AAAS/WMST 102 : Women of Color: Cross-Cultural Perspective

• Look at your syllabus for topic ideas.

• Try These First is a list of general databases that can help you to narrow your topic.

• Use Bibliographies to locate information about a topic in books, journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.
  To locate a bibliography on your topic, try a keyword search in The CAT using your "keywords" and the word "bibliography".
  Example: In "Basic Search" OR "Advanced Search" in The CAT, enter "matrilineal kinship bibliography" as Keywords.

• Talk to your instructor or librarian.

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works provide background information and overviews of topics, cited works,etc. They are a good starting point for researching your topic.

To find encyclopedias and other reference works in The CAT, use Advanced Search, enter identified keywords, e.g., "matrilineal kinship", then select Material Type "Reference Book" to find encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. OR simply enter keywords, e.g., "matrilineal kinship" and the word "encyclopedia" or "dictionary" in Basic Search.

To find general books, videos and other materials in The CAT, use "Advanced Search", enter keywords, e.g., "matrilineal kinship", and limit your search to Material Type, Publication Date, Library location, etc.

Use the "I want It" button to have books delivered to you from a Commonwealth Campus location.

Use the Find Materials Not at Penn State research guide for help finding titles that are not in the Penn State Libraries' collections.

Selected Encyclopedias (Online)

These titles are available through the Libraries Databases by Title (A-Z) list:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library

• Oxford African American Studies Center

• Oxford Reference Online

• American National Biography

Selected Encyclopedias (Print)

• Encyclopedia of women and gender: sex similarities and differences and the impact of society on gender

• The Greenwood encyclopedia of women's issues worldwide

• Men and masculinities: a social, cultural, and historical encyclopedia

• International encyclopedia of women and sports

• Encyclopedia of Africa south of the Sahara

• Encyclopedia of women and world religion

• Encyclopedia of African History

• Historical dictionary of women in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Encyclopedia of women & Islamic cultures

The online indexes and databases listed below are available through the Libraries' Databases by Title (A-Z) list:

• Women Studies International

• Sociological Abstracts

• JSTOR

• Historical Abstracts

• Women and Social Movements

• Project MUSE

• America: History and Life (U.S. and Canada)

• Women's History Online 1543-1945

• International Index to Black Periodicals

• Oxford African American Studies Center

• Hispanic American Periodicals Index [HAPI]

• Anthropology Plus

The following databases are available through the Libraries' Databases by Title (A-Z) list:

• CQ Almanac

• CQ Electronic Library - includes access to:

  • CQ Weekly
  • CQ Researcher
  • CQ Congress Collection

• Congressional Research Service Reports

• Lexis/Nexis Congressional

• Lexis/Nexis Statistical (for statistics)

• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

The following databases are available through the Libraries' Databases by Title (A-Z) list:

• Westlaw Campus

• Gale Virtual Reference Library (search by subject "Law")

• Index to Legal Periodicals

Newspapers and other news sources can provide context for information you are gathering. Use the Libraries' Newspapers and News Sources Research Guide for help finding current and historical news sources.

• Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

• Journal of International Women’s Studies

• Advancing Women in Leadership

• AGI [African Gender Institute] Newsletters

• Sexing the Political : A Journal of Third Wave Feminists on Sexuality

The following Penn State Libraries' Research Guides may be helpful for your research:

• Sociology

• Area and Cultural Studies

• Women's Studies

• Political Science

Use the Libraries' Citation and Writing Guides Research Guide for help with resources for citing your work.

Dr. Lindah Mhando

Librarian: Sylvia Nyana