English 102 Process Guide

Step 6

Countries/Cultures Reference Sources

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Introduction

We want now to consider sources that will help us find information about the country and society in which our literary work is set.  The steps we'll take here are similar to those we took for the literature sources:

  • Browse through the available reference and recommended Internet sources
  • Look for books on your country in the library catalog
  • Check the databases for more specific topics

Fortunately, because of our familiarity with the processes that we have already gained, we should be able to go through these steps in short order, with little additional explanation.

Reference Sources

First off, we have a good collection of country sources in our reference section.  Click here for a list of these that you might print off and bring with you to the library.  Call numbers are given for each item, so the sources should be easy to find.

Good News:  Many of the items on the list are available in electronic form, as indicated in the table below.  My suggestion is that at the outset you spend a fair amount of time browsing through the massive Daily Life Online series.  It's a gold mine of information.  Then you should look at the section on your country in Countries and Their Cultures.  After that you might browse through the other sources, as appropriate.

Electronic Versions of Reference Sources

Daily Life Online Explores everyday life, both past and present; browse by country, region, and time period, as well as by topics like family life, religion, housing, clothing, etc.
CultureGrams Online For each country, provides information on the population, religion, customs & courtesies, dating, marriage, lifestyle, even recipes; much statistical data as well
Countries and Their Cultures Provides for each country in-depth articles on government, peoples, social classes, marriage, family, religion, education, etc.
Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations In-depth analyses of each country: climate, population, government, economy, education, religion, etc.
World Factbook (CIA) Country profiles include basic data about population, geography, government, and economy, as well as statistics on birth rates, GDP, etc.
A Guide to Countries of the World For each country gives succinct overview of social, economic, religious, and political issues; also contains vital statistics on GDP, life expectancy, income distribution, Internet use, etc.
Cities of the World Country and city profiles, covering geography, commerce, population, arts, entertainment; notes for travelers
Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia Physical geography, climate, vegetation, etc.
Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies In-depth analyses of the economies of each country: economic sectors, trends, demographic statistics, etc.
International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family Articles on specific countries, as well as topics like domestic violence, widowhood, etc.
World Education Encyclopedia In-depth analyses of the education systems of each country
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices Overviews of each of the world's major religions, as well as lengthy surveys of the religious practices in each country

Governments of the World

 Analyses of the governments & institutions of more than 200 countries, as well as socioeconomic conditions, citizens' rights, etc.
Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World Good overview of the governments, politics, and history of each country
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture Food and its place in human culture and society
Encyclopedia of European Social History, 1350 to 2000 Sections on government, economy, family, marriage, child rearing, gender issues, religion, education, etc.
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion Emphasis on costumes from a variety of historical eras, as well as the social meanings of dress
Fashion, Costume, and Culture Cultural, religious, and social implications of human decoration and adornment

 

Reference Group Search

Here's a suggestion for expanding your search of reference sources.  Many of the above titles are included in a large collection called the Gale Virtual Reference Library, which provides high-quality, authoritative reference works across multiple fields and disciplines.  The nice thing about the collection is that you can cross-search all of the works simultaneously.  You can do a simple search on the name of your country or subject or, alternatively, a more specific search, as follows:

france and education

colombia and women

south africa and apartheid

      

Here's the link.  Go ahead and give it a try.  You're likely to turn up sources that you couldn't have imagined.

  

Gale Virtual Reference Library Cross-search dozens of high-quality reference sources from a variety of fields

 

Historical Materials

If you are looking for materials about an older time, take a look at our History Electronic Page. You'll find there an abundance of links to electronic reference sources, databases, and websites--all conveniently arranged for easy browsing:  History Electronic Page

Moving On

We'll want now to see if we can find some good books, so let's move on to the next step.           

   

Proceed to Step 7

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