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SOAN 4B : Introduction to Contemporary Social Thought (SC)
background information: reference resources:
Reference works like encyclopedias, dictionaries, and bibliographies can provide useful background information--names, dates, key concepts and themes, recommendations for further reading, etc.--on a topic. The print reference collection is on the main floor of McCabe, but we also have an increasing number of electronic reference books that you can access through Tripod.
Encyclopedia of social theory
Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2006.
"Written by more than 200 internationally distinguished scholars, almost 500 entries cover core contemporary topics, concepts, schools, debates, and personalities in the history of the discipline. Special attention is paid to leading schools and debates, with shorter entries reserved for biographies of key theorists and definitions of key terms."--BOOK JACKET.
McCabe Reference HM425 .E46 2006
McCabe Reference HM425 .E46 2006
Encyclopedia of social theory
Publisher: Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c2005.
McCabe Reference HM425 .E47 2005 (2 volumes)
Encyclopedia of postmodernism
Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001.
McCabe Reference B831.2 .E63 2000
The Routledge critical dictionary of postmodern thought
Publisher: New York : Routledge, 1999.
"The contributors trace the impact of postmodern thought in their respective fields, which range throughout the arts, social sciences, politics, science and technology, popular culture, the media, and feminism."--BOOK JACKET.
McCabe Reference B831.2 .R68 1999
McCabe Reference B831.2 .R68 1999
The Edinburgh encyclopedia of continental philosophy
Offers a comprehensive guide and essential reference tool for all undergraduates, graduates and teachers of philosophy, literary theory and the history of ideas. Reflecting the 'movements-based' nature of the Continental tradition, the Encyclopedia begins with the founding texts of Classical Idealism, and each subsequent chapter follows, in order of their emergence, the schools of thought that make up and characterise this distinctive and important tradition of philosophy.
Biographical dictionary of twentieth-century philosophers
Publisher: London ; Routledge, 1996.
McCabe Reference B104 .B46 1996
finding books:
Tripod is the shared library catalog of Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford Colleges, and it contains information about books, government documents, films, special collections, and much more.
Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic. When you've located a relevant book, there are several strategies you can use to find additional related works. The first is to consult the book's bibliography; the second is to search by the subject headings you find in the Tripod record. These are near the bottom of the record, and if you click on the links, you'll find other books classified with the same subject heading. Subject headings can be broad (such as "Critical Theory") or more narrow in focus (such as "Frankfurt School of Sociology").
Books are shelved by the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. When you've found books in Tripod, write down the entire call number--you'll need it to locate the book on the shelf. A-G call numbers are on the lower level of McCabe (below the main floor). H-K call numbers are on Level 2 (one floor up from the main floor) and L-Z call numbers are on Level 3 (two floors up).
If a book is in Tripod but isn't available at Swarthmore (either because our copy is checked out or because it's held just by Bryn Mawr or Haverford), you can request it by clicking on the orange "request" button in the item record. See the section below about requesting from other libraries for more details.
Start with a keyword search to find books on your topic. When you've located a relevant book, there are several strategies you can use to find additional related works. The first is to consult the book's bibliography; the second is to search by the subject headings you find in the Tripod record. These are near the bottom of the record, and if you click on the links, you'll find other books classified with the same subject heading. Subject headings can be broad (such as "Critical Theory") or more narrow in focus (such as "Frankfurt School of Sociology").
Books are shelved by the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. When you've found books in Tripod, write down the entire call number--you'll need it to locate the book on the shelf. A-G call numbers are on the lower level of McCabe (below the main floor). H-K call numbers are on Level 2 (one floor up from the main floor) and L-Z call numbers are on Level 3 (two floors up).
If a book is in Tripod but isn't available at Swarthmore (either because our copy is checked out or because it's held just by Bryn Mawr or Haverford), you can request it by clicking on the orange "request" button in the item record. See the section below about requesting from other libraries for more details.
finding scholarly articles:
Although you can search Tripod to find out if we have particular scholarly journals, the catalog doesn't contain information about individual articles within those journals. To locate articles, use one of our indexes or full-text databases. The resources below are recommended starting points for your research:
Sociological abstracts
Holdings:
1963-
Publisher: Bethesda, Md. : Cambridge Scientific Abstracts,
Provider: CSA
Provides abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations and conference papers in the fields of sociology, social work and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Records added after 1972 contain in-depth abstracts of journal articles. Covers 1963-present.
Philosopher's index
Holdings:
Coverage from: 1940-
Publisher: Bowling Green, OH : Philosopher's Information Center ;
Provider: CSA
Provides citations and abstracts of journal articles, books, anthology contributions and book reviews published worldwide. Topics covered include: ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, political philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of law, religion, science, history, education, and language. Covers 1940-present. Contains over 328,000 records as of August 2005. Monitors over 550 journals from more than 40 countries.
JSTOR
Provides full-text and page images from many of the top journals in most academic disciplines. Coverage is from the inception of the journal through three to five years ago.
ProQuest Research Library
Provider: ProQuest
Provides citations and full-text magazine and journal articles in a wide variety of disciplines, both scholarly and popular in scope. Covers 1971-present.
The following subject guides can help you identify other print and electronic resources for finding articles in sociology and anthropology:
Anthropology subject guide
Sociology subject guide
Selected journals in sociology and anthropology
requesting from other libraries:
Trico
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
Request items from Bryn Mawr and Haverford by clicking on the "request" button in Tripod. Use your name and the barcode from the back of your student ID. Your requested materials will generally arrive at Swarthmore in 1-2 days.
EZ-Borrow
You can also request items from our regional partner libraries using EZ-Borrow. Again, you'll need your 14-digit barcode number to make a request. These items usually arrive on campus in 3-5 days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If you can't get what you need from the Trico or EZ-Borrow libraries, our interlibrary loan specialists can help you--fill out an ILL request form, but keep in mind that these materials could take several weeks to arrive on campus.
If you're unsure of which service to use, check out this guide to Tri-College Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan.
research help:
Melanie Maksin, mmaksin1, 690-5786
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and Thursdays, 3-5 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!
If you need research assistance, I'm at the reference desk on Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., and Thursdays, 3-5 p.m. You can also make an appointment or stop by to meet with me in my office, which is on Level 1 of McCabe.
Looking for more ways to ask a librarian? Call, email, IM, or come to the McCabe reference desk!