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Critical Race & Ethnic Studies 101 (Alamri): Search Tools

Race and the Media

Activity

In your groups, explore a search tool in your assigned category. If possible, explore one that you haven't used before. Answer the following questions on your large sticky note.

  • What is the name of the tool?
  • What kind of information source types does it contain?
  • What subject(s)/topic(s) does it cover?
  • Explore the interface of the tool. What are some useful features?
  • Look something up of interest or, if it's a podcast, explore some of the information about recent episodes. What did you find?

Group 1: Background Information

Reference sources, like encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and Wikipedia, provide information such as definitions, brief histories, and biographical information.

The encyclopedia entry, "Race and Media," which is available through the Credo database, comes from the book Media Psychology 101. It is an example of a reference source that provides a brief overview of some of the major issues, along with some definitions. Note that the entry is from 2015.

Group 4: Podcasts

There are many podcasts that touch on the various topics covered in your class, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. Below is just a sample. To find more: 

Try running a search for podcasts online.

Example: "Native American*" AND film* AND podcast*

Use a directory (basically, a list) to point you to podcasts you might be interested in listening to. 

Example: Podcasts in Color

Group 5: Books & eBooks

Books are useful for background information and can add depth to a research topic or put your topic in context with other important issues. Some books are also scholarly, such as those published by a university press.

The book below, Algorithms of Oppression, is an example of a scholarly book. It was published by New York University Press in 2018.

Group 2 & 3: Scholarly Articles+

Many, but not all, scholarly articles go through a peer review process, which means they are checked by academics and other experts. The articles are often based on original studies (surveys, experiments, clinical trials, etc.), reviews of previous research, or theoretical in nature.

The article "Gender Representation in Children's Literature: 1900-1984" (1989) studied representations of male and female main characters in children's books published in the twentieth century. The findings show that at the beginning and end of the era studied, there seems to have been more equal representation. For books that featured adult or animal characters, males were more represented over time.

The databases below provide access to scholarly articles, as well as other types of content. Read through the descriptions to learn what kind of information each databases contains.

Group 6: Newspaper Articles

News sources provide information about current events. Historical newspapers can provide a snapshot of past events through the perspective of those from the era. In addition to national newspapers, it's also important to look through regional and local papers, including ethnic newspapers and newspaper from other perspectives.

In the Central Valley, the local bilingual (Spanish/English) newspaper is Vida en en Valle, which provides local news from a Hispanic/Latinx community perspective.