities, it has
the potential to unmask racism and prejudice.
The problem is
not diversity, but
the fact that
racism and
prejudice still
Perhaps one of the reasons that this idea has been
rarely discussed, both by academics and by the
public, is because it is such a difficult topic to
address. It illuminates the gap between how we
might want to see things versus how they actually
are. Past community research on racially mixed
neighborhoods shows how Whites often appreciate
and esteem diversity in the abstract while
geographically distancing themselves from nonWhites. Efforts to celebrate diversity as an ideal will
do little to solve the practical challenges of living in
an increasingly multicultural society. Instead, we will
need to first acknowledge and discuss that for some of
us, living alongside people who are different is not as
desirable as we might like to think.
exist within white
communities,
especially when
they are actually
confronted with
diversity (instead
of just discussing
it in theory).
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
STEP 2
Outline the text on a separate sheet of paper without looking back at the original
text. Make use of your summary sentences and the key vocabulary you identified.
EXAMPLE:
• A 2007 study by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam showed that greater diversity
leads to weaker, less engaged communities.
• Putnam’s study was spread widely and even used to support anti-diversity
policies.
• Guiding question for this article: is it true?
• Opposing study by Maria Abascal: the problem is racial prejudice by white
people, not diversity
• Putnam uses traditional measures for diversity: heterogeneity index
• Heterogeneity index does not account for fact that white people are most likely to
report higher levels of distrust about racial minorities.
• Wording of survey questions does not account for cultural differences and instead
falsely assumes causations between diversity and stated distrust.
• White flight and gentrification in diverse neighborhoods leads to instability, which
is the reason for distrust and weak communities (rather than diversity itself).
• The problem is not diversity, but the fact that racism and prejudice still exist
within white communities, especially when they are actually confronted with
diversity (instead of just discussing it in theory).
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
STEP 3
Write the first sentence of your summary. This sentence should include the main
idea or thesis of the text, the title and date, and the author’s full name. Please also
include the name of the book, magazine, or newspaper.
EXAMPLE:
In her article “Does Diversity Create Distrust,” published on
scientificamerican.com in November 2016, Daisy Grewal critically analyzes a study
that suggests diversity causes weaker societies, concluding that the actual
destabilizing factors are feelings of racism and prejudice that still exist in white
communities.
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
STEP 4
Decide on an appropriate order for your summary. You may choose a different
order than the one in the original article to best summarize its main points.
EXAMPLE:
1) Start with original study
•
•
A 2007 study by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam showed that greater diversity
leads to weaker, less engaged communities.
Putnam’s study was spread widely and even used to support anti-diversity
policies.
2) Explain opposing view and final conclusion
•
•
•
Opposing study by Maria Abascal: the problem is racial prejudice by white
people, not diversity
White flight and gentrification in diverse neighborhoods leads to instability,
which is the reason for distrust and weak communities (rather than diversity
itself).
The problem is not diversity, but the fact that racism and prejudice still exist
within white communities, especially when they are actually confronted with
diversity (instead of just discussing it in theory).
3) Show the author’s evidence and other arguments
•
•
•
Putnam uses traditional measures for diversity: heterogeneity index
Heterogeneity index does not account for fact that white people are most likely to
report higher levels of distrust about racial minorities.
Wording of survey questions does not account for cultural differences and
instead falsely assumes causations between diversity and stated distrust.
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
STEPS 5 AND 6
Write first draft of summary and use the author’s name more than one time; also, use
reporting words.
EXAMPLE:
In her article “Does Diversity Create Distrust,” published on
scientificamerican.com in November 2016, Daisy Grewal critically analyzes a study
that suggests diversity causes weaker societies, concluding that the actual
destabilizing factors are feelings of racism and prejudice that still exist in white
communities. In the original 2007 study, which was widely spread and even used to
support anti-diversity policy like when Abigail Fisher was not accepted to the
University of Texas and therefore sued the admission office, Harvard Professor
Robert Putnam claimed that greater diversity leads to weaker, less engaged
communities. To refute his argument, Grewal draws on a follow-up study conducted
by Maria Abascal, which shows that the actual problems in diverse communities do
not stem from diversity, but from the attitudes many Caucasian people have toward
diversity: it is racism and prejudice, not diversity itself, that destabilizes diverse
communities by leading to both ‘white flight’ and gentrification. Grewal also cites
two other reasons that lead to Putnam’s skewed results: first of all, Putnam used the
heterogeneity index for his study, a tool which does not account for the fact that
white people are more likely to report higher levels of distrust about racial
minorities. In addition, the wording in some of his questions does not account for
cultural differences – especially in communities of color – and instead falsely
assumes a correlation between diversity and stated distrust. Overall, Grewal asserts
that diversity is not what leads to weaker societies, but she also suggests that merely
celebrating diversity will not solve the problem either; instead, Grewal concludes
that in order to solve this problem, we need to “first acknowledge and discuss that
for some of us, living alongside people who are different is not as desirable as we
might like to think.” Therefore, I think we should spend more time discussing
racism in college classrooms.
