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SLO3, ARTIFACT 3:
Discussion Board Post on Information Literacy I wrote this discussion board post in response to the writings of librarians Jonathan Cope and Angela Pashia. In it, I explore Cope’s and Pashia’s ideas about challenging scholarly authority, ideas which strongly support the “Authority is Constructed and Contextual” principle of the ACRL Framework. What resonated most with me in Cope’s 2009 piece “Information Literacy and Social Power” was his statement that “students are asked by educators to use ‘authoritative’ sources without critically examining the systems in which that ‘authority’ is established and articulated” (p.16). Cope’s words led me to do more reading on the topic of scholarly review, a process with which I gained some experience during my time as an administrative assistant. As I noted in my discussion board post, I was shocked when I read former British Medical Journal editor Richard Smith’s assertion that there is little to show that peer review actually makes academic papers any better. This, to me, illustrates the importance of scrutinizing traditional practices rather than just accepting them at face value. Pashia stressed the need to encourage students’ use of diverse sources in research, something which I agree is very important. While I tend to think of social media more in relation to misinformation than to research, Pashia made me question this bias and think about social media in a more positive way. Recalling social media users’ critiques of mainstream news coverage during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, she explained how social media content can challenge a dominant media narrative in critical ways. The ideas that Cope and Pashia articulated will factor strongly into my teaching of information literacy. I am especially committed to supporting the use of alternative, non-mainstream news sources, as they are sometimes the only sources in which marginalized and minority populations are allowed to have their say. |