Tutorial slides for ENGL 106: The Selfie & Other

1. BEAMing Your Selfie
Nicole Branch
Santa Clara University Library
Summer 2016
Lesson adapted from Woodward & Ganski,
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee;
Engaging Ideas by John C. Bean, and
Joseph Bizup, Boston University. Image
courtesy of Flickr user Ayesha Stager.

2. Nicole Branch
Instruction Librarian
Your Librarian
Hi! My name is Nicole and I
am the librarian working
with your course this
summer. I have created this
tutorial to help you find
sources for your
assignments. In addition to
this tutorial, I am available
to support you if you get
stuck– don’t hesitate to
contact me. I can help you
virtually or in person.

3. Objectives
This lesson will help you:
• Plan & execute a search strategy
• Evaluate sources for relevance & purpose
• Discuss potential value of sources
• Select sources for purposes of your assignment

4. Researching Archetypes
You will learn about sources of information that
will help you:
• Develop your archetype character
• Find examples of writing styles associated
with your character
• Find sources to understand & develop style

5. Ways of Categorizing Sources
You have probably learned about different ways of
categorizing information. Academics often talk
about information in certain ways. Examples of
different kinds of categories include:
• Scholarly -------------------------- Popular
• Primary --------------------------- Secondary
• Good -------------------------------- Bad

6. Another Way of Categorizing
Information
These ways of categorizing information can be
very helpful, but they do not focus on how we
USE information. We will be using a way of
categorizing information that focuses on
evaluating sources based on how relevant they
are to your specific purpose.

7. Bizup’s “BEAM”
The method we will be using is called BEAM and it was
developed by a professor named Joseph Bizup. BEAM is
an acronym for four kinds of information sources:
• Background
• Exhibit/Evidence
• Argument
• Method

8. Background
A background source is “any source, assumed to
be noncontroversial, used to provide context…
facts and information”
Examples include:
• Encyclopedia articles
• Biographies
• Historical accounts

9. Exhibit/Evidence
Exhibit sources are sources you analyze or use as
evidence. For this course you might identify a person
that embodies the archetype you would like to create to
serve as an example.
Examples include:
• Examples of person’s work (author, musician,
entertainer, etc.)
• Quotations
• Interviews with the author/musician/entertainer, etc.
• Field observations or research (for fields like sociology)

10. Argument
An argument source is a source that tells you
about “the conversation of critical views and
relevant scholarship” related to the topic.
Examples include:
• Critical reviews of a person’s work
• Scholarly articles on a particular topic

11. Method
Method sources provide information about the
theories or methods the
writer/musician/entertainer or other figure is
employing
Examples include:
• Articles on a particular writing genre or style
• References to particular theories or methods
(feminism, post-colonialism, etc.)

12. Using BEAM Sources
Now that you know a bit about what BEAM
sources are, let’s see how you would use these
sources for your assignments in this course. As
you are developing your archetypes, gathering
BEAM sources will help you develop your
character, understand how to write in the style
of that character, and make decisions about the
topics and structure of your writing.

13. What can you do with these sources
for your writing?
• Understand factors that may impact the “character” of your
archetype/creator
• Understand the historical contact of the archetype/creatorBackground
• Analyze and understand the style of the archetype (word choice,
tone, structure)
Exhibit
• Gather information about how the archetype is perceived by
others
• Gather additional information about the archetype/style/toneArgument
• Explore the genre and style of the archetype as it relates to the
field (of writing, entertainment, art, etc.)
Method
Listed below are specific ways that you can use BEAM sources for
your work in this course.

14. BEAM Your Selfies
For each of your three archetypes, use the mind
map (linked below this slideshow on the
research guide) to brainstorm sources for each
BEAM element. See the next slide for an
example.

15. Example
In this example, I was
working with an archetype
that I called the “brash
woman.” I first picked a
real-life figure who I felt
embodied this archetype
(Amy Schumer) and then I
brainstormed what
information/sources I might
look for to help me craft my
archetype:
• Background:
biographies and
interviews of Amy
Schumer and
background on women
in comedy
• Exhibit: a transcript of
an Amy Schumer sketch
or a book written by
her
• Argument: Popular and
scholarly articles about
women and humor
• Method: Articles about
comedic techniques
that Amy uses

16. Finding BEAM Sources
Now that you know you have thought about
what you might like to find to help you develop
your archetypes, you will need to find those
sources. While general Internet searches can be
useful, you will also find quality information and
articles in the library databases. The next slide
suggests where you might go to find different
kinds of information.

17. Where will you find these sources?
• Look for encyclopedia entries and biographies in:
• Reference sources (Wikipedia, CREDO, Gale Virtual Reference)
• Gale Artemis (biographies)Background
• Look for the complete text of a figure’s work or interviews in:
• OSCAR Library Catalog (books)
• Gale Artemis (primary sources)
• Google
Exhibit
• Look for reviews, interviews, and critiques in:
• Gale Artemis (for literature)
• Communication Source (for pop culture figures/genres)
• Film & Television Index (for film and television figures)
Argument
• Look for scholarly articles on genres/styles or theories/methods in:
• Gale Artemis (for literature)
• Communication Source (for pop culture figures/genres)
• Film & Television Index (for film and television figures)
Method

18. Find Sources
• The research guide for this class has a tab for
each kind of BEAM information source
• Using the suggested databases, find sources to
help develop your archetype and for your
upcoming assignment
• Have a system to keep track of what you find.
The library databases have the option to email
copies of articles– this can be a great way to keep
track of articles.

19. Don’t hesitate to contact me!
Nicole Branch
nbranch@scu.edu
x5436