Common Reporting Verbs:
explain
discuss
advise
suggest
describe
point out
show
compare
contrast
argue
assert
contend
claim
report
state
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
STEPS 7, 8, AND 9
Edit your summary: delete unnecessary phrases, details, and your own ideas; make
sure your summary reflects the information and ideas in the original article; edit for
mistakes and informal writing.
EXAMPLE:
In her article “Does Diversity Create Distrust,” published on
scientificamerican.com in November 2016, Daisy Grewal critically analyzes a study
that suggests diversity causes weaker societies, concluding that the actual
destabilizing factors are feelings of racism and prejudice that still exist in white
communities. In the original 2007 study, which was widely spread and even used to
support anti-diversity policy like when Abigail Fisher was not accepted to the
University of Texas and therefore sued the admission office, Harvard Professor
Robert Putnam claimed that greater diversity leads to weaker, less engaged
communities. To refute his argument, Grewal draws on a follow-up study conducted
by Maria Abascal, which shows that the actual problems in diverse communities do
not stem from diversity, but from the attitudes many Caucasian people have toward
diversity: it is racism and prejudice, not diversity itself, that destabilizes diverse
communities by leading to both ‘white flight’ and gentrification. Grewal also cites
two other reasons that lead to Putnam’s skewed results: first of all, Putnam used the
heterogeneity index for his study, a tool which does not account for the fact that
white people are more likely to report higher levels of distrust about racial
minorities. In addition, the wording in of some of his questions does not account for
cultural differences – especially in communities of color – and instead falsely
assumes a correlation between diversity and stated distrust. Overall, Grewal asserts
that diversity is not what leads to weaker societies, but she also suggests that merely
celebrating diversity will not solve the problem either; instead, Grewal concludes
that in order to solve this problem, we need to “first acknowledge and discuss that
for some of us, living alongside people who are different is not as desirable as we
might like to think.” Therefore, I think we should spend more time discussing
racism in college classrooms.
MODEL SUMMARY – A STEP-BY STEP GUIDE (CONT.)
FINAL SUMMARY AND EVALUATION
Look at the final version of the summary on the next page and answer the following
questions.
1. Does the writer clearly state the author’s main point and supporting points?
2. Does the writer omit unnecessary details?
3. Does the summary contain the writer’s opinion?
4. Does the summary read smoothly and include transitions?
5. Does the writer mention the author’s name more than once? If yes, how many
times?
6. Does the writer include one quotation from the text and integrate it sufficiently?
7. Would a reader of the summary who had not read the original text get a clear
idea of the text? Why/why not?
Randall Pearson
Prof. Sterling Brown
Academic English 20C
19 November 2017
Summary
In her article “Does Diversity Create Distrust,” published on
scientificamerican.com in November 2016, Daisy Grewal critically
analyzes a study that suggests diversity causes weaker societies,
concluding that the actual destabilizing factors are feelings of racism
and prejudice that still exist in white communities. In the original
2007 study, which was widely spread and even used to support antidiversity policy, Harvard Professor Robert Putnam claimed that
greater diversity leads to weaker, less engaged communities. To
refute his argument, Grewal draws on a follow-up study conducted
by Maria Abascal, which shows that the actual problems in diverse
communities do not stem from diversity, but from the attitudes many
Caucasian people have toward diversity: it is racism and prejudice,
not diversity itself, that destabilizes diverse communities by leading
to both ‘white flight’ and gentrification. Grewal also cites two other
reasons that lead to Putnam’s skewed results: first of all, Putnam
used the heterogeneity index for his study, a tool which does not
account for the fact that white people are more likely to report
higher levels of distrust about racial minorities. In addition, the
wording in of some of his questions does not account for cultural
differences – especially in communities of color – and instead falsely
assumes a correlation between diversity and stated distrust.
Overall, Grewal asserts that diversity is not what leads to weaker
societies, but she also suggests that merely celebrating diversity
will not solve the problem either; instead, Grewal concludes that in
order to solve this problem, we need to “first acknowledge and
discuss that for some of us, living alongside people who are
different is not as desirable as we might like to think.”
Diversity May Not Be the Answer
By G Rodriguez
1- People all over the planet are on the move, and whether anyone likes it or not,
with each passing year Western nations will become more racially and ethnically
diverse. But is that a good or a bad thing? According to most American politicians -even Colorado's anti-immigrant zealot Rep. Tom Tancredo -- diversity is a national
boon. You've heard the rap: Diversity is our strength. We should celebrate it, blah,
blah, blah. But are they all protesting too much?
