FYS: So, Where Are You From? (Stigter-Hayden)

Welcome to the LibGuide for the First Year Seminar:

So, Where Are You From?

This guide is meant to help you develop the skills and tools to accomplish your course objectives:

• To reflect on significant questions about yourself, your community, and your world.
• To develop the capacity to read and think critically.
• To develop the capacity to write clear and persuasive expository and argumentative essays with an emphasis on thesis formation and development.
• To gain an understanding of basic principles of oral communication as they apply to classroom discussion.
• To understand the liberal arts as a vital and evolving tradition and to see yourself as agents within that tradition.
• To develop capacities for careful and open reflection on questions of values and norms.
• To develop the ability to carry out research for the purpose of inquiry and to support claims.

The library (and your librarian) are here to help you! Use us early and often!

Determining the "best" sources to read will always have some degree of subjectivism, but this chart, prepared by Vanessa Otero, provides a good look at some of the more reliable sources, as well as ones to avoid. 

Read more about criteria Otero used to prepare the guide here.

You should also consult Forbes' piece, "10 Journalism Brands Where You Find Real Facts Rather Than Alternative Facts."

• Allsides
  A website for seeing the various political takes on a given article.
• Fake or Real? How to Self-Check the News and Get the Facts

  A handy guide for evaluating news sources. Also works for really any kind of source you're consulting.

• Can You Tell Fake News From Real?

  Measure your abilities against the students in this study. We hope you do better than they did.

• School Libraries Fight Fake News

  An overview of initiatives some school libraries are pursuing

• FactCheck.Org

  A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheck.org is a fantastic resource to discern the truth behind all kinds of political, scientific and public policy claims.

• How to Recognize a Fake News Story

  Provide 9 tips for evaluating a news story

• Snopes

  Another great resource for investigating internet rumors and urban legends

• The Best Tips for Spotting Fake News in the Age of Trump

  An excellent piece written by an AP US History teacher for Teen Vogue, which has been publishing thoughtful and well-researched articles

• Want to resist the post-truth age? Learn to analyze photos like an expert would

  Tips on applying evaluative, critical thinking skills to photographs

• Real or fake? Take our fake news quiz to find out

  Excellent step-by-step checklist for evaluating news sources

• Websites that Post Fake and Satirical Stories

  From Fact Check.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, listing sites known to post fake stories

• News Literacy Project

  The News Literacy Project develops programs that teach students how to evaluate claims in the news; it also provides an excellent quick check on various rumors.

• Fake News Aimed at American Liberals is on the Rise

  An interview with Brooke Binkowski, managing editor at Snopes, discussing the uptick in fake news coming from the left