Subject Encyclopedias
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Subject encyclopedias are great for:
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Reference Sources on Literary Concepts
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and CriticismCall Number: Olin Reference PN81 J554 2005+Publication Date: 2004Contains signed, in-depth overviews of the major schools of literary theory Useful for understanding literary concepts, e.g., Postcolonial Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, Race and Ethnicity, etc.
Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural TheoryCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference PN 81 E435 2011Publication Date: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011Arranged in three volumes covering Literary Theory from 1900 to 1966, Literary Theory from 1966 to the present, and Cultural Theory, this encyclopedia provides accessible entries on the important concepts, theorists and trends in post-1900 literary and cultural theory.Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
Call Number: Print: Olin Reference PS21 E537 2004 +Publication Date: Oxford UP, 20044 vols. Contains essays on US poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists. Figures such as Whitman, Melville, and Morrison are discussed in detail and examined in the context of their times, with an assessment of the writer's current reputation, a bibliography of major works, and a list of major critical and biographical works about the writer.
Reference Sources for Science Fiction
This is just a small selection. Be sure to check our Science Fiction subject guide for much more.
Cambridge Companion to Science FictionCall Number: Print: Olin Library stacks PN3377.5 S3 C36x 2003Publication Date: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003Brings together essays by scholars and practitioners of science fiction, which look at the genre from different angles. Historical chapters trace science fiction from Thomas More to more recent years, including a chapter on film and television. Essays also examine SF from perspectives of Marxism, postmodernism, feminism, queer theory and race/ethnicity.Companion to science fiction
Call Number: Print: Olin stacks PN3433.5 .C73 2005 +Publication Date: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005Signed scholarly essays cover important aspects in the history, genres, movements, films, international developments, and major authors (Russ, Delany, Bradbury, Dick, etc.) of SF. Bibliographies appended to each article. A Blackwell Companion.
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE)Publication Date: 2012- (online)Published online in collaboration with Gollancz and the SF Gateway. This new version climaxes thirty-five years of work (with breaks) for the senior editors, and is much expanded from previous editions of the Encyclopedia. Subscribe to the RSS Feed to see the most recently added entries.
Routledge companion to science fictionCall Number: Print copy: Olin stacks PN3433.5 .R69 2009+Publication Date: Routledge, 2009A solid scholarly overview of the genre's history, theory (feminisms, race, postcolonialism, queer theory, virtuality), subgenres (, and contemporary thematic concerns (environmentalism, ethics and alterity, animal studies, etc.). Signed articles include bibliographies.
References Sources in Other Disciplines
Use authoritative dictionaries and reference sources.
Wikipedia might be a handy tool in some cases, but it's not what your professors would call a reliable or authoritative reference source. The library resources listed below provide access to scholarly information on a range of subjects. Use the Library Subject Guides to find many more.
Encyclopedia of gender and societyCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference HQ1115 E54 2009+Publication Date: Sage, 20092 volumes; Focuses on significant gender scholarship within commonly recognized areas of social research.
Encyclopedia of Global JusticePublication Date: Springer, 2012Spans all the relevant areas of scholarship related to issues of global justice. The entries number around 500 and consist of essays of 300 to 5000 words.
Encyclopedia of Human RightsPublication Date: Oxford University, 2009" .... offers comprehensive coverage of all aspects of human rights theory, practice, law, and history. The set will provide situation profiles and full coverage of the development of the movement, historical cases of abuse, the key figures, major organizations, and a range of other issues in economics, government, religion, and journalism that touch on human rights theory and practice." [About]
Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and SocietyPublication Date: 2008Covers important topics, events, and persons relevant to race and ethicity in society. Also addresses other issues of inequality that intersect with race and ethnicity, including ability status, age, class, gender, and sexual orientation.
Human Rights: a Very Short IntroductionISBN: 9780198706168Publication Date: Oxford UP, 2016Considers new challenges to human rights in the context of privacy, equality and the right to health. Looking at the philosophical justification for rights, the historical origins of human rights and how they are formed in law, the author explains what our human rights actually are, what they might be, and where the human rights movement is heading.
Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality StudiesCall Number: Print copy: Olin Reference HQ1180 .W55 2016Publication Date: Wiley-Blackwell, 2016Provides an invaluable resource for students and scholars in the overlapping areas of gender, feminist, queer, masculinity, and sexuality studies; and acknowledges the growing interdisciplinary impact of these fields.
Multi-disciplinary Refererence sources
- Oxford Reference Online
- Searchable database of 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press. Each topical division contains searchable versions of the latest editions of published dictionaries and encyclopedias.Covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subjects.
- Reference Universe
- 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 6,000 reference titles.
- Sage Reference Online
- A database of reference books published by SAGE covering the social sciences and education, including such areas as African American studies, aging, anthropology, business, communication, media studies, criminology, economics, education, environment, gender & sexuality studies, geography, history, politics, psychology, research methods, science, philosophy, sociology, and urban studies.
- New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
- A distinguished team of international scholars explore new thinking in areas previously covered (communism, linguistics, physics) and present cross-cultural perspectives on more recent topics such as postmodernism, deconstruction and post-colonialism.