Research Guide for English 102: Re-seeing the World
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Prepared by Elinor Appel Handout (print version)
NSCC Library (this will open in a new window) Image source: Boise Art Museum, "Artist Mind/WorldView" by Viola Frey |
Books
Reference Books - use these books for background information and to look up specific topics. Reference books vary in their approach and content, so consider which angles are appropriate to your research. Some examples:
- Handbook of Children and the Media [Ref HQ784.T4 S533 2001]
- Encyclopedia of Communication and Information [Ref P87.5.E53 2002]
- From Talking Drums to the Internet [Ref P96 T42 G374 1997]
- History of the Mass Media in the United States [Ref P92.U5 H55 1998]
- International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family [Ref HQ9.E52 2003]
Circulating Books - use these books to find more in-depth information on your topic.
Refer to Finding Books for tips on searching the catalog using keywords and subject headings. Click on the subject headings you turn up to find more books on your topic. Examples of the range of subject headings you may find:
- Children and war--Case studies
- Information technology --Moral and ethical aspects
- Internet --Social aspects
- Iraq War, 2003-
- Mass media and children
- Popular culture --United States --History
- Sex in advertising --United States
Once you find a title or two in the catalog, locate them in the circulating collection upstairs and then browse the shelves in that area for more books on your topic. Some examples:
Bodies - Sex in Popular Culture
Advertising (Opposing Viewpoints) [HF5831.A34 2006]
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, A Guide to Creating Great Ads [HF5825.S88 2003]
Media Messages: What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach us About Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation [P94.5.M552 U646 2000]
Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age [HQ 471 .L26 2000]
Sex, Art, and American Culture [E169.12.P33 1992]
Children & Families in the 21st Century
Remote Control Childhood [P94.5.C55 L48 1998]
The Lesbian Parenting Book [HQ75.53.C58 2003]
Technologies & Their Impacts
Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut [HM221.S515 1998]
The Information Revolution (opposing Viewpoints) [T58.5.I526 2004]
The Media Globe: Trends in International Mass Media [P 96.I5 M424 2007] - on New Books shelf
War and Peace
Overthrow: America’s century of regime change from Hawaii to Iraq [E744.K49 2007] - on the New Books shelf
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace -- One School at a Time [ LC2330.M67 2007] - checked out
Refer to Finding Articles for tips on how to search a periodical database using keywords and topics. Remember to "talk to the database" using Boolean logic or other search symbols. Also consider your keywords. For instance, searching a database combining broad terms like "technology" or "impact" will be less successful than combining specific terms like "ipod" and "teenagers."
- and – for combining concepts/keywords, will narrow the search: advertising and men
- or – when you are using related terms, will broaden the search: men or male
- “ ” – when you are using a phrase: “male model”
- * – when the terms have related stems: advertis* for advertising, advertisements
- ( ) – to organize your search phrase: advertis* and (men or male)
Suggested periodical databases:
- ProQuest - general database with articles ranging from news to scholarly
- Academic Search Premier - another general database with a range of articles
- eLibrary - database includes multimedia resources in addition to book and periodical articles
Suggested reference databases:
- ARTstor - a database of images and art
- CQ Electronic Library - database containing current public policy reports
- Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center - provides pros and cons to numerous controversial topics
Refer to Searching the Internet for tips on searching the Internet effectively using Google. Simply limiting your search by domain (site:edu or site:gov) is often a good way to start. Remember to consider your search terms: loaded terms like sex and war will likely bring up very different results in Youtube or Google than they will in a periodical or reference database! A few web sites:
- Arthur A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, publications - written by faculty, students, affiliates of this peace institute
- Internet Archive - provides free access to digital resources like websites, texts, movies, and more
- Internet Public Library's Pathfinders - online guides grouped by topic and subject area
- Librarians' Internet Index - more links to "websites you can trust"
- Pew Internet and American Life Project - research, reports and statistics on current issues in the U.S.
- Social and Human Sciences Online Periodicals - links to online journals from around the world, provided by UNESCO Information Services
- Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us - YouTube snippet
- Why We Fight - award-winning 2005 film from BBC4 (see also earlier propaganda movies by the same title, also available here on the Internet Archive); caveats: this film may be removed at the request of its creator; production details are false
MLA Style & Annotated Bibliographies
You will be formatting your bibliography according to the MLA citation style guide. Other citation links:
- Citation Style Guides, North Seattle Community College
- Guide to MLA Style for Citations, George Mason University
Still confused? Librarians will be glad to help you further.
An annotated bibliography includes a brief description of each resource, including both a summary and an evaluation.
This page has some good annotation examples. You will find plenty of others on the Web, including:
- Annotated Bibliographies, Owl Writing Center at Purdue University
- How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography, Cornell University
Your instructor has also given you information on how to write the annotated bibliography for this assignment.
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