Representative Reference Sources in Sociology

When doing a search for information in sociology, you will need to first establish a basic understanding of the terms and concepts in the field.  Reference books such as dictionaries, handbooks, manuals and encyclopedias are great sources for this type of information.

 

Anti-Americanism: History, Causes, and Themes                                               R 303.48 A629 2007

A collection of essays that examines the historical cause and current manifestation of anti-American opinion from around the world. Each of the four volumes has a table of contents and separate index.

 

Census Atlas of the United States                                                                             R 304.6 U58c 2007

Converts census data to coded maps and graphs representing population distribution, education, work, income, housing, and other topics analyzing the US population.

 

Countries and Their Cultures                                                                                       R 306 C855 2001

Provides detailed articles about the cultural practices of people in countries throughout the world, including brief historical and demographic information on the country and illustrations.

 

Dictionary of Sociology                                                                                                 Online                                                  

Concise definitions of terms and concepts used in Sociology and related fields.  Also includes biographical entries.                           

 

Encyclopedia of Aging                                                                                                   R 305.26 E561 2002

Articles cover all aspects of aging, from medical and biological topics to social and psychological issues.

 

Encyclopedia Britannica                                                                                                Online

An online version of the traditional print encyclopedia, it is a great resource for general information in multiple subject areas.

 

Encyclopedia of Gangs                                                                                                   R 364.1066 E56 2008

Covers the history specific gangs, along with their impact on society. Also addresses related terms and concepts and provides a list of further readings for additional information.

 

Encyclopedia of Globalization                                                                                    R 303.482 E56

Topics include issues from history, economics, environmentalism, political and cultural disciplines. The 1^st volume includes an alphabetical list of entries and a reader’s guide.

 

Encyclopedia of Sociology                                                                                           R 301.03 E565 2000

This four-volume set provides in-depth articles covering a wide range of fields of study and topics in Sociology. Articles include selective bibliographies.

 

Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict                                                    R 303.6 E56 1999

Topics include issues of criminology as well as theories of violence, peace and conflict.

 

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America                                                       Online

Available as an electronic book online through the ALEX catalog, this resource "contains 8,000 to 12,000 word essays on 150 culture groups of the United States, emphasizing religions, holidays, customs, and languages in addition to providing information on historical background and settlement patterns."

 

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences                                           R 300.3 I61 2008

This nine volume set covers various concepts related to the social sciences including cultural and historical

events that have relevance to the field. The 9^th volume contains a cumulative index, while the 1^st volume contains an alphabetical list of entries and a thematic outline organizing related articles.

 

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life                                        R 305.8 W9275 1998

Arranged in four volumes by geographic regions this work focuses on the traditions and living conditions of culture groups with an emphasis on how people live at present. 

 

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Finding Books and Other Items in the Library

To find books and other resources on Sociology in our general collection start by going to the ALEX online catalog and searching by subject. Searching by keyword broadens your search and retrieves more information. 

 

Browse by call number:

·         301  Sociology & anthropology

·         305  Social groups

·         306  Culture & institutions

·         307  Communities

·         344  Social, labor, welfare, & related law

·         360  Social services

 

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Resources for Finding Articles on Sociology

For the latest information from authoritative sources, use scholarly journals. Online library databases like Academic Search Complete or JSTOR are general databases that contain information from multiple disciplines. The following databases are other examples, typically more specific in nature, that contain information geared towards this discipline.

 

Annual Reviews in Sociology

Annual compilation of review articles in sociology.  Full text available from 1997 to the present.

 

Anthrosource

Current issues for 15 of the most critical anthropology journals, along with archive access for all of the American Anthropology Association’s journals.

 

Wiley InterScience (Formerly Blackwell Synergy)

You can browse by specific subject area, like Sociology, or use the advanced search option to find articles covering a specific subject area.

OMNIFILE/MEGA

Choose the Social Science subject area for citations, abstracts and full-text articles of scholarly journals and magazines in sociology.

 

Project Muse

Associated with JSTOR this database contains 250 journals covering most of the Humanities and Social Sciences, including Sociology.

 

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Provides over 500 full text publications, covering topics relating to psychology and sociology.

 

 

Journal Finder

If you are having trouble finding the full text of a journal, Journal Finder can help point you towards the right database. 

 

 

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Web Resources in Sociology

There is a great variety of web sites that deal with sociology. Following are a few examples. For more web resources covering this area, check out the library's delicious page of websites.

 

Bridgewater College Department of Sociology

This is the home page for the Department of Sociology at Bridgewater College.

 

American Sociological Association Data Sources

This site offers a list of links to publicly available large-scale data sets.

 

Anthro Links

This site provides a list of links to websites dealing with anthropology from the American Association of Anthropologists.

 

H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online

This site provides scholars a place to discuss their relative topics. Each discussion network is monitored, and provides a list of resources (online and in print) for its subject.

 

Social-Marketing.com: Research & Evaluation Links

This site provides a list of links to sites that offer information on research methods in the social sciences.

 

Sociolog

This site offers a comprehensive guide to online resources in sociology by Julian Dierkes, a professor at the University of British Columbia.

 

WWW Virtual Library: Sociology

This site provides a comprehensive set of links to online resources in sociology.  All sites are reviewed by qualified professionals before inclusion.