[Teaching_Composition] What drafts can tell us about infromation literacy

[Norgaard Rolf]

Hi all,

It's the middle of November, and we're all surely knee deep in student
drafts.  About this time of the semester, I am sometimes discouraged by
drafts that suggest the student is merely going through the motions, and
always encouraged when a student understands the *positive* uses of
citation.

Far from merely being a device to cover one's behind or forestall
questions of plagiarism, citation can frame questions, establish currency
and credibility, advertise allegiances, and explore disagreements and open
questions.  Given the drafts that you have on your desk, what are you
observing about how students handle the "pragmatics of citation"?

What are you seeing in those drafts that speak to the need to rethink our
treatment of information literacy and of digital technologies?  (I for one
am very interested in rhetoricizing our approach-that is, linking
information literacy more closely to rhetorical issues and writing
processes.)

Likewise, what are you seeing in those drafts that speaks to student
perceptions and practices--or to borrow a term from Goffman, the
"underlife" of information literacy?   How might those perceptions and
practices challenge us in productive ways?

Just a few more days until that Thanksgiving Break!

Best, Rolf

Dr. Rolf Norgaard                   Environmental Design Bldg., Rm. 1B64
Program for Writing and Rhetoric    Campus Box 317
University of Colorado at Boulder   VOX: 303-492-3605  FAX: 303-492-7877
Boulder, CO 80309-0317              rolf.norgaard@colorado.edu