History 110- African American History - Professor Lee: Understand
 Your Topic

You probably already know a little something about the topic you chose, but it's important to find out more in order to write an intelligent research paper and/or make a good argument. 

Ask yourself:

• What do I know?
• What can I find out?

Reference resources help you find out more!

Library Research Guides lead you to the best resources to use when searching for information on your topic.

Always check to see if there's a Research Guide on your topic.

  BOOK REVIEW

Write a 5-10 page book review of "...any book about the African-American past that deals with our time period." The purpose of the book review is to "...discuss the relevance of the book read to the study of African-American history. You will also compare your book to two book reviews and at least one other book of African-American history."

• Find at least one or two scholarly reviews(or more) of your book that have been published in academic journals.
• Cite at least one or two other books on the American or the African-American past that deal with the same issues dealt with in your book

   RESEARCH PAPER IN FAMILY HISTORY

Write a 5-10 page research paper concerning "... the history of your own family, the family of a friend or fellow student, or that of some other person.. You may do research into the family history of a prominent African American in history". The purpose of the paper is to "...fit the history of your family into the larger history of African American people in the United States", and to "explain your family's actions within the large context of the major events and trends of African American history during that time". The paper "...may concern any aspect of the history of a family."

• Cite and discuss at least one or two books or articles on African American history that have dealt with the issues that you have discussed.

Reference Sources   

Once you have chosen a topic for your paper, use general reference sources to get background information on your topic. Reference books such as the encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks, and the current issue titles are a good starting point for your research because they help you become better acquainted with your topic. 

See the lists below for some selected reference sources available online and in print. Ask a librarian if you need help finding more resources.

Online reference resources require login for off-campus use.  Enter your Cerritos College login when prompted.  For more login information see the Database Login page.

Below are some of the library's online database resources which can help you get some background information on your topic.  These resources are available on and off campus: