The Research Process
Introductory materials
It is a good idea to do some background research when developing your research question. In addition to your in-class readings, here are some places to find background information
- Gale eBooks This link opens in a new windowSearchable database of several hundred subject encyclopedias and other reference works across all subject areas, but with particular strengths in the social sciences and humanities. It includes a number of major reference works, and is Northwesterns largest single collection of reference materials. A good source for authoritative background information.
-Try it for entries on individual artists, composers, writers (e.g. "Debussy, Claude" or "Baudelaire, Charles") - Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new windowOffers annotated bibliographies of the most important books and articles on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. Particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
- Try it for background information on movements in art, music, and writing (e.g. "French Impressionism" or "Romanticism") - Artstor This link opens in a new windowNew interface available at JSTOR Artstor.
Artstor is a digital image library that provides over 1.6 million images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences from around the globe and across time periods. Included are images from international museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists' estates. Register for free with the site to access its full range of services. - Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online includes The Oxford Companion to Music and The Oxford Dictionary of Music, as well as Grove Music Online, the cornerstone of Oxford's online music reference collection.
A New History of French Literature by ISBN: 9780674615663Without attempting to cover every author, work, and cultural development since the Serments de Strasbourg in 842, this history succeeds in being both informative and critical about the more than 1,000 years it describes. The contributors offer us a chance to appreciate not only French culture but also the major critical positions in literary studies today. A New History of French Literature will be essential reading for all engaged in the study of French culture and for all who are interested in it. It is an authoritative, lively, and readable volume.
