ART108 / HUM108 - Black Images in Popular Culture: Understand
Your Topic

• Look up your keywords in the indexes to subject encyclopedias.

• Read articles in these encyclopedias to set the context for your research.

• Note relevant items in the bibliographies at the end of the encyclopedia articles.

• Additional background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and reserve readings.

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.

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:

Here are some reference sources that are located in the library.  These books are found in the Reference area in the low shelves designated Reference. 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 backgrond reading you should be able to narrow your focus and write your thesis statement. Here are two examples of narrowing your focus to come up with a thesis statement:

African American Films

• African American film
  • African American film and the effect on race identity
    • Micheaux’s film exposed racial violence and intolerance, which fueled the New Negro movement and promoted a realistic black identity.

African American Women

• The Legacy of African American Women
  • Struggles of African American Women
    • African American women have played a significant role in the struggle for Civil Rights.