Anth 418 - Spring 2007

Newspaper Abstract Guidelines

This exercise is meant to help connect course topics with current events in Southeast Asia & neighboring countries.  Please follow these guidelines in writing your weekly newspaper abstract:

• Select an article from an online newspaper or magazine relevant to the region being studied.  See the Related Links page in this website as a starting place.  Choose an article of some substance (not a short news brief). 
   
• Limit your abstract to one, double-spaced, typed page (max. 250 words). In your own words, summarize the article's main point/ theme and arguments/ substantiating points.  Answer "the 5 W's" of good news reporting:  Who? What? When? Where? and Why?   You might also briefly compare/ contrast the topic addressed in the article with similar topics in other countries studied, or in the USA. 
   
• Conclude your paragraph with a few sentences regarding the relevance of the article for this class:  Why is this topic interesting to you?  How does it relate to the broad theme of "human issues in international development" and/or more particular topics addressed in the course? 

• Append a full citation for the article you are summarizing/ commenting on.  Include the full URL (web address) and both publication and access dates.  For example: 

Pungkanon, Kupluthai (2006, August 21). "Dreaming of a better Bangkok," The Nation (Bangkok). Retrieved November 20, 2006, from: <http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/page.news.php?clid=31&id=30011537>.

last updated November 20, 2006