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CSEM 001 : Images of the Middle East in European Writing (BMC)
Course description:
Few regions of the world are as important and complex to outsiders as the Middle East. In this course, we will see how our current perceptions of the Middle East have been influenced by the long history of European interaction with that area.
We will examine works from French, German, and British writers such as Byron and Gertrude Bell who was known as the "female Lawrence of Arabia" and will focus on the period since the 18th century, a critical phase in the development of European expansionism and Middle Eastern identities.
Topics for discussions include: how and why does the West see itself as different from its Middle Eastern neighbors; to what extent does imperialism prevent an understanding of shared cultural and religious history; and what role do gender and class play in the dialogue between the cultures.
Finding books:
Tripod library catalog.
For locating books, journals, videos, and electronic resources held at Tri-College libraries. For delivery within the Trico use the "Request" option for one or two day turnaround. You can mark and then email or print records for multiple items.
Start with a general Keyword search, e.g. "middle east travel literature", or a Subject search for an author or key work.
Start with a general Keyword search, e.g. "middle east travel literature", or a Subject search for an author or key work.
Subject searches can include:
- author names: "bell, gertrude"
- title: "lettres persanes"
- time/place descriptors: "ottoman empire"
- genres and categories: "romanticism"
Subdivisions of subjects can be very valuable.
- criticism & interpretation
- history & criticism
- bibliography
WorldCat
Provider: OCLC
A catalog of the holdings of books, journals, and other materials held by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) member libraries. Includes manuscripts, maps, films and sound recordings. Covers works published before 1,000 BC-present.
Interlibrary Loan and E-ZBorrow
The books and articles you need for your research may not be available within the Tri-colleges. We have two systems available to help you retrieve the materials you need. See this page to place your requests.
Finding full-text articles:
JSTOR
JSTOR contains the full text of scholarly journal articles in many subject areas from their inception through three or five years ago.
- Type your search terms in the search box. The basic search screen behaves like a Google search; “AND” is not needed. Example: Montesquieu letters persanes women. Then click Search.
- For more control over search results, try an Advanced Search. You can type your search terms in the “All of these words” box, and limit by year, article type, and discipline.
- Browse the list of matching articles. They are ordered from most to least relevant.
- Click Print when you get to an article you like, so that you can download the full PDF instead of looking at the pages one at a time.
ProQuest Research Library
Provider: ProQuest
ProQuest Research Library provides indexing, abstracts and many full-text articles from 1,700 academic periodicals in all subjects. Articles from 1971 through today.
- Enter your terms, with one concept on each line. You can enter related terms on a single line, connected with “or”: france OR french.
- By default, you’ll be searching the titles and abstracts of the articles; this will bring you more focused results. If you aren’t finding enough articles, you can search the full text by clicking the down arrow next to “Citation and abstract,” and change the selection to “Citation and document text.”
- Limit search to “Scholarly journals, including peer-reviewed” to retrieve articles from scholarly journals.
Finding articles - in specific disciplines (with links to full text!)
Use specialized databases to delve more deeply into the literature of a specific discipline. You’ll find citations for articles in journals that aren’t covered in JSTOR, and for articles that are not available freely on the web.
Go to the subject page for the discipline you’re interested in, and try some of the “start here” resources.
These are your best bets for the Montesquieu assignment:
- Literature: MLA International Bibliography
- Philosophy: Philosopher’s Index
- History: Historical Abstracts
- Political Science: Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- Religion: ATLA
- Islamic Studies: Index Islamicus (try a keyword search for "muslim world in western literatures")
Search Tips:
- To search, put your terms in the Keywords box, usually connected with “and”. If you have a phrase, put it in quotes. For example, type this: Montesquieu and “lettres persanes” and “sun king”
- When you find a citation you like, click FindIt! to see if we have the article online or in the library.
Getting background information on authors:
Literature resource center
Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline.
Biography resource center
Provides access to biographical sources on over 325,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas. Includes full-text articles from hundreds of periodicals.
Oxford dictionary of national biography
Provider: Oxford
Contains biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond,from the earliest times to the year 2001. Articles focus on noteworthy people from all walks of life. No living person is included. Coverage varies.
Images in Art:
Orientalist Paintings
This website provides biographical information on various painters who featured "orientalist" images in their work. It also provides links to the images of many paintings.
Orientalism in Nineteenth-Century Art (from the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Overview of Orientalist painting from the Met's "Timeline of Art History" series. Provides a detailed background essay and links to many paintings.
Finding Maps:
The Middle East since Biblical Times
The changing maps of the Middle East on a millenia-long time line.
A Brief History of West
Historical reports and maps of Western relations with the Middle East since the Crusades.
Getting human help!
If you need help: ASK A LIBRARIAN!!! Please come see us and we will help you with your research. Canaday Library Reference Desk Hours:
Mon-Wed 10am-noon / 1-5pm / 7-10pm
Thu-Fri 10am-noon / 1-5pm
Sat-Sun 1-5pm
Reference Desk telephone: (610) 526-5279
Ask a Librarian - Fill in the form, give us your email address, and we will answer within 24 hours!
Mon-Wed 10am-noon / 1-5pm / 7-10pm
Thu-Fri 10am-noon / 1-5pm
Sat-Sun 1-5pm
Reference Desk telephone: (610) 526-5279
Ask a Librarian - Fill in the form, give us your email address, and we will answer within 24 hours!