English 103 – Spaventa

Photograph of the Channel Islands

The Channel Islands (image from the National Park Service)


About this guide

This guide provides students with recommended resources for conducting research for the three paper assignments in English 103 with Professor Spaventa. Use the tabs to navigate through the pages of the guide.

Paper Writing Assistance

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Need more help?

If you need more help with research, ask a librarian! Stop by the Reference Desk, or contact a librarian by phone, text, or chat for more help. Find our contact information on the right side of this page.Contact Us

Your Assignment

Write a three-page research paper comparing and contrasting the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina in Spike
Lee’s When the Levees Broke and Dave Eggers’ Zeitoun.

Keywords

Sometimes the words you use to describe a topic are different from the words used by the library catalog and databases. If you have trouble finding information on your topic, ask a librarian for help choosing the best keywords to use in your search. Or, try some of the search words listed below.

    Hurricanes
    Hurricane Katrina
    Hurricane Katrina – environmental aspects
    Hurricane Katrina – government policy
    Hurricane Katrina – health aspects
    Hurricane Katrina – political aspects
    Hurricane Katrina – social aspects
    Natural disasters – United States
    New Orleans

Reference Sources

Reference books and reference databases are a good place to begin your research, and find background information on your topic.

Reference Books

  • The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide – R 551.6 F946e 2010

Reference Databases

To access this resource from off campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline account information:

Books

Search the library catalog for print books and ebooks on your topic. See the Keywords above for some words to try in your search.

Articles

Use one of the following databases to find articles from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals) about your topic. To access databases from off campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline username and password.

  • Academic Search Complete For articles from periodicals (journals, magazines, and newspapers) in all subject areas.
  • GreenFILE For articles about all aspects of human impact to the environment.
  • Opposing Viewpoints For articles expressing different opinions on controversial topics.

Websites

Finding good websites for college research can be difficult and time-consuming. Be sure to evaluate any websites you find on your own, using the C.A.R.S. system.

Consider starting with some of the recommended websites below:

Your Assignment

Describe a single plant or animal species native to our area of California.

Keywords

Remember that the words you use to describe your topic may be different from the words used by the library catalog and databases. Consider searching by the scientific name of the species you are describing. If you have trouble finding information on your topic, ask a librarian for help choosing the best keywords to use in your search. Or, try some of the search words listed below.

    Amphibians California
    Animals California
    Aquatic insects California
    Birds California
    Botany California
    Fisheries California
    Insects California
    Marine animals California
    Marine mammals Pacific Coast North America
    Marine organisms California
    Native plants California
    Plant conservation California
    Plants California
    Reptiles California
    Seashore animals California
    Seashore plants California
    Wild flowers California

Reference Sources

Reference books and reference databases are a good place to begin your research, and find background information on your topic, including the scientific name of the species you are researching.

Reference Books

  • Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores — R 577.699 D412e 2007
  • The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California — R 581.9794 J54m 1993
  • The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide — R 590.3 C772e
  • Encyclopedia of Insects — R 595.7 R433e
  • The Illustrated Guide to Marine Fish of the World: A Visual Directory of Sea Life, Featuring More Than 450 Fabulous Species — R 597.177 B415i 2009
  • The Encyclopedia of Snakes — R 597.96 M444e
  • The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds — R598.2 T325a
  • Grzimek’s Encyclopedia of Mammals — R 599 G895g
  • Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals — R 599.5 P458e 2009

Reference Databases

To access this resource from off campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline account information:

  • Credo Reference contains the full text of nearly 600 encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and other reference books covering all major subject areas. Thousands of Topics Pages provide articles from different reference sources, arranged by subject. Includes “gadgets” for finding images, definitions, people, pronunciations, quotations, and measurement conversations, as well as a concept map feature for help identifying keywords and broadening or narrowing a topic. Additional features include videos, maps, and animations.

Books

Search the library catalog for print books and ebooks on your topic. See the Keywords above for some words to try in your search.

Articles

Use one of the following databases to find articles from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals) about your topic. To access databases from off campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline username and password.

Websites

Remember to evaluate any websites you find on your own, using the C.A.R.S. system.

Consider starting with the recommended websites below:

Your Assignment

Make a group presentation on an Italian province, based on your research of an Italian region or province’s history, art, music, culture in general, food, language.

Keywords

Remember that the words you use to describe your topic may be different from the words used by the library catalog and databases. If you have trouble finding information on your topic, ask a librarian for help choosing the best keywords to use in your search. Or, try some of the search words listed below.

    Food habits – Italy
    Italy
    Italy – Civilization

Reference Sources

Reference books and reference databases are a good place to begin your research, and find background information on your topic, including the scientific name of the species you are researching.

Reference Books

  • CultureGrams — R 909 C968w, vol. 2

Reference Databases

To access online resources from off-campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline account information:

  • County Watchcontains information about countries, including news on the latest political, economic, corporate, and environmental events, and detailed geographical, political, economic, corporate, and environmental briefings.
  • Credo Reference contains the full text of nearly 600 encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, and other reference books covering all major subject areas.

Books

Search the library catalog for print books and ebooks on your topic. See the Keywords above for some words to try in your search.

Articles

Use one of the following databases to find articles from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals) about your topic. To access databases from off campus, you will need to log in with your Pipeline username and password.

Websites

Remember to evaluate any websites you find on your own, using the C.A.R.S. system.

Consider starting with the recommended websites below:

  • CIA World FactBook: Italy Provides background information on Italy, including information on the geography, people, politics, economy, etc.

Evaluating Sources

It is important to evaluate the sources you use for college research. Use the C.A.R.S. system to evaluate the sources you find:

  • Credibility: Is an author listed? What are the author’s credentials? Is there evidence of positive peer evaluation?
  • Accuracy: Is the date of the site current? Is the information complete and not too vague? Does the author acknowledge all views?
  • Reasonableness: Is the author fair and objective? Is the author concerned with the truth?
  • Support: Does the author provide support for the information? Are the sources listed?

Citing Your Sources

This Citation Worksheet is a helpful way to keep track of your sources and all the elements you will need for citing them in your paper.

MLA Formatting Guides