Research Guides: HIST 407: Seminar on the Cold War in Latin America (Zahler): 2. Background Information

Background Info/Reference Databases - General Subjects

Before you start any research on your topic, you must develop some background knowledge including facts, dates, and names of important people, places, or theories. Books and websites can provide you with that knowledge.

This is important because:

Background sources give you the language that people are using to discuss your topic. You will use this language (look for keywords!) when you start to search databases for scholarly articles and resources on the topic.
This "pre-research" gives you a sense if your topic is focused enough. If your initial searches bring back so many results you can't even figure out what the language is, then you should consider narrowing your topic.

Remember, background information is always a starting point for research, not an ending point.

Library Reference Subscription Databases

Oxford bibliographies. Latin American studies This link opens in a new window Though the scholarly study of Latin America, a region of 20 countries and over 569 million people, is not new, the bringing together of various disciplinary approaches according to a single geographic region represents a fairly recent shift. Latin American Studies includes a vast range of disciplinary perspectives, including history, sociology, economics, anthropology, and political science. Area studies in general have proliferated in the latter half of the twentieth century and Latin American Studies in particular has been propelled forward as a distinct field of study by major international changes, such as the end of the Cold War. As the field continues to grow, to shape and be shaped by global politics, scholars are faced with an ever-increasing amount of new information. Scholars must constantly consider new discoveries, new interpretations, and new theoretical ideas in the field. The multidisciplinary nature of Latin American Studies makes it particularly challenging to stay informed about every applicable area. A great deal of this work has moved online with the most recent scholarship, research, and statistics appearing in online databases.
Gale e-books This link opens in a new window If searches in this database retrieve incorrect results, clear cache/cookies to resolve the problem. Online histories, encyclopedias, almanacs, data compilations, works of literary analysis, and other reference sources owned by the UO Libraries.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window Language and subject dictionaries and reference works
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Reports, summaries, and pro/con views on a range of current issues,1923-present
Gale in context. Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window If searches in this database retrieve incorrect results, clear cache/cookies to resolve the problem. Full-text resource covering today's hottest social issues. Provides pro and con viewpoint articles, reference articles that provide context, magazines, academic journals, newspapers, primary source documents, statistics, interactive maps, infographics, & more.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window National record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century. Concise, up-to-date biographies written by named, specialist authors.

Open Web (Free) Resources

Wikipedia
Yes, it is OK to use Wikipedia for background information, but never cite to it. And only use it as a starting point.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Britannica makes many encyclopedia articles freely available to the public. Some content is restricted to a subscription.

HIST 407: Seminar on the Cold War in Latin America (Zahler)

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Background Info/Reference Databases - General Subjects

Library Reference Subscription Databases

Open Web (Free) Resources