WMNST 1: Introduction to Women's Studies

Introduction to Women's Studies (Simpson)

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Amy Deuink
Title: Reference Librarian

Robert E. Eiche Library
Penn State Altoona

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Course Info

Course Name:
  WMNST 1: Introduction to Women's Studies
Semester:
  Fall
Campus:
  Penn State Altoona
Instructor:
  Megan Simpson

Assignment

Today in Class: In preparation for the research you will be conducting for your synthesis paper, today in class I will introduce you to the variety of resources available to you through the library. We will also discuss the value of libraries in a Google world and what makes a scholarly source "scholarly."

For reference, I've included some instructions for your assignment, along with a few notes. Please refer to your course materials for the complete assignment.

Synthesis Paper: Exploring Your Own Burning Question

The task: Analyze an issue, problem, or question about women and/or gender that is of central interest to you. Articulate your topic in the form of a question that gets to the heart of the issue. (The best questions are “burning”—that is, they feel very urgent & important, yet they don’t seem to have simple or certain answers.) Then, explore this question. In your exploration, synthesize ideas, information, and perspectives from relevant course readings and two additional carefully chosen outside sources. What insight can you gain into this question? What possible conclusions can you come to? What remains uncertain or unclear (or, what continuing/ongoing research would you recommend on the topic?).

You may take an explanatory or a persuasive approach. For instance, if your topic is about gender and the social construction of gender, more specifically, the question of raising boys in ways that both prepare them for a world in which they will be judged by strict codes of masculinity and allow them to be whole human beings capable of a range of healthy responses to experience and others (strong and caring, brave and communicative, etc.), you might

1) Explain what approaches other parents are taking who have this particular concern (explanatory)

2) Explore what difficulties/challenges parents with this goal will face (explanatory)

3) Suggest a best course of action/strategies (problem/solution = persuasive)

4) Argue –with reasons--that it’s important to try to raise sons this way (persuasive)

Using Sources

~You must use at least 4 sources, and no more than 6.

~You must use at least one assigned course reading--eitherThinking about Women or any one selection from Reading Women’s Lives.

~You must use at least one Ms. article (any issue, any year).

~You must also use at least two well chosen and reliable outside sources. At least one of these must be from a scholarly book or peer-reviewed journal.

~Your sources may address your question directly or indirectly – it’s your job to pull what is helpful to you from them and apply what they do say to the question you are exploring.

*Librarian Note: Book and article titles may not necessarily be "Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About [Your Topic]." It's important to read the summary or abstract to learn what questions may be answered or information needs met by this source. Will it provide facts, explanations, or knowledge from an authoritative source that you need to present to or persuade your reader?

~You must cite your sources correctly in the text of your paper and include a list of works cited/bibliography. Use either MLA or APA style (but not a mix of both!).

*Librarian Note: See the "Cite Your Work" box to the right if you need help citing your sources. You're also welcome to visit the reference desk for help!

~Your analysis may also consider your own opinions and experiences, but it doesn’t have to. In other words, you can be as personal or as impersonal as you like. Take whichever approach you are most comfortable with and yields the most satisfying and interesting results.

Planning Your Research

Before you start researching your topic you need to plan your research. This includes asking yourself what it is you want or need to know about the topic and selecting the best sources of information to find the answers. You'll also need to start thinking of keywords and related terms to use for your searches... sometimes finding the right word(s) to find the information you need is half the battle!

For example, "gender and politics" is a pretty broad topic. But if you start thinking of related terms, it quickly becomes simple to focus you interest on a specific aspect or event related to that topic.

Congresswomen (women in global legistatures)
Presidents/Presidential candidates (women in global executive offices)
political activism
- right to vote
- equal pay
- health/heathcare/body rights
- civil rights
- and on...
and on...

Background information can be found in libray reference books and website. Reading this information helps you better understand the subject, the related issues, and identify additional keywords for searching or related terms for focusing your search. You might not necessarily use these sources in your paper, but they can help you plan your research and give you the background to understand the scolarly books and articles you select. A few possible sources include:

