LibGuides: UGS 303: Playing and Writing / Lynn: Explore viewpoints within a topic

It is really easy to find people that agree with you...

But really difficult to find viewpoints that are opposed to our own. This can be for a couple reasons:

Confirmation bias - this is when we test out a hypothesis in a one-sided way (as in searching: 'was 9/11 a hoax?')
Selective exposure - this is when we show a tendency to pay attention to information that supports our current beliefs

Even when we try really hard to avoid these tendencies, we still don't know how to search for opposing viewpoints because we don't know about those viewpoints and how people talk about them.

Think beyond pro/con on an issue - there are many reasons someone might oppose something or support it.

Explore topics in encyclopedias

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
take notes on controversies you uncover here. Use the bibliographies when available.
Updated regularly. A database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources. Fully searchable across all files. A list of sources included in our subscription is available.
For more information on ebooks see the Ebook Guide
Wikipedia This link opens in a new window
There aren't many reasons to cite Wikipedia in your paper, but it's a good place to see what people are arguing about. Like other encyclopedias, a Wikipedia article will likely give you an idea of various controversies in a topic. It may also have an ok bibliography.
Updated continually. A multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model. The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.

Example Topic Exploration Process

For your next paper, you have to investigate an area of your life about which you are passionate and relate it to class discussion about the anthropology of play - you need to find sources that support your argument about this topic, and at least one source that disagrees with your argument.

Example topic - this is an idea that I'm exploring; it is not a thesis statement.

comparison of importance of prayer or mediation in school versus physical education or recess (I learned all this in Wikipedia!)
- Some people think prayer or meditation in school leads to healthy moral development
  - Some people think it promotes the majority religion, interfering with those who do not practice the majority religion
- Some people think that recess or PE in school is important to social development
  - Some people think recess and PE take time away from academics, impacting test scores
- What do I think? (I don't know until I read all the evidence)

What next steps would I take?

I like to read a variety of encyclopedia articles - each of these wikipedia articles was very brief - I want deeper discussion and more sources to explore - I would search Gale EBooks or Credo and then try searches in article databases
As I read about various viewpoints, I want to record keywords that get at the heart of disagreements. What words do folks use on either side on an argument?