Ask students to apply the SIFT method to the authors of the books, chapters, and articles assigned for the course. What can they find out about them? Do they seem like people we should listen to or think about on these subjects? Some authors have more than one job, for example Siva Vaidhyanathan has worked as both a journalist and a professor. So which is he? Why? What makes him one or the other? What makes him someone worth reading on media topics (if indeed you think that he is)?)
Considerations
Applying SIFT to claims that seem real but are actually dubious is a fun exercise, but it is also important for students to get a feel for what it looks like when it is reasonable to believe a claim or take a source seriously. SIFTing the authors of readings assigned in your course will give them experience of what it “should” look like, of what it looks and feels like when someone is an appropriate source on a topic.