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SSI2-127: Hip-Hop Philosophy

BEAM Framework

BEAM is a framework for thinking about the various ways in which a resource might be used to make a researched argument.

What could a writer do with this source?

Background: general information, establish facts

Exhibit: explicate, interpret, analyze

Argument: affirm, dispute, refine, extend

Method: critical lens, key terms, theory, style, perspective, discourse

 

BEAM Model

 

Source Function

Explanation

Examples

Common Locations

Background

Factual and noncontroversial information, providing context

Encyclopedia articles, overviews in books, statistics, historical facts

Introduction

Exhibit/Evidence

Data, observations, objects, artifacts, documents that can be analyzed

Text of a novel, field observations, focus group transcriptions, questionnaire data, results of an experiment, interview data (primary sources)

Body, Results section

Argument

Critical views from other scholars and commentators; part of the academic conversation

Scholarly articles, books, critical reviews (e.g. literacy criticism), editorials

Body, sometimes in Introduction or in Literature Review

Method (or Theory)

Reference to methods or theories used, usually explicit though may be implicit; approach or research methodology used

Part of books or articles with reference to theorists (e.g. Foucault, Derrida) or theory (e.g. feminism, post-colonialism, new historicism etc.); information on a research methodology

Methods section or referenced in Introduction or Body

https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/beam

Using the BEAM Framework Example

Roach, S. (2019), Black Respectable Currency: Reading Black Feminism and Sexuality in Contemporary Performance. J Am Cult, 42: 10-20. https://doi-org.ezproxy.ups.edu:2443/10.1111/jacc.12970

 

  1. Which BEAM category does this source fit into? There could be more than one.
  2. Why did the author write this? Was it to persuade or to inform?
  3. How does the author use sources in their writing? Try to categorize as many as you can in the time allotted.

 

Using the BEAM Framework Exercises

Analyzing individual sources

  1. Which BEAM category does your source fit into? There could be more than one.
  2. Why did the author write this? Was it to persuade or to inform?
  3. How does the author use sources in their writing? Try to categorize as many as you can in the time allotted.
  4. What keywords, concepts, or phrases might help you search and find more sources?
  5. What does the information (gleaned from the source) add to your overall topic?

How do these sources work together in one paper?

  1. What do these sources add to your topic?
  2. Can an argument be made using all of them together?
  3. How could you use this strategy (BEAM Framework) in the future?