FAH314 - CRITICAL SUMMARY GUIDELINES
Length minimum 3 pages, maximum 5 pages (12 pt font – double spaced)
Quercus submission – due February 26, 2025 at 11:59 pm

Preliminary steps:
a) Define approximately the topic you are going to write about. You do not need to
formulate a detailed thesis but you should have a fair idea of the topic you want to
address (e.g. pederastic scenes or scenes of marriage in Greek vase painting)
b) Identify three secondary sources on which you will base your research. One of these
sources can be your textbook (Skinner); you can also evaluate any of the articles/ book
chapters included in the syllabus among the mandatory or optional readings. You may
also choose to evaluate a secondary source that is not listed in the syllabus (e.g., works
that are referenced in the footnotes of the textbook). However, you should not use
sources such as documentaries intended for a wider audience (on YouTube), or non
peer-reviewed online resources such as blogposts or general encyclopaedia entries
(that have not been authored by scholars and provide only general information).

Step one
State your topic/ thesis and explain how the three sources you chose will inform your
research
Step two
Summarise each source and state what type of source it is (article, book chapter etc.).
The summarization should not be ‘a laundry list’ of the content of the source but should
focus more on the methodology used by the author(s) and the conclusions they reach
Step three
Discuss critically each source by taking into consideration the evidence provided by the
author, the construction of their argument and even the writing style
Explain if the author(s)’ arguments convince you or not and how you intend to use their
arguments for your research.

The critical summary assignment is a ‘scaffolding assignment’ that is meant to get you
started on the research for the paper, while giving you the opportunity to hone your
critical reading skills.


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