LibGuides: AAS 1100: Introduction to Asian America Studies: Home

BEAM/BEAT

The BEAM/BEAT Method
In-class Activity

Background: using a source to provide general information to explain the topic. For example, the use of a Wikipedia page on the Pledge of Allegiance to explain the relevant court cases and changes the Pledge has undergone.
Exhibit: using a source as evidence or examples to analyze. For a literature paper, this would be a poem you are analyzing. For a history paper, a historical document you are analyzing. For a sociology paper, it might be the data from a study.
Argument: using a source to engage its argument. For example, you might use an editorial from the New York Times on the value of higher education to refute in your own paper.
Method or Theory: using a source’s way of analyzing an issue to apply to your own issue. For example, you might use a study’s methods, definitions, or conclusions on gentrification in Chicago to apply to your own neighborhood in New York City, or you might use feminist theory to analyze a novel or film.

Bizup, Joseph. “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing.” Rhetoric Review 27.1 (2008): 72-86. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 February 2014.

In class activity

Other Research Resources

Calisphere: Asian Americans
Digital exhibit of materials related to Asian Americans. Includes photographs, letters, artwork, oral histories, films, advertisements, and more.
Chinese Historical Society of America
Nonprofit that includes a museum and community archive committed to preserving, and providing access to materials related to "the history of Chinese in America."
Densho
Nonprofit and community archive concerned with providing access to and preserving "oral histories from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II."
Found SF
Digital archive with materials related to the history of San Francisco, includes materials about Asian American populations in SF.
Japanese American National Museum's Collections Online
Museum collection includes over 60,000 artifacts, documents, and more.
Korean American Historical Society
Non-profit focused on archiving Korean American collective memory materials.
Pioneering Punjabis (UC Davis)
Digital archive created by UC Davis committed to documenting and preserving the history of "South Asian immigrants from the Punjab region in north India to California since the turn of the twentieth century."
South Asian American Digital Archive
Community archive committed to providing digital access to and preserving materials related to South Asian Americans.
Southeast Asian Archive (UC Irvine)
"Collects, preserves, and makes accessible primary and secondary source materials documenting the history of the Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese diaspora." Includes the Vietnamese-American oral history project.
University of Southern California: Digital Archives - Asian-American and Pacific Islander Studies
Materials related to Asian-American and Pacific Islander Studies in the USC digital archives, includes an especially strong collection of materials related to Korean-American studies.
Welga Digital Archive- Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
"Focuses on preserving and presenting the broad aspects of the Filipino American experience."
USC Korean American Digital Archive
" more than 13,000 pages of documents, over 1,900 photographs, and about 180 sound files together in one searchable collection that documents the Korean American community."

Other helpful guides

Secondary Resources - Databases for Literature Research

Sociology Source Ultimate
Citations, abstracts, and full text materials. Includes articles and books.
Humanities International Index
Citations and abstracts for articles, books, reviews, and reference sources in the humanities. Many links to full text articles.
America, history & life
Resources published from 1964 to present on American and Canadian history.
JSTOR
Journal articles. Most items are older than five years.
Project Muse
Journal articles. Most items are recent publications (less than five years old).

Contextualizing with Data

Data do not speak for themselves. Consider the context of the data you work with:

Who collected the data, and for what purposes?
What do these data not tell us about human experiences?

Finding Data and Statistics
Library guide about data sources on people, places and policies.
Social Explorer
Access to modern and historical census data and demographic information. You can also create maps and reports.
U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Bureau serves as the leading provider of quality data on the nation's people and economy.
Data.gov
Features government datasets and visualizations about communities in the nation.

Library Catalog Searching - Subject Headings

Asian Americans: Subject Heading Browse
See all the subject headings under the Asian Americans umbrella, as well as related terms.
"Asian Americans > Social conditions."
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.
"Asian Americans > Employment"
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.
"Asian Americans > Ethnic identity."
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.
"United States > Emigration and immigration"
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.
"Ethnic neighborhoods."
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.
"Asian Americans in popular culture."
Searches the catalog for all materials that are catalogued with this subject heading.

Background Literature Resources

Why use background or tertiary resources?

Learn important terms, notable scholars or works, and more information about a topic.
Bibliographies, further reading, and works cited sections can lead you to secondary sources you can use in your research.
It's a quick overview of a theme, work, author, or other topic, which can save you time!

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Multidisciplinary collection of encyclopedias, biographical collections, specialized handbooks, and more.
Sage Knowledge
A database of reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and humanities.

Asian American Society
More than 300 A-to-Z articles authored by AAAS members and experts in the field. Available online.
Asian Americans
Includes entries on a wide array of topics on various Asian and Pacific Islander American groups from 1848 to the present day. Available online.
Encyclopedia of Diasporas
Overviews covers over 20 ethnic groups and topics related to diaspora studies in anthropology, social studies, political studies, international studies, and immigrant and immigration studies. Available online and in print.