3 - TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING ACAD TEXTS (READING MATERIALS).pdf

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Lesson 3: Summarizing Academic Texts TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING ACADEMIC TEXTS TEXT 1: 1. Skim the Text THE FIL...

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Lesson 3: Summarizing Academic Texts TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING ACADEMIC TEXTS TEXT 1: 1. Skim the Text THE FILIPINO DIASPORA Read the abstract to get a high-level overview of the content. by Atty. Ted Laguatan - @inquirerdotnet 05:02 PM September 21, 2011 Look at headings, subheadings, and any highlighted or bolded text to understand the structure and main topics. During the Marcos years—because of severe economic depression, lack of job Focus on the introduction and conclusion, as they often contain key opportunities, and political oppression—thousands of Filipinos desperately seeking points and summaries of the research. better lives for themselves and their families took risks and bravely went to strange 2. Identify Main Ideas lands and cultures, taking on whatever jobs were available. Pay attention to the first sentence of each paragraph, which often After the downfall of the Marcos regime, the Philippine economy did not take contains the main idea. off as expected. Compared to its Asian neighbors’ robust economies, the Philippines Locate the thesis statement, usually found in the introduction, as it continued to reel from the terrible legacy of the dictator: massive institutionalized presents the central argument or purpose of the text. corruption, crony capitalism, bad or weak leadership, and a host of other problems— 3. Highlight Key Points preventing an industry-based economic takeoff. Highlight or underline keywords and phrases that are crucial to the As such, taking comfort from the courageous trailblazing examples of their understanding of the text. forebears who managed to survive and make do in countries with even the strangest of Note any data, examples, or evidence that support the main ideas. cultures and even the coldest or hottest climates—increasing numbers of Filipinos 4. Paraphrase continue to leave the Philippines to work and even settle permanently in foreign lands. The billions of dollars of cumulative financial contributions sent to loved ones Translate the main ideas into your own words while keeping the by these brave, sacrificing souls have kept the Philippine economy afloat. original meaning. Definition of the word “diaspora.” Break down complex concepts into simpler, more digestible parts. I notice that the word is often floated around by Filipino writers who assume 5. Condense Information their readers know what it means. The Oxford Dictionary definition: “The dispersion or Remove any repetitive information or details that are not essential. spread of any people from their original homeland.” Concentrate on the primary arguments, findings, and conclusions. The word “diaspora” is usually associated with the Jewish people. The Jewish 6. Organize Summarized Content people left Israel and scattered all over the world as a result of various conquerors who Ensure your summary follows a logical flow that mirrors the structure took over their country: the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans. Officially, the year of the original text. 597 BC marked the beginning of the continuing Jewish diaspora when the Assyrians Use bullet points or short paragraphs to present the summarized conquered the Jews. content clearly. For the Filipino diaspora, which is now a part of world history, to set an official 7. Review and Revise date marking its beginnings, I believe a proper date should be 1972—the year the Check your summary against the original text to ensure accuracy. dictator Marcos declared martial law. Revise your summary to improve clarity and conciseness. A scattering of Filipinos had already migrated to the US before this time— 8. Use Summarizing Tools (Optional) mainly in Hawaii and California—many were relatives of sugarcane field workers Automated: Utilize summarizing tools or software for a preliminary recruited from the Ilocos regions in the early 1900s or US military, predominantly navy summary, then refine it manually. personnel who had become naturalized US citizens. Filipina nurses and doctors were Manual: Use graphic organizers like mind maps or charts to visually also coming in significant numbers in the late 1960s on Exchange Visitors visas but not organize the main ideas and supporting details. as immigrants. Most of them stayed and eventually became permanent residents or US citizens. ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES Lesson 3: Summarizing Academic Texts In some Middle Eastern countries, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries, TEXT 2: Filipinos were already working, primarily as domestic workers or musicians, even THE AGE OF ENVY: HOW TO BE HAPPY WHEN before the martial law years. EVERYONE ELSE'S LIFE LOOKS PERFECT But it was when martial law was declared in 1972, and the years after, mass migration of Filipinos to different parts of the world took a quantum leap. This Social media has created a world in which everyone seems ecstatic – apart phenomenon continues today. from us. Is there any way for people to curb their resentment? We find communities of thousands of Filipinos in Rome, Paris, Tokyo, We live in the age of envy. Career envy, kitchen envy, children envy, food envy, Singapore, Bahrain, Dubai, Hong Kong, and other cities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, upper arm envy, holiday envy. You name it, there’s an envy for it. Human beings have the Middle East and Asia. always felt what Aristotle defined in the fourth century BC as pain at the sight of Like the Jews, we are now practically in every corner of the world, managing another’s good fortune, stirred by “those who have what we ought to have” – though it not only to survive but even becoming successful in various professions and would be another thousand years before it would make it on to Pope Gregory’s list of businesses—especially for those who went to the U.S. the seven deadly sins. And like the Jews, we bring our culture, values, religion, food, and whatever But with the advent of social media, says Ethan Kross, professor of psychology else makes us uniquely Filipino—enriching and influencing the general society where at the University of Michigan who studies the impact of Facebook on our wellbeing, we have embedded ourselves. In my beloved San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, “envy is being taken to an extreme”. We are constantly bombarded by “Photoshopped New York, Chicago, and other US cities, many non-Filipinos are as familiar with lumpia lives”, he says, “and that exerts a toll on us the likes of which we have never experienced and adobo as they are with pizza and tacos. in the history of our species. And it is not particularly pleasant.” Many have intermarried with non-Filipinos. My daughter is married to a Jewish- Clinical psychologist Rachel Andrew says she is seeing more and more envy in American who has a mixture of Russian and Lithuanian blood in him. My first grandson, her consulting room, from people who “can’t achieve the lifestyle they want but which who will come into the world this November, will be a mixture of his father’s blood plus they see others have”. Our use of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and French and Ilongga (from my wife) and Chinese, Spanish, and Ilocano (from me). If not Snapchat, she says, amplifies this deeply disturbing psychological discord. “I think for the Filipino diaspora, which I am a part of, his existence would not be possible. what social media has done is make everyone accessible for comparison,” she For many Filipinos, bound by blood, culture, and origins, even if they live in explains. “In the past, people might have just envied their neighbours, but now we can other lands, their concern for the well-being of their brother and sister Filipinos in the compare ourselves with everyone across the world.” Windy Dryden, one of the UK’s homeland and around the globe continues. They are continuously involved in the leading practitioners of cognitive behavioural therapy, calls this “comparisonitis”. sacred effort to create a better Philippines and for all Filipinos, wherever they may be. And those comparisons are now much less realistic, Andrew continues: “We Like the global community of Jews, who are influential on Jewish concerns anywhere all know that images can be filtered, that people are presenting the very best take on in the world, I do not doubt that the international community of Filipinos will also be their lives.” We carry our envy amplification device around in our pockets, we sleep with very significant regarding Filipino worries in the future. it next to our pillows, and it tempts us 24 hours a day, the moment we wake up, even if Some overseas Filipinos, because of their global experience of living, working, it is the middle of the night. Andrew has observed among her patients that knowing they and interacting with non-Filipinos have also come to realize that their concern for are looking at an edited version of reality, the awareness that #nofilter is a deceitful others should not be limited and restricted by tribal, geo-political, racial, or national hashtag, is no defence against the emotional force of envy. No age group or social class boundaries—that they should not limit their problems to Filipinos only—but include all is immune from envy, according to Andrew. human beings as we are all part of one human family. Such individuals have become true global citizens when they have arrived at this profound realization. Reference: Sarner, M. (2018, October 9). The age of envy: how to be happy when everyone else’s life looks perfect. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/09/age-envy-be-happy- everyone-else-perfect-social-media