Happiness: Understand
Your Topic

Here are a few library resources to help you gather background information for your topic:

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.

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

Here are some reference books that are located in the library's Reference area. Although they cannot be checked out, students are able to photocopy pages.

Although you probably started with only a broad idea of what you wanted to write about, after testing your topic and doing background reading you should be able to narrow your focus and write your thesis statement. Here are two examples of narrowing a broad topic to come up with a thesis statement:

Happiness and pleasure

• The main requirement for happiness is often thought to be pleasure. But Webster's states that happiness is "well-being characterized by relative permanence." The nature of pleasure is, by definition, temporary.
  • Given that life itself is temporary, is it realistic to say that more than pleasure is required? On the other hand, is pleasure required at all? Can we achieve well-being through means other than pleasure?
    • Although some people appear to have found happiness solely through pleasure, in reality, they must also attain inner peace and feel connected to their fellow beings.

Happiness and fair government

• In order to maintain a good society, government must promote fairness.
  • Does a society based on fairness necessarily lead to individual happiness?
    • Although a government cannot ensure that individuals will be happy, it is more likely to foster individual happiness if it passes laws based on individual worth and equality.