Blog Homework, Due 2/28, 10pm

Post a comment on the Rhetoric, Arguments and Opinion post and give two (2) example of logical fallacies in action from our handout, using your own words. The examples could be hypothetical but it would be best if they were something you have seen in real life.

Blog Homework Due 2/26 10pm

Go on Facebook and find an online article that a friend has posted. Try to find a story that was designed to get you to feel emotional about a situation or current event. 

If you don't use Facebook or can't find a link, go to www.twitter.com/search and search for a current event that interests you. Make sure the post includes a link to an online article.
 
1. Provide a link to the article and briefly describe what it is about. 
2. Is the author stating opinions or making an argument? If it’s an argument, what evidence does he or she offer in support? Does the author emotionalize the topic? If so, how? Can you identify any logical fallacies?

Reading: Week of 2/25

1. Some examples of logical fallacies from the 2012 Presidential Race. Please read and watch the short videos demonstrating them:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/08/25/159990177/a-guide-to-spotting-pretzel-logic-on-the-campaign-trail

2. Confirmation bias, the powerful psychological force that makes it difficult to consider other viewpoints:

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/06/23/confirmation-bias/

Arguments and Opinion: 2/25

Opinion: A belief or point of view that is formed without consulting available evidence (for example, formed on the basis of instinct or emotion)

In contrast, a good argument includes:

    A position on a particular topic

    Reasons to support that position

    Evidence that supports those reasons

    A consideration of other possible answers

    A logical, organized structure

Turning an Opinion into an Argument

"You can turn your opinions into arguments by researching the subject in question. Look for evidence to support a particular point of view - but also look at any evidence that contradicts your own opinions.

Being aware of counter-arguments will help you to clarify and sharpen your own ideas. You may also decide to change or adapt your opinions in the light of new evidence." (Univ of Bradford)

Why This is So Difficult: The Confirmation Bias

Definition: A tendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses. People display this bias when they gather or remember information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way.

The effect is stronger for emotionally charged issues and for deeply entrenched beliefs. For example, in reading about gun control, people usually prefer sources that affirm their existing attitudes. (from Wikipedia)

"Researchers are sometimes guilty of confirmation bias by setting up experiments or framing their data in ways that will tend to confirm their hypotheses." (from Skeptic's Dictionary)

When Arguments Go Bad: Types of Logical Fallacies

Ad Hominem

Attacking your opponent's character or personal traits instead of engaging with his or her argument.

Appeals to Emotion

Manipulating an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument.

Anecdotal

Using personal experience or an isolated example instead of a valid argument, especially to dismiss statistics.

Black-or-white

Where two alternative states are presented as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.

Appeal to Authority

Using the opinion or position of an authority figure, or institution of authority, in place of an actual argument.

False Cause

Presuming that a real or perceived relationship between things means that one is the cause of the other.

Strawman

Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.

Review for Mid-Term Exam, 2/20 In-Class

The format:

• Multiple-choice
• True/False
• Short Answer

Major themes covered:

• Evaluation Criteria, the CRAAP test

• The Research Process (characteristics of good research questions, etc) 

• Different types of information sources (books, journal articles, magazines; primary/secondary/tertiary; special collections, etc)

• The Information Cycle

• The UWG Library Catalog

• Databases (interdisciplinary and subject-specific)

What to study:

• Class Handouts and In-Class Exercises (Find these files in CourseDen if you can't find your copy)
• Evaluating Information - Applying the CRAAP Test
• The Research Process
• Database Searching with Academic Search Complete
• Database Searching 2
• Presentations from Class (Find in CourseDen)
• The Research Process
• Types of Information Sources (and the Information Cycle)
• Course Blog Posts
• Recap: Finding Articles and Books
• Library Basics
• Scholarly vs. Popular Reading Assignments

Blog Post due 2/14 10pm

1) How did the process of "presearch" (background searching, the Topic Selection Assignment and in-class research) help you refine or even change your topic? Do you think you need to narrow or broaden your research question still? Please write your current research question with any improvements you think should be made. 

2) Identify one print book in the UWG Library, locate it in the stacks and check it out. Write its title and call number in your blog post.

(You might pick one of the two you chose for the Topic Selection Worksheet. If you can't find anything closely related to your topic, choose a book that helps give some general background on your broader topic area.

Recap: Finding Articles and Books, In-Class 2/13

Book Searching Tips in the UWG Library Catalog:

Not just keyword searches. Use the drop-down menu to limit to Title, Author, Journal Title or Subject. Or click "Advanced Search" for more options.

After doing a search, use the limits on the left side of the screen to narrow your search:

• Format (different type of source ex. Book, Electronic, Microform, Video, Journal)

• Call Number (sorts by the discipline of the book)

• And More

Click the "Sort" drop-down menu in the center and order by "Date Descending" for the most recent results first

Once you've found a promising book

Click on the title to see the book details. For print books, click Google Preview to look inside the book or view the Table of Contents. Make sure the status reads "Not Checked Out" and note the call number (you can text or email the call # to yourself)

Read the call number to see if it is located on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Here's an example:

LB1044.87 .C735 2012 

First step: the letters at the beginning. Find out where the LB section is. (Those letters tell you the category of the book; LB is "theory of education," if you wanted to know.)

 

A-H call numbers are shelved on 2nd floor; J-Z on 3rd

Find the LB section and then look for the numbers immediately following the first letters: 1044.87 (Read it as a whole number with two decimal places: 1,044.87)

Then look for the next group of numbers and letters (.C735) (By letter alphabetically and then the number as a decimal: .735)

and finally the year (2012)

For ebooks, read it instantly by clicking "An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view"

Finding more books that are like it:

In the catalog:

In the book details page click "Subjects" to find more books like it. Also look at the "Similar Items" on the right side.

In the library:

Since the books are grouped by subject, so the ones next to it on the shelf will cover similar topics and you might find them useful.

Databases- Where You'll Find Journal Articles  

Database - a searchable, organized collection of data. In this class we are talking about article databases, but in addition to scholarly sources they also have magazines, newspaper articles and other published works.

GALILEO (our virtual library) -->  Database (ex. Academic Search Complete) --> Journal (The Journal of Neuroscience) --> Article ("Reduced CHT Expression Impairs Attention" by
Vinay Parikh et. al.)

General/Interdisciplinary databases - contain some information about all topics (ex. = Academic Search Complete, ProQuest Research Library)

Subject-specific databases - focus on one topic and include more specialized information (ex. = Sociological Abstracts, MLA International Bibliography)

Also impotant: Vendor (EBSCOHost) vs. Database (Academic Search Complete)

Where to find databases?

From library homepage:

1. GALILEO & Databases (best if you know the title of a database, or want to browse all the databases by type or subject)

2. Research & Citation Guides (best for browsing a subject and finding the most relevant databases)

Blog Homework due 2/12 at 10pm

So far, how is the research process we've used in this class different from how you used to do research? What are you still confused about that we've covered in class over the past couple weeks, or what do you wish we'd talk about more relating to research?

Blog Homework due 2/7, 10pm

How might you be able to utilize special collections in your research, either for this class, another class you are taking, or a course you would like to take in the future?

In your words, what makes special collections an important part of the research process?

Reading for W 2/6

As you finish up your Topic Selection Worksheets (which are due Wednesday 2/6 at 10am), please read carefully this presentation on Creating Research Questions. It's a good summary of the concepts we covered in class about the research process and should be helpful.

Creating Research Questions (Prezi)