Library Guides: Sociology: Background Information

Overview of Sociology

According to The American Sociological Association, sociology is:

the study of society
a social science involving the study of the social lives of people, groups, and societies
the study of our behavior as social beings, covering everything from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social processes
the scientific study of social aggregations, the entities through which humans move throughout their lives
an overarching unification of all studies of humankind, including history, psychology, and economics

Related subjects include: Anthropology.

News and Popular Press

Popular press resources such as newspapers and magazines are expert but non-scholarly sources that report basic facts and offer opinions. One benefit of these sources is that they are printed shortly after an event, but they do not reach the level of analysis necessary for scholarly work.

Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Full text articles from newspapers and periodicals published by the ethnic, minority and native press in the U.S.
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni delivers unmatched depth and quality when it comes to content. With more than 15,000 news, legal and business sources, Nexis Uni helps students find credible sources including: Print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs; Local, regional, national and international newspapers with deep archives; Extensive legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790; Unparalleled business information on more than 80 million U.S. and international companies and more than 75 million executives.
World news connection This link opens in a new window
Provides English translations of news sources prepared by the U.S. government from around the world. Successor to the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS).
Newspaper source plus This link opens in a new window
Provides full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, including USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, The Times (London), The Toronto Star, etc. Selected full text for more than 200 regional (U.S.) newspapers, including The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, The Miami Herald, The New York Daily News, The San Jose Mercury News, etc. Full text television & radio news transcripts provided from CBS News, FOX News, NPR, etc.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Successor to Dow Jones News Service, Factiva provides access to global news and business information, including newspapers, same-day newswires, company reports, and media programs. Usage info: Licensed for 4 simultaneous users. Access info: Historically Factiva only worked with IE version 5 or higher. Since then, several other browser options have been added.

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Dictionaries are most often collections of words in one or more specific languages, usually arranged in alphabetical order, providing information like word meanings, usage, etymology, and, when they contain more than one language, translations. Some dictionaries include information more commonly found in encyclopedias. Encyclopedias are collections of information on terms, figures, eras, locations also arranged alphabetically, and, alongside definitions of terms, they also include more in-depth general information on a topic. Encyclopedias can be general or subject-specific.

CQ researcher This link opens in a new window
Covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more, with a United States focus. Includes news covered in print issues of: Editorial research reports (1924-1986), Congressional quarterly's editorial research reports (1987-1991) and CQ researcher (1991-).

Dictionary of social work and social care
This new dictionary provides over 1,500 A-Z definitions of terms from the field of social care, concentrating on social work as a significant area within this field. Covering social work theories, methods, policies, organizations, and statutes, as well as key terms from interdisciplinary topics such as health and education, this is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind available. It also provides extended entries on specialisms such as children and families, domestic violence, and residential care.
Dictionary of sociology
Wide-ranging and authoritative, this bestselling sociology dictionary is the most informative of its kind. Compiled by a team of sociological experts, under the editorship of Gordon Marshall and John Scott, it is packed with over 2,500 entries.
Dictionary of the social sciences
Oxford's unprecedented Dictionary of the Social Sciences is designed to break down the barriers between social science disciplines, as well as to make social scientific language comprehensible to general readers. Collecting anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, human geography, cultural studies, and Marxism in one volume, the Dictionary presents concise, clearly written definitions of more than 1,500 important terms.

Encyclopedia of population This link opens in a new window
Provides expanded, up-to-date coverage of demographic topics both in the core field and in neighboring disciplines. Designed to encompass the large-scale changes in emphasis and research directions in population studies during the last 20 years, topics covered include: rapid demographic expansion in poor countries; low fertility rates and problems of old-age support; the environmental impact of a dense population; the press for expanded reproductive rights; and much more.
Encyclopedia of social work, 20th ed. This link opens in a new window
"This new edition includes coverage of areas that have come to the fore since the 1995 publication of the 19th edition, including demographic changes from immigration, technology, the implications of managed care, faith-based assistance, evidence-based practice, gerontology, and trauma and disaster."--Publisher's description.

Encyclopedia of American social history
Over the past forty years, social historians have drawn on new sources and methodologies to shift the focus of historical interest to the experiences of ordinary people. The result has been a radical rethinking of the great events and historical transformations in American history, and The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History synthesizes the extraordinary wealth of information uncovered by this inquiry.

Sociology

Global Affairs and Sociology Librarian

Overview of Sociology

Other Related Guides

News and Popular Press

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias