Candice, I have no objection to undergrads using encyclopedias in order to
orient themselves in an unfamiliar subject, even to the extent of quoting
factual information from them as long as it has been double checked. In a
formal research paper, I wouldn't want all the references to be from such
sources. But the truth is, except for some majors in the liberal arts, the
formal research paper is pretty much a thing of the past. In the undergrad
lit courses I teach I encourage the use of reference materials --
encyclopedias but especially the OED -- as an aid to understanding the text
& its immediate context. A student writing on Blake's "London," for
instance, would probably need to look up the words "ban" & "chartered" in
order to understand Blake's meaning. And they might resort to an
encyclopedia or other reference work to find out something about 18th
century London & the Napoleonic wars. Depending on the level of the course,
that might be a starting point or an ending point.
jd
--
Joseph Duemer
Professor of Humanities
Clarkson University
[sharpsand.net]
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