1. Fall 2013
Dr. Novins
MODULE 9: READING TO SYNTHESIZE

2. READING FOR A PURPOSE
It is important to remember that every time you
read anything you are reading for a purpose.
 Sometimes we use this newly acquired
information by itself.
 Other times we may synthesize (combine) the
information with other knowledge already
possess.
 The purpose of this module is to 1) have you
read a few different articles to find questions you
have about a topic and 2) synthesize that
information.
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3. READING FOR A PURPOSE
During this semester I have been assigning
different types of readings.
 Each time you read, you have been expected to
think about what you are reading and find
meaning in the text.
 In this module, you will be finding & reading
texts that add to your knowledge regarding one
topic (see social issues list on next slide) and
synthesizing information from three sources.
 The next few slides explain the assignment that
you will be completing.
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4. STEP 1. CHOOSE ONE OF THESE TOPICS
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Abortion
Affirmative Action 
Ageism / Age
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Discrimination
Airport Screening 
Procedures
Alcoholism
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Animal Rights
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Anti-Muslim
Discrimination
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Binge Drinking
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Birth Control
Bullying
Campus Crime 
Capital
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Punishment /
Death Penalty
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Chemical
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Weapons
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Child Labor
Classism
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Cloning
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Corporate
Downsizing
Date Rape
Domestic
Violence
Drinking and
Driving
Drug Abuse /
Drug Addiction
Eating Disorders
Embryonic Stem
Cell Research
Environmental
Pollution
Environmental
Racism
Euthanasia /
Assisted Suicide
Gang Violence
Gay Rights
Genetic
Engineering
Gentrification
Global Warming
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Gun Control
Hate Crimes
Hazing
Health Care
Reform
HIV / AIDS
Home
Foreclosures
Homelessness
Human
Trafficking
Hunger
Identify Theft
Illegal
Immigration
Legalization of
Marijuana
Legalization of
Prostitution
Mass Murder
NRA
National Rifle
Association
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Obesity
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Organ and Body 
Donation
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Outsourcing Jobs
Polygamy
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Pornography
Poverty
Prayer in Schools
Prison Rape
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Racial Disparities 
in Health Care
Racial Disparities 
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in Sentencing
Racial Profiling 
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Racism
Recycling and
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Conservation
Same-Sex
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Marriage
Sex Trade
Sexism
Sexual
Harassment
Sexting
Single Parenting
Smoking /
Tobacco Use
Social
Networking and
Privacy
Steroid Use in
Sports
Stereotyping
Sweat Shops
Teen Pregnancy
Terrorism
Unemployment
Violence in
Schools
Violence in Music
Videos
Violence in Video
Games

5. STEP 2: WHAT DO I ALREADY KNOW?
Write in either bullet form or paragraph form
what you already know about the topic.
 Be sure to organize your thoughts into two
categories:
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1.
2.
Facts that can be proven through research
Opinions that I have regarding this topic
(You will be integrating this information into your
synthesis.)

6. STEP 3: WHAT DO I WANT TO KNOW?
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Before you begin reading about your topic, I
want you to come up with a few questions
that you have about your topic. (These will
be worked into your synthesis as well. You
will see how this works in the sample given
later on in this PowerPoint.) You should have
at least five questions before you being
reading. Some of your questions can be
simple questions while others should be a bit
deeper and thought provoking.

7. STEP 4: START READING
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For this assignment I want you to do some
quality reading about your chosen topic. I
want you to find a few magazine articles,
newspaper articles, and maybe even a few
scholarly journal articles that can give you
information that answers your questions and
furthers your knowledge about your topic.

8. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXTS
The most efficient way to find your reading for
this module is to use the Nassau CC Library
website to search through specific databases.
 On the following slides, I will show you how to
search successfully for magazine articles,
newspaper articles, and scholarly journal
articles.
 Please note: You should be using articles that
have been published during the last 5 years.
Anything older would not be acceptable for this
assignment.
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9. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXTS
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It is possible to just do a Google search and find
information, but not all of that information will fulfill the
requirements of this assignment.
Going through the NCC Library website will ensure that the
texts you choose to read will follow the guidelines of the
assignment.
Remember, any source that you use must be cited so don’t
take info off a website without putting it on your reference
page.
Also note that you only need to use THREE sources for this
module as long as one is a magazine article, one is a
newspaper article, and one is a scholarly journal.
If you want to use additional sources that is fine, but be sure
to give credit where credit is due (or else it is called

10. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXTS
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Go to NCC Library website

11. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXT
Type your topic in
the space!
But you aren’t
done yet!
We need to
narrow your
results!
See next slide!

