Students are required to complete a critical summary of the social movement theories (Cultural turn: Framing theory) covered on week 5 in Module 1 Guidebook. This task is designed to ensure that you understand the theories before applying them to practice in Assessment item 2. This includes 4 critical summaries completed in total.

Each summary should:
• Summarise, in your own words, the theory including key concepts and how social movements are understood and explained from this theoretical perspective
• Evaluate the significance of the theory for explaining and analysing historical or contemporary social change referring to a specific example
• Draw on the required reading for the corresponding week and at least one scholarly source from the bounded set of literature for each week.
• Incorporate in text citations and a reference list with the relevant readings
• Indicate the word length at the end of each summary. The word count should not be more than 10% over or under the word limit – marks may be deducted if it is.

A Guide to writing a critical summary
In this case, a critical summary is a concise review of a theory that combines a summary and critical comments based on your judgements and interpretations of the theory drawing on academic scholarship.
Writing a critical reading summary involves analysis and evaluation. You need to:
Understand and communicate the main points, key arguments and key concepts of the theory in your own words.
o Ask yourself: What are the main points, key arguments and key concepts and what do I understand them to mean? How are social movements understood and explained from this theoretical perspective?
Analyse the theory
o Ask yourself: What are some questions that this theory raises for me? What are the strengths and limitations of the theory for explaining, understanding or analysing a specific example of historical or contemporary social change (i.e. a particular social movement)?
Evaluate the theory
o Ask yourself: Now that I have analysed the theory and discussed its strengths and weaknesses what value does this theory have/ how useful is this theory for explaining