Library Guides: English 251: Ethnic Studies

Jane Thomas, Instructor
Kathie Lewis and Gina Haycock, Librarians
URL:  http://cos.edu/library/libraryguideseng25l1thomas.htm

REFERENCE BOOKS:  Located on the first floor of the library behind the Reference Desk.  These books must remain in the library. Reference books include dictionaries, almanacs and encyclopedias. Specialized or subject encyclopedias (concentrating on a particular subject instead of covering all knowledge) are excellent starting points for research. They are focused on a particular topic, cover the major concepts of the topic, are written by experts in the field, and often have bibliographies or other references. Examples of Reference books in the COS library are as follows:

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America     R 305.8 G151
    This two volume set provides information on the country of origin and the circumstances surrounding major immigration waves. The articles also cover acculturation, assimilation, family and community dynamics, language, religion, employment and economic traditions, politics and government. This set extends its scope to include the Native American Groups who were here before us.

American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation   R 305.8 A512
    This two volume set takes a culture and provides a brief overview of the country of origin, immigration history, the culture's assimilation in America, and social organization. Depending on the culture, this set may also cover Socioeconomic characteristics, Housing, Health care and Education, Family and Kinship, Interpersonal Relationships, Cultural Resilience and more. Each article includes a bibliography, that can lead you to some excellent sources.

WorldMark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life   R305.8 W927
   This four volume set provides information on ethnic groups in various countries. The three-five page articles provide a brief overview of the country and then goes on to cover a variety of topics. These topics include; Rites of Passage, Family Life, Cultural Heritage, Food, and more.

Encyclopedia of World Cultures    R 306.097 En56
    The strength and weakness of this 10 volume set is that it looks at the various small cultural groups throughout the world. It doesn't necessarily follow the current political boundaries that set countries apart. The set does contain some excellent information on traditions, family units, religion and gender roles.

Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism   R 306.4 En56
    This reference set discusses both ethnic groups and topics such as Health and Medicine.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups  R 973.04 H339
    An older, yet useful, one volume work arranged by ethnic groups.

How to do Business in Sixty Countries: Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands  R 395.52 M882
     Cultural overviews, Behavior Styles, Protocol and Business Practices.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality   R 306.7 In61
    Each chapter in this book is devoted to a particular country. Each of the 31 chapters includes an overview; comparisons of life cycles between men's and women's gender roles; infancy and early childhood, school years, young adulthood, and old age.

What you Eat What you Are  R 394.1 B248
    This book examines the history and traditions of meal patterns, eating customs, regional specialties, and distinctive methods of food preparation commonly used by more than 170 cultural groups around the world.

Death and the Afterlife - A Cultural Encyclopedia   R 398.03 T245
    This one volume set covers the funeral customs and views of death of various ethnic groups.

A Celebration of Customs and Rituals around the World    R 394.2 In53

Weddings: Dating and Love Customs of Cultures Worldwide  R 392.5 M834

Encyclopedia of Native American Healing    R 615.8 L991

Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism: Sacred Ceremonies of North America  R 615.8 L991

The Asian American Encyclopedia    R 973.0495 A832

The Latino Encyclopedia  R 973.0468 S345

Encyclopedia of the African-American Culture and History  R 973.En56

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture   R 980.003 En56

Encyclopedia of Modern Middle East    R 956.003 En56

CIRCULATING BOOKS: Located on the second floor of the library. Our newest books are, for the most part, in the areas of science and social issues, and current topics, because we try to build the collection to the type of assignments given to students. Some subject headings you might use in the COS book catalog are as follows:

Also try searching for a specific ethnic group:

ALSO, through the Electronic Resources link, http://cos.edu/library/electronic.htm, on the COS Library’s Web Site, there are links to the electronic index subscription databases that the library makes available to COS students. Many of these indexes offer full-text articles, which means the entire article will be available even if the library doesn't subscribe to the periodical itself. If a student is off campus, passwords are necessary to access these databases. Passwords are available for COS students at the COS Library Information Desk or by calling the Library at (559) 737-6179.

InfoTrac  is a periodical index database that works well when using a subject search. When entering a subject search, you can use broad terms, because the index will automatically help to narrow the search. This index is not completely full-text.

Academic Abstracts is a periodical index database that works well when using a key-word search. When entering a key-word search, you need to use precise words and the more words you add, the narrower the search becomes. This index is not completely full-text.

Fresno Bee and Los Angeles Times are databases that provide access to the full-text articles of these two newspapers from 1985 forward. These databases are particularly good for finding information concerning the San Joaquin Valley and the rest of California.

Lexis/Nexis is a database that provided access to full-text articles from newspapers across the nation and some international newspapers. It is also an excellent source for finding specific court cases.

CQ Researcher is a company that creates a database of original reports concerning current and controversial topics. The reports are generally unbiased and  almost always have statistics and other brief facts. The reports average 25 pages in length.

SIRS (Social Issues Research Series) is a database of full-text articles from magazines and newspapers with emphasis on current and controversial topics. It can be searched by key word or subject.

INTERNET: The Internet provides vast amounts of information, but much of it has not been submitted to an editorial process. Web Directories are helpful, because usually the linked web pages have had human scrutiny.

    Web Sites by Topic:   Social Sciences:    World Countries and Cultures:                http://www.cos.edu/library/subject/SocialSci.htm#World%20Countries%20and%20Cultures

    Librarian's Index to the Internet:    Multiculturalism:     http://lii.org/pub/subtopic/3383

COS LIBRARY GUIDES:    Ethnic Studies - African Americans | American Indians | Asian Americans | Hispanic/Latin American

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This page was created October 31 2005. This page was last updated: 11/05/2009
For questions and comments, please mail to: kathiel@cos.edu or ginah@cos.edu