Information Cycle (Types of Sources) (conducted by Dora Rowe)
Follows the publication progression from immediate response on social media, through written news media, then scholarly articles and finally to monographs.
Developing Criteria for Appropriate Sources (conducted by Dora Rowe)
Provides pre-made, concrete tools to use as students begin their searching journey, and encourages them to develop their own criteria for winnowing out “fake news” and shoddy scholarship.
Identifying and Using Commentaries (conducted by Robin McCall)
Differentiates between commentary series intended for academic research vs. devotional reading, and explores how different series offer different hermeneutical perspectives on the Bible.
Brainstorming and Refining Question Arguments (conducted by Robin McCall)
Introduces methods for choosing research topics, identifying questions that will guide research, and articulating a clear and arguable thesis based on those research questions.
Primary Source Research (conducted by Robin McCall)
Provides instruction on conducting primary-source research using the writings of a particular theologian, biblical manuscripts, Jewish texts, or online primary-source databases.
Source Evaluation (conducted by Dora Rowe)
A discussion on how a specific source is evaluated based on publisher, currency, abstract, author, etc. We will identify basic criteria that can be used in this process.
Identifying a Textual Bias (conducted by Dora Rowe)
Sometimes finding internal bias within a source isn’t easy. This is a discussion on close reading a text and developing skills to recognize an author’s unintentional implicit and/or hidden biases.
Identifying Diverse Sources (conducted by Robin McCall)
This a discussion of why it is important to seek out diverse scholarly voices in your research, how doing so will enrich your academic and theological work, and where to find source material.