Developing a Topic Worksheet
School festival, Connecticut, 1942 (Library of Congress)
Tools for Developing Your Topic
Choosing a topic and developing a research question can be challenging. The resources below contain information about issues related to American Studies that can be useful in refining the scope of your project.
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Encyclopedia of American Studies This link opens in a new windowExplore general articles on American history and culture. This encyclopedia addresses topics such as literature, art, photography, film, popular culture, architecture, consumer culture, urban studies, ethnicity, gender, race, economics, labor, social movements, politics, and global America. (This encyclopedia is also part of Credo Reference.) Coverage: pre-colonial times to present. Full text.
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International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences This link opens in a new windowThis digital version of the nine-volume set provides an overview of a variety of social science topics, as well as a bibliography and cross-linking to related topics. It also provides biographical information on scholars in social science fields. Coverage: Regularly updated. Full-Text.
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CQ Press Electronic Library This link opens in a new windowSearch across all CQ Press electronic resources, including CQ Research and the CQ Press electronic editions of reference books. Reference books include Congress A to Z, Elections A to Z, Supreme Court A to Z, U.S. Constitution A to Z, Encyclopedia of Religion in America, Encyclopedia of Political Science, Guide to Interest Groups & Lobbying, Voter Turnout in the United States, Vital Statistics on American Politics, The Contemporary Middle East, and more. Some full text.
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Oxford African American Studies Center (AASC) This link opens in a new windowProvides articles from Africana; the Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895; the Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present; Black Women in America, Second Edition; and the African American National Biography. Also contains resources from Oxford's reference program, including the Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature, the Oxford Companion to Black British History, and selected articles from other major reference titles. Full-Text. Coverage: contains primary sources.
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Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new windowDesigned to assist researchers in understanding the full scope of controversial subjects. Useful as a guide to debate, developing arguments, writing position papers, and for development of critical thinking skills. Each Points of View Essay includes a series of questions and additional material to generate further thought. Also included are thousands of supporting articles from the world's top political and societal publications. Coverage: Varied. Full-Text.
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Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowAccess encyclopedic titles in all disciplines taught at Dickinson, including various language dictionaries, the Marquis Who's Who series and numerous other biographical sources, economics and business encyclopedias, food and agriculture sources, publishing sources, atlases, and many encyclopedias covering the arts, history, literature, science, technology, religion, philosophy, politics, psychology, geography, country studies, and more. Coverage: varies. Full text.
