Embedding the New Information Literacy Framework in Undergraduate Political Science Courses

Abstract

What information can I trust? What sources should I include in my paper? Where can I find a quote that fits my argument? Undergraduates ask instructors, classmates, and/or librarians these questions. Meanwhile, instructors bemoan the gap between their expectations for student writing and the finished products. Navigating a large volume of scholarship and critically evaluating potential sources is straightforward for faculty who have long passed key information literacy (IL) thresholds. However, students usually have not reached these thresholds themselves. We offer practical tools—grounded in a new framework for teaching IL—to address these challenges. We demonstrate how instructors can (and should) teach IL skills, with or without direct assistance from librarians. We recommend encouraging students to build context around information sources and slow down as they search. Implementing these tools moves students from passively synthesizing a limited set of (possibly biased) materials to engaging in genuine scholarly inquiry.

Everywhere and Nowhere: Information Literacy in the Political Science Classroom

“…In 2006, McGuinness (2006, 573–74) suggested that “despite an ideological commitment to pedagogical innovation within the postsecondary sector, in many cases, the inclusion of IL, both as a desired outcome and as a tool of undergraduate education, remains an aspiration rather than a fully realized ideal.” In 2022, the impression remains that this aspiration is yet to be realized. Considering the situation in the political science classroom, Harden and Harden (2020, 347) remarked, “[f]aculty often place such a high premium on substantive knowledge in their classes that they overlook the need to help students develop those skills during the course of a term.”…”

“…Specifically, it argues that IL skills are critical for students who are attempting to navigate the political world. Harden and Harden (2020, 345) go as far as to argue that “teaching IL is perhaps even more important for political science faculty compared to other disciplines.” The literature also suggests that political science students tend to arrive at college lacking the necessary IL skills. They often are not aware of this lacuna; faculty members, however, are aware of their students’ shortcomings (Shannon and Shannon 2016, 458).…”

“…The difference is that Shannon and Shannon (2016)—in line with McGuinness (2006) and DaCosta (2010)—do not have much faith in the willingness and enthusiasm of faculty to take IL sufficiently seriously. Thus, they want to center IL education around the known information expert (i.e., the librarian), whereas Harden and Harden (2020)—like Bury (2016) and Dawes (2019)—have a more optimistic perception of faculty, suggesting that they can take greater responsibility for future IL education. To discern which is the best path, our research adds to the literature something that thus far is missing: a comprehensive survey of political science faculty attitudes toward IL education.…”

“…In a recent article that explores attempts to embed an innovative information literacy (IL) framework in undergraduate political science courses, Harden and Harden (2020, 344) claimed that “Political science faculty often express discontent over undergraduate students’ lack of preparedness for college-level research and writing.” A particular concern is the perceived failure of many students to use appropriate sources in their coursework, an indication that they are not as information literate as they need to be to thrive in the political science classroom. Using data compiled from a worldwide survey of political science faculty, this article explores this observation in detail.…”

Research for All: Creating Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences Across the Curriculum

“…If that seems overwhelming, there are other smaller ways to move these courses away from being content-focused. Faculty could work with students to develop their basic information literacy skills, giving them the tools to contextualize information and evaluate sources (Harden and Harden 2019). Faculty might also encourage greater research literacy by teaching students how to read an academic article.…”