THETR 1240.101: Virtual Bodies, Living Machines: The Role of Technology in Live Performance (Spring 2009)  Tags: theatre theater german_literature film culture linguistics_language_literature  

Use Reference databases to identify and access encyclopedias and other sources to find background information on your research topics.

In the Library Catalog combine keywords like "encyclopedia" or "dictionary" or "handbook" or "guidebook" or "introduction" with other keywords related to your topic.

Look for bibliographies and cross-references at the end of encyclopedia articles.

Use words and phrases that you find in your encyclopedias as keywords in new searches in the Library Catalog, Google, or other subject databases.

You have all used Wikipedia.  It can be a good starting place for your research, but dare to explore further....

There are thousands of both general and specialized subject encyclopedias--digital and print. 

If you need information on a topic that you are not familiar with, try starting with an encyclopedia article to learn essential facts, figures, and background on your subject.

Use these Reference databases to find and access articles in a variety of encyclopedias and subject dictionaries:

A database of full text reference encylopedias and dictionaries for the Arts, Business, History, Law, Medicine, Religion, and Social Sciences.

Oxford Reference Online

This databases contains over 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press. Covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subjects.

A searchable database of back-of-the-book indexes to subject encyclopedias and other reference works in a wide variety of subject areas. Search the contents of more than 4,500 reference titles.

A searchable collection containing 100 reference sources including subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical sources and quotations. Contains over 150,000 entries of facts, words, concepts, and people.

Buse, Dieter K. and Juergen C. Doerr, eds. Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture, 1871-1990 . 2 vols. New York: Garland, 1998.

Olin Library Reference DD14 .M64x 1998

"This is the first such work on modern Germany to be printed in English...It is an invaluable starting point for the researcher interested in learning more about Germany and its people, history, and vibrant culture." (Booklist)

Kennedy, Dennis ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Olin Library Reference PN2035 .O92x 2003 +

Also available online as part of Oxford Reference Online.

This encyclopedia "views theater and performance as "human expressions with large cultural significance." These expressions extend beyond traditional theater to include opera, film, dance, radio, and even circuses, rituals, and parades. The 4,300 alphabetically arranged entries span all time periods, starting with ancient Greek theater to the present, and are international and cross-cultural in scope." Includes a general bibliography at the end of volume 2.(Booklist)

Konzett, Matthias, ed. Encyclopedia of German Literature. Chicago; London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000.

Olin Library Reference PT41 .E53x 2000 +

"This encyclopedia "brings unprecedented depth and erudition to German literary studies in English, going far beyond the terse telegraphic entries of the traditional standard-bearer, Oxford Companion to German Literature". (Choice)

Sanford, John, ed. Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture. London; New York: Routledge, 1999.

Olin Library Reference DD290.26 .E53x 1999

Subject areas covered include: Architecture, Cultural Policy and Institutions, Economy, Education and Research, Fashion and Design, Film, Food and Drink, History, Intellectual Life, Language and National Identity, Literature, Mass Media and Publishing, Music, Peforming Arts, Political Life, Religion, Society, Sport and Leisure, Visual Arts, Writers.