12. STEP 5: FIND YOUR TEXTS
I will be showing you an example using the
topic of spousal abuse. Please note that you
cannot choose to do your reading on this
topic.
 When I searched for spousal abuse, my
results numbered 5,701. That is way too
broad to start reading AND I didn’t put my
guidelines on my search yet.
 See next slide!
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13. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXTS
I will choose
FULL TEXT
I will use the
dates 20082013
I will now
choose
MAGAZINES

14. STEP 5: FINDING YOUR TEXTS
When you are done reading magazine
articles, then uncheck MAGAZINES and
check NEWS.
 After you are done with NEWS, then unclick
NEWS and choose ACADEMIC JOURNALS.
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Remember: You only need one of each as
long as the text you choose answers your
questions and gives you new knowledge
regarding your topic.

15. STEP 6: CITATIONS
Although you will be putting your citations at
the end of your synthesis, I thought it would
be a good idea to show you how you can get
your formatted citations from this website as
well.
 Once you read your article you will see a
CITE option on the right (see next slide).
 You will then scroll down to MLA (which is
used on the undergrad level and copy and
paste it into your assignment.
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16. STEP 6: CITATIONS
Choose CITE

17. STEP 7: THE SYNTHESIS
As you read your different texts, you will
need to read for information that is new to
you and information that answers some of
the questions you posed earlier.
 It is important that you do not write a
SUMMARY for each text you read. That is
not the assignment. The assignment is to
synthesize the information.
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18. STEP 7: THE SYNTHESIS
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Summary definition: When readers summarize, they
“identify key elements and condense important
information into their own words during and after
reading to solidify meaning.”
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Synthesis definition: When readers synthesize they
merge new information with prior knowledge to form a
new idea, perspective, or opinion or to generate
insight.”
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Therefore, synthesis is an ongoing process. As new
knowledge is acquired, it is synthesized with prior
knowledge to generate new ideas.

19. STEP 8: THE REASON BEHIND THE ASSIGNMENT
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The reason you are completing a synthesis
for your topic is to show me that you are able
to read different types of texts and pull out
main ideas and supporting details. This is
what good critical reading do when they
read.

20. STEP 9: YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
The assignment that you hand in to me can
be written in a less formal manner than a
regular research paper. As always, you must
still follow the conventions of print and
grammatical rules of English, but your tone
may be a little less “research-like” and a bit
more “insightful.”
 See next slide for example.
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21. STEP 9: YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
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Sample final product:
When I first began thinking about researching a topic I realized
I was interested in spousal abuse because I recently saw an
old episode of Oprah and was so torn by women who were
telling their stories about their horrible marriages and
relationships. One of the questions I wrote first for this
assignment was “What type of women allow themselves to be
abused?” When I started research spousal abuse I was
thinking that it was only men who abused women, but as I
started reading about Lisa Robin Kelly who was an actress on
The 70’s Show, I realized that men can also be victims. I
guess I thought that since men are usually larger and stronger
than their wives, the women would always be the victims but
two of the articles I read contrasted this idea. I think had to
shift my question to “What type of people allow themselves to
be abused by their spouses?” (This would continue discussing
these ideas and what I found AND what I think AND how my
thinking changed – if it did)

22. STEP 9: YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
The main question all students want to
know is the length of the final product.
 Your final product should be a minimum of
two-typed pages. I do not see how it would
be possible to synthesize information from
your three cites and share your insights in a
shorter amount of space.
 Your paper should not be longer than fivetyped pages. This is not a research paper,
but a synthesis paper. I want to make sure
you can extract information from texts and
make sense of it.
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23. STEP 9: YOUR FINAL PRODUCT
Of course you will have a list of your citations
using MLA format at the end of your
assignment.
 Please note you do not need a cover page.
 I often use Turnitin.com to ensure that all
student work is original. Plagiarism is ground
for dismissal from class and from the college.
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24. FINAL THOUGHTS
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Use this assignment to learn information about a
topic that interests you.
Be sure to put enough time aside during the next two
weeks to complete this assignment satisfactorily.
If you have any problems finding information about
your topic, you can get assistance through the NCC
Library or email me.
Have fun with this assignment – show me that you
learned some interesting information about your
topic!
Don’t write a research paper! That isn’t the
assignment. Talk me through your synthesis. Read
the sample given.