IL and Framing Sources in FYW

FYW Faculty Workshop, Fall 2024

Learning Outcomes

• LO1a: Write in ways appropriate to the audiences and occasions of each assignment
• LO1b: Write effectively in or about multiple discourses by distinguishing among and responding to rhetorical contexts
• LO2: Apply relevant and compelling content, based on strong understandings of assigned subjects, in order to write effectively across multiple types of discourse
• LO3a: Use credible sources to develop ideas and arguments that are effective within assigned disciplines and discourses
• LO3b: Cite sources accurately according to conventions of the topic and discipline
• LO4: Write clearly and fluently, with few errors in syntax and grammar

It’s Embedded

Information literacy related to writing within and about �“multiple discourses”

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In groups: What does it mean…?

…to teach students to write within and about “multiple discourses”?

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…why?

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Please report back a few thoughts.

Traditional “Research Paper”

What do our students think of when they hear “research paper”?

The good:

• Self-directed
• Curiosity, active learning, “deeper” investigation of a topic
• Finding their own sources requires evaluating sources (IL)

The “meh”:

• What they produce = descriptive, flattened-out reporting of facts

The bad:

• Teaching it well is incredibly time-intensive

Let’s be precise

LO3a: Use credible sources to develop ideas and arguments that are effective within assigned disciplines and discourses

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Not necessarily locate, independent or self-guided topic exploration, curated list (annotated bibliography), propose, select, organize, multiple sources in extended project

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These are great skills, but in most Writing Programs, these are more the domain of second semester composition

Let’s be precise

LO3a: Use credible sources to develop ideas and arguments that are effective within assigned disciplines and discourses

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Is an encyclopedia a “credible source”?

Sure. But what’s the problem here?

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Could non-expert commentary be a “credible source”?

Sure. But how and when?

Could an argument overloaded with fallacies and “bias” be a “credible source”?

It’s complicated. It *could* be quite “effective” for a paper. When?

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Could an example of a topic’s representation in pop culture be a “credible source”?

Yeah. But what kind of framing would be needed?

A More Precise Definition

Given our focus on “multiple discourses”:

IL as knowing how to frame disparate sources appropriately, depending on the type of source and its intended use

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Can your students do this?

Mine can’t.

• First person narrative (creative nonfiction) from a conflicted housed resident
• Documentary by the El Cajon Police Department (demonstrating prevalence of drug use)
• Interviews with the unhoused from Invisible People Project
• Op-Eds (written mainly by politicians or community advocates) on forced relocation policies
• Scholarly research articles

Let’s collect ideas

A Writing Program working doc

Resources for teaching research-based composition

How to effectively frame disparate sources in academic writing:

• Mini-research tasks, rather than one long project
• Each task has a sharp, defined, limited rhetorical purpose
• Distributed across the semester, rather than just as one unit at the end?

Example: popular source

• Find an article on a current event that gives you a great idea for a “focusing incident” style introduction. Come to class ready to share how you use the source to set up your paper.

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What questions do students need to think about before using this type of source in an academic paper? What mistakes might you see?

Example: popular source

Opinion (Editorial, Commentary)

• Find an op-ed that uses counterargument in a way you find effective. Write an entire paragraph analyzing how it works. Do you think it’s good enough to persuade a skeptical audience? Does it represent the oppositional viewpoint fairly? (avoid straw man)�
• Select a quote from an op-ed that strikes you as a “zinger” (or at least, super strategic or meant to get attention). Come to class prepared to share how you would use it to spice up your own paper.�
• “Scavenge” a credible fact or statistic referenced in an op-ed for your own paper. What would you have to do to cite it?

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What questions do students need to think about before using this type of source in an academic paper? What mistakes do you commonly see?

In Groups

Share with your group, then everyone:

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1. Ideas for a short informal assignment where students find a popular source.
• Not a research project or long paper. A small task with an immediate rhetorical purpose in mind.
2. How would you teach what’s needed to properly frame the source? (What could/do students often get “wrong”?)

Scholarly sources

Poll: Do your students know how to read these, let alone use them as “credible sources”?

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Example: Teaching How to Read

One approach: Restrict their lens to research articles. Ask them to annotate a PDF:

Skim the abstract, looking if you can easily detect:

• “A problem,” open question, or issue
• How the article “addresses” or “solves” it

Stop: Is this the right article for you?

Skim the intro, looking for a one-sentence statement of:

• The open question, problem, or issue
• “What this article will do” to address the issue
• “How this study will do it”

Skim the body, looking for::

• “Here is the new information” (finding, take-away: this can be hard!)

Framing (Using) Scholarly Sources

Throw the question back to students:

“This is advanced content, written by experts, vetted by other experts. What are some ways to use it in your writing?”

Example: Options (discipline-specific)

Surface? (passing reference to the study as a whole, or a key finding)

• Academic scholarship has investigated this issue, with one study concluding that economically, the issue is already resolved (Smith).

Selective? (spot-select a finding)

• Looking at this problem in some detail, Smith concludes that…[insert detailed paraphrase of relevant finding]

Full Treatment? (high-level paraphrase of the study project, what it does, and one finding)

• Smith conducted research that investigated the economics of this issue, through a survey sent to all impacted constituents. The findings of the study reveal that the trend is….. Smith describes the implications of the study as being relevant to, [“quote “pulled from the reading.]

In groups

For your group to discuss:

What are your ideas for a short activity for finding, reading, using scholarly sources?

How can you pre-teach framing strategies? What “mistakes” do you commonly see?

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