English Research Guide

English 101 and Asian-American Studies 1 Research Guide

Research Guide URL: http://researchguides.elac.edu/english/ramirez101

Read and review your assignments below.

Below are some books from the library may be helpful in your research.

You can also use the Library Catalog to find more books, or check out EBSCO ebooks to find more ebooks! 

1. Use keywords instead of questions.

2. Use AND to search separate concepts. Use OR to search synonyms.

3. Use an asterisk (*) to search multiple forms of a word.

4. Don't forget you can check the "full-text" and "scholarly journals" boxes for only scholarly results!

For the purpose of this assignment, we are defining primary sources as the following:

• Original Documents or Materials Created at the Time of the Event Being Researched 

Interviews, Newspapers, Original Footage or Reports, Autobiographies, Memoirs, Oral Histories, Diaries, Correspondence, Government Documents or Official Records, Photographs, Raw Data, and Speeches.

• Creative Works Produced By Someone Who Experienced the Event Firsthand

Novels, Poetry, Photography, Drama, Films, and Music. 

• Relics or Artifacts from the Time Period During Which the Event Took Place

Buildings, Clothing, DNA, Furniture, Jewelry, and Pottery. 

Primary sources can be found in our databases and on the open web. 

Primary Sources at ELAC Libraries

• Search for historical newspapers in ProQuest by limiting the date range to the date range of your event
• Visit Gale Virtual Reference Library for primary sources such as letters, speeches, and government documents
• You can find primary sources in the form of letters, memoirs, and more in the Library Book Catog
• Interviews, Newspapers, Original Footage or Reports, Autobiographies, Memoirs, Oral Histories, Diaries, Correspondence, Government Documents or Official Records, Photographs, Raw Data, and Speeches.

Primary Sources on the Open Web

• Digital Public Library of America
• US Census Bureau Historical Statistical Abstracts
  
• Resource Center for Minority Data
• Library of Congress Primary Source Sets
• Finding Primary Sources Library of Congress
• Online Archive of California (look at the "Items" tab)
• CALISPHERE Digital Collections

You can select any of the following broad topics for your research assignment including:

• Angel Island / Ellis Island
• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• Japanese Internment Camp
• The many faces of Silence
• The immigrant stories
• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
• A social issue connected to Asians and Latinos

Having trouble finding articles? Try to narrow the focus of your topic: 

Who:     What group of people are you interested in focusing on for your research assignment?

What:    What about the topic do you want to explore in-depth? What is your focus?

When:   What time period are you exploring? Historical perspectives? Present day?

Where:  Does your research have a geographic focus? 

Why:     Why does this topic matter to you? Why should it matter to everyone?

How:     How does your research topic affect the people you're interested in focusing on?