2- I've always suspected that what's beneath all that celebrating is a deep fear and an
article of faith. Armed with hate crime statistics and gang stories, the media love to
keep us informed of all types of racial and ethnic conflict. But through it all, assorted
do-gooders, foundation program officers and government functionaries still promote
the belief that the best solution to the conflicts created by social diversity is diversity
itself. That's why they arrange those cheesy multicultural community events and
tiresome inter-ethnic "dialogues" in which the African American activist meets the
Korean American activist, white kids go to day camp with kids of color, etc., etc. The
idea is that more contact breaks down barriers and helps us achieve Rodney King's
dream that we'll all just get along.
3 - But according to a provocative new study by Robert Putnam, one of America's
preeminent political scientists, it's just not true. No, Putnam isn't regurgitating socalled conflict theory -- the notion that diversity strengthens group identities,
thereby increasing ethnocentrism and conflict. He's not predicting racial
Armageddon. What he did find in analyzing a massive survey of 30,000 Americans,
however, is a whole lot more interesting and complex than either "Kumbaya" or
"Crash." Diversity, he argues, is turning us into a nation of turtles, hunkered down
with our heads in our shells.
4 - According to the study, there is a strong positive relationship between interracial
trust and ethnic homogeneity. In other words, the less diverse your community, the
more likely you are to trust the people in it who are different from you. The flip side
is also true: The more ethnically diverse the people you live around, the less you
trust them. So interracial trust is relatively high in homogenous South Dakota and
relatively low in wildly diverse Los Angeles. But don't think it's just because we don't
trust people of different races.
5 - In addition to asking respondents what they thought of people from different
backgrounds, the survey inquired about whether respondents trusted people of
their own race. The answer was surprising. It turns out that in the most diverse
places in the country, Americans tend to distrust everyone, those who do look like
them and those who don't. Diversity, therefore, does not result in increased conflict
or increased accommodation, but in good old-fashioned anomie and social isolation.
According to Putnam, residents of diverse communities "tend to withdraw from
collective life, to distrust their neighbors, regardless of the color of their skin, to
withdraw even from close friends, to expect the worst from their community and its
leaders, to volunteer less, give less to charity and work on community projects less
often, to register to vote less" and to spend more time sitting in front of the
television.
6 - Putnam considered and had to reject all kinds of other explanations for his
findings. In the end, some adhere to this pattern more than others, but the numbers
are discouraging all around: Diversity depresses trust and sociability somewhat
more in poorer neighborhoods, but altruism suffers somewhat more in richer areas.
It seems to affect sociability more among conservatives, but it's also a problem
among liberals. The effect is felt more among whites, but nonwhites are not immune.
Twentysomethings seem a bit less distrustful than older generations but not enough
to alter the overall pattern. Women are equally as affected as men.
7 - None of this means that we are doomed by diversity. But it does suggest that
simply celebrating it and promoting it is not going to help us get along. Putnam
points to a need for everyone to construct new social identities. He recalls growing
up in a Midwestern town in the 1950s, when religious affiliations acted as strong
social barriers between neighbors. Three decades later, he says, Americans had
"more or less deconstructed religion as a salient social division." Although it was still
personally important, religion's power as a social identity had diminished
significantly.
8 - More important, perhaps, whites and nonwhites alike will have to create a more
generous and expansive sense of "we." If, as the study suggests, increased diversity
leads us to withdraw even from our own kind, we may indeed find some sense of
togetherness and common purpose in a truly broad, overarching identity called
American. Maybe once we achieve that, we'll volunteer more, vote more and be
more willing to pay to fix our bridges.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/la-oe-rodriguez13aug13-column.html
SUMMARY RUBRIC
Excellen
t
90-100%
Very
Good
8089%
Passing
73-79%
Needs
Improveme
nt
60-72%
Not
Acceptabl
e
0-59%
Content and Organization
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contains the central idea of the original text, the title and date of the text, and
the author’s full name in the first sentence
Provides the readers with an accurate, objective, complete, concise overview
of the text, including the author’s opinions but not those of the student
Refers to the author by his full name the first time and by his last name
thereafter
Does not plagiarize the author’s language and includes a quotation
Includes phrases throughout the summary that refer to the author
Adheres to the assignment length (1 page/300 words) and is not repetitive
Presentation and Language
•
•
•
•
•
Uses the present tense when referring to the author
Uses specific verbs such as claims, argues, suggests as well as appropriate
vocabulary
Varies sentence structure effectively and uses cohesive devices such as
pronoun reference, transitions, and parallelism appropriately
Is well edited for grammar: few basic errors with nouns, verbs, pronouns, and
prepositions
Follows punctuation and MLA conventions, including correct use of quotation
marks, and integrating quotes as evidence
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