Background Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window A complete version of the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1989) with onlines updates added four times a year since 2000.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window Published by Oxford University Press, it is a fully-indexed, cross-searchable database containing dictionaries, language reference and subject reference works.
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History offers a record of the nation's values, aspirations, anxieties, and beliefs as expressed in both everyday life and formal bodies of thought. The encyclopedia incorporates popular entertainment ranging from minstrel shows to video games, middlebrow ventures like Chautauqua lectures and book clubs, and preoccupations such as "perfectionism" and "wellness" that have shaped Americans' behavior at various points in the past and that continue to influence attitudes in the present. The work also make available recent scholarly insights into the writings of political scientists, philosophers, feminist theorists, social reformers, and other thinkers whose works have furnished the underpinnings of Americans' civic activities and personal concerns.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more. Provides reporting and analysis on issues in the news, including coverage of issues relating to health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context Opposing Viewpoints in Context covers today’s hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) This link opens in a new window Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, dictionaries, primary source collections and specialized reference sources.
- Sage Knowledge A database of ebooks and reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and education, including such areas as African American Studies, Aged & Gerontology, Anthropology, Communication and Media Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, Gender & Sexuality Studies, History, Politics, Psychology, Social Issues, Social Work & Social Policy, and Sociology.
- A Comics Studies Reader by A Comics Studies Reader offers the best of the new comics scholarship in nearly thirty essays on a wide variety of such comics forms as gag cartoons, editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, manga, and graphic novels. The anthology covers the pioneering work of Rodolphe Töpffer, the Disney comics of Carl Barks, and the graphic novels of Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware, as well as Peanuts, romance comics, and superheroes. It explores the stylistic achievements of manga, the international anti-comics campaign, and power and class in Mexican comic books and English illustrated stories. A Comics Studies Reader introduces readers to the major debates and points of reference that continue to shape the field. It will interest anyone who wants to delve deeper into the world of comics and is ideal for classroom use.Location: Mugar Stacks PN6710 .C667 2009 and OnlinePublication Date: 2008
The Comics of Joe Sacco: Journalism in a Visual World by
Named a Notable Scholarly Publication of 2015 by the Comics Studies Society Contributions by Georgiana Banita, Lan Dong, Ann D'Orazio, Kevin C. Dunn, Alexander Dunst, Jared Gardner, Edward C. Holland, Isabel Macdonald, Brigid Maher, Ben Owen, Rebecca Scherr, Maureen Shay, Marc Singer, Richard Todd Stafford, and Øyvind Vågnes The Comics of Joe Sacco addresses the range of his award-winning work, from his early comics stories as well as his groundbreaking journalism Palestine (1993) and Safe Area to Goražde (2000), to Footnotes in Gaza (2009) and his most recent book The Great War (2013), a graphic history of World War I. First in the series, Critical Approaches to Comics Artists, this edited volume explores Sacco's comics journalism and features established and emerging scholars from comics studies, cultural studies, geography, literary studies, political science, and communication studies. Sacco's work has already found a place in some of the foundational scholarship in comics studies, and this book solidifies his role as one of the most important comics artists today. Sections focus on how Sacco's comics journalism critiques and employs the standard of objectivity in mainstream reporting, what aesthetic principles and approaches to lived experience can be found in his comics, how Sacco employs the space of the comics page to map history and war, and the ways that his comics function in the classroom and as human rights activism. The Comics of Joe Sacco offers definitive, exciting approaches to some of the most important--and necessary--comics today, by one of the most acclaimed journalist-artists of our time.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2015
The Art of Comics: a Philosophical Approach by
The Art of Comics is the first-ever collection of essays published in English devoted to the philosophical topics raised by comics and graphic novels. In an area of growing philosophical interest, this volume constitutes a great leap forward in the development of this fast expanding field, and makes a powerful contribution to the philosophy of art. The first-ever anthology to address the philosophical issues raised by the art of comics Provides an extensive and thorough introduction to the field, and to comics more generally Responds to the increasing philosophical interest in comic art Includes a preface by the renowned comics author Warren Ellis Many of the chapters are illustrated, and the book carries a stunning cover by the rising young comics star David Heatley
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2012
The System of Comics by
This edition of Thierry Groensteen's The System of Comics makes available in English a groundbreaking work on comics by one of the medium's foremost scholars. In this book, originally published in France in 1999, Groensteen explains clearly the subtle, complex workings of the medium and its unique way of combining visual, verbal, spatial, and chronological expressions. The author explores the nineteenth-century pioneer Rodolphe Topffer, contemporary Japanese creators, George Herriman's Krazy Kat, and modern American autobiographical comics. The System of Comics uses examples from a wide variety of countries including the United States, England, Japan, France, and Argentina. It describes and analyzes the properties and functions of speech and thought balloons, panels, strips, and pages to examine methodically and insightfully the medium's fundamental processes. From this, Groensteen develops his own coherent, overarching theory of comics, a "system" that both builds on existing studies of the "word and image" paradigm and adds innovative approaches of his own. Examining both meaning and appreciation, the book provides a wealth of ideas that will challenge the way scholars approach the study of comics. By emphasizing not simply "storytelling techniques" but also the qualities of the printed page and the reader's engagement, the book's approach is broadly applicable to all forms of interpreting this evolving art.
Location: Mugar Stacks PN6714 .G7613 2007 and OnlinePublication Date: 2010-01-06
Using Visual Evidence by
"The scope of this collection is impressively broad, offering international, albeit North American and Western European, perspectives on a diverse range of visual evidence useful for scholars in a number of fields, from history to media studies and social sciences." Erin Bell, University of Lincoln,UK "...two media historians-drawing upon years of detailed research-have compiled a definitive anthology. Clearly, Using Visual Evidence presents a unique interpretation of historical analysis where thirteen writers, under the editorship of Richard Howells and Robert W. Matson, offer strong ideas about a subject that is often overlooked...With numerous illustrations, meticulous case studies, and selective photographs, Using Visual Evidence - a welcome breath of fresh air - is a wonderful addition to media studies." Film and History What do we mean by 'visual evidence'? How should we interpret visual texts, and what can they tell us? Why is 'visual literacy' so important and what benefits does it offer? Visual evidence encompasses a diverse range of media, from painting, cartoons and photography, to film, television and documentary. The central argument of this book is that visual evidence is a key to understanding both history and the present day and should not be relegated to a supporting role as merely illustrating the written word. The book shows students, scholars and researchers how to read the visual media to elicit meaning. As primary sources, visual texts can be studied not only for what is directly depicted in the painting or film but also for what it tells us about the people, cultures and societies that made them. Each chapter features fascinating case studies and examples which situate theory in real life. A major appeal of the book is the wealth of illustrations and photographs of visual texts which are included throughout. The authors make detailed reference to these examples to illustrate the theory surrounding visual evidence. An intriguing case study of an unknown girl's photo album is just one of many examples offered, showing how we can analyze and learn from the visual text. This comprehensive and insightful edited collection brings together international media and cultural theorists, historians and art historians to demonstrate the value of visual evidence not only to media and cultural studies, but also to history, the general humanities and the social sciences.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2009