Selected Reference Books (Reference Collection, 2nd Fl Eiche Library)
- Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories, Ref. HQ1190.E63 2000 [print or ebook]
  Summary: The path-breaking Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories is an accessible, multidisciplinary insight into the complex field of feminist thought. The Encyclopedia contains over 500 authoritative entries commissioned from an international team of contributors and includes clear, concise and provocative explanations of key themes and ideas. Each entry contains cross references and a bibliographic guide to further reading; over 50 biographical entries provide readers with a sense of how the theories they encounter have developed out of the lives and situations of their authors. (from Google Books)
- Handbook of American Women's History, Ref. HQ1410.H36 2000 [print only]
  Summary: This reference presents short articles on key people, events, and ideas that have shaped the history of women in the United States. (from The CAT)
- Significant Contemporary American Feminists, Ref. HQ1412.S56 1999 [print only]
  Summary: This book highlights the lives and work of fifty second wave feminists, women who have served as catalysts in the developing feminist movement. Each entry contains three parts: a biographical portrait of the individual, including information about education, family life, and early activism; an analytical discussion, highlighting the person's accomplishments and her relationship to U.S. feminism; and a bibliographical section containing a selective list of the subject's publications and writings about her and her work. (excerpted from Google Books)
- The Women's Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism, Ref. HQ1115.W644 2006 v.1-2 [print only]
  Introduces the third wave of feminism's key issues, members, visions, writings, and more - with essay entries on subjects from abortion to 'zines. The scope of the more than 200 encyclopedia entries is multidisciplinary and multicultural, inclusive of diverse gender orientations and sexualities, with a focus primarily on the movement in the US. (from Google Books)
- Women in the Third World, Ref. HQ1870.9.W6548 1998 [print only]
  For quick, reliable coverage of women's issues in developing countries, here is a concise reference work written by a team of more than 80 international experts. (excerpt from Google Books)
- Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide, Ref. HQ1467.G74 2003 v.1-6 [print only]
Selected Library Online Research Databases
- Gale Virtual Reference Library search hundreds of subject encyclopedias at once; better than Wikipedia, most articles are written by experts in the field
- Global Issues in Context current international news and perspectives on a variety of topics and events throughout the world; brings together a vareity of sources to explain historical and contemporary conditions in a wide range of subject areas; updated daily
- LionSearch search the PSU Libraries' print and electronic collections simultaneously; use limiters on left to help refine your search; like Googling the library

Evaluating Information

Before using any information, whether from a trusted source in the library or free information online, it's important to evaulate that information. Not only is it important to question the source of the information, but it's also important to question whether it meets your needs. Are you the intended audience for that infomation? Does it tell you everything you want to know?

One way to evaluate information is to consider the "3 C's" (credibility, content, currency). The author's point-of-view (and potential bias) is an important determining factor when evaluating the credibility and content of a source. Ask your self these questions:

Credibility

Who is the author? What makes him or her an expert on this subject?
Who is the publisher/person or group behind the website?
What is the author's point of view? Does he/she allow personal beliefs or judgements to unfairly present the information (bias)? Does the author use questionable or false sources to prove their point?

Content

Is the information accurate, or, do you expect you could verify the inforamation at another source?
Does the information answer a question you have about the subject or otherwise meet your information need?
Are you the intended audience? Is it intended for someone younger (too basic)? Is it inteded for someone with advanced knowledge on the subject, using jargon you don't understand? -- Remember, you are young scholars! It's important to challenge what you already know and believe!

Currency

When was the information published or the site last updated? Is the information potentially outdated and inaccurate? Or is it current enough for your needs?

See "How to Evaluate Information" for more.

Overview of Library Resources

Why should I use the library?

As the adage says: You get what you pay for.

Not all information is free. Libraries spend lots of money collecting and preserving access to scholarly works appropriate for the research needs of our primary users--undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Generally, the more work and expertise that goes into creating a publication, the more costly it is.
We're a little obsessive-compulsive about organization.

There is an open-access movement to make scholarly works available to everyone, but libraries still facilitate organized access to those sources through our research databases. Subject-specific databases, like Women's Studies International, provide a portal for finding the best scholarly works in a given field. In addition, each of these databases have "tagged" articles with terms identifying the main concepts (these are usually called "subject terms") to help you identify articles on your topic.
We're service oriented.

The librarians at Eiche Library know our collections, know your assignments, and want to help you succeed at Penn State. All you need to do is ask!

What makes a source "scholarly"?

You don't have scholarly works without "scholars"--people who are experts in their field and dedicated to study and advancing knowledge of the subject. Typically they hold an advanced degree in their field and work for an organization dedicated to education and research, like a university or sometimes a "think tank." It's always a good idea to "Google" your authors to find out what makes them experts.

Scholars typically publish their research in special "scholarly journals." As young experts in your field, it's important to be exposed to these journals during your studies. Scholarly articles are typically organized in the same basic fashion, which helps make them easier for you to recognize. For more on this, see the Anatomy of a Research Article (NCSU). Scholarly journals are one of three main types of publications, including popular (magazines and newspapers) and trade (for people who work in a specific field).

Doing Research in Women's Studies

Women's studies is a very interdisciplinary field and the topics you have chosen to research cover a wide range of fields. A good place to start your research using library resources is to use our Women's Studies research guide. This guide will refer you to library resources for finding news, magazine, and scholarly articles, as well as archival collections (letters, diaries, etc.); important women's associations and research libraries; and, websites (primarly UN and some NGOs) for researching women's issues worldwide.

You may also wish to explore research guides for other fields of interest (politics, film, etc.). A-Z list of research guides

Need help?! Just ask!

A good starting place for most topics will be the Women's Studies International database for finding articles related to women's studies. Depending on your topic, you may also wish to search one of the other interdisciplinary databases listed. Below is an excerpt from the Women's Studies research guide.

The following Libraries' databases area available to researchers with a Penn State Access Account: