Skimming is reading the text to get an overall view of the content. This is where you pick out the main points from the text and concentrate on the core idea or message in order to gain a broad understanding of the material.

Scanning is the process of scanning through the entire text looking for a particular word or phrase. This is beneficial to quickly get specific information relating to a question you have. It’s quite easy to miss important things when scanning a document.

Using the skimming and scanning techniques that we learnt in class, I was able to apply them to a couple of texts about Bourgeois. I found this a useful tool and will continue to use to gather information for the essay.

APPLYING THESE TECHNIQUES TO A TEXT

I found this process helped me pick out the relevant points and stay focused on the research needed for the essay question.

• Bourgeois artwork is autobiographical.
• She draws on events in her childhood and she considered making art was both a therapeutic and cathartic process.
• Highly personal content exploring the unconscious, sexual desire, jealousy, betrayal, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and the body.
• Explores double standards relating to gender and sexuality
• Uses sewing a metaphor for repairing human relationships