ENGL 248 African American Literature

A collection of resources for assignments commonly seen in ENGL 248 at Green River College.

Background Info on Events, People, Literature

Beginning Your Research

Databases are specialized library search tools. The ones linked below are usually a great place to start searching. 

Not sure where to start? Go to the "Finding a Topic" tab on this guide for ideas of people, events, and larger topics in African American history that you can try researching!

Background Info on Literature & Authors

Using Gale Literature

Gale Literature is a great source of information on literature. It has scholarly articles AND it also has introductory info.

  • Search for different article types such as Topic Overviews, Biographies, News & Reviews, and Primary Sources (includes interviews) to get to know your author, texts, and issues. 
To search Gale Literature
  1. Try a simple search in the search box at the top, or using the Advanced Search options, use relevant keywords such as author and/or name of work. Note the different field options available and change them as needed.

(click on image to enlarge)

screenshot showing how to search by author's name, last, then first

 

  1. I suggest starting with Topic Overviews
    • Select a Topic Overview with a critical overview, rather than just a summary. Look for articles from the for Students series.
    • Look for sources on your work and on your author. Ideas from one work by your author may be applicable to another of their works.

(click on image to enlarge)

Search results showing how to limit by document type

 

  1.  You may limit at this point to a specific poem or short story or novel. When I am just starting out, I sometimes keep it broad, so I can learn more about the author's work and ideas.

Starting with the basics

Why Start with Background Info?

An overview of your broad topic area helps you understand...
  • what the key issues are and how you may want to refine your topic
  • who are the stakeholders (the groups or individuals this topic concerns)
  • context of how your topic relates to the other issues that surround it
  • a historical perspective on your topic
  • specialized vocabulary or search words that are used in your field (you will use these words for searches later in your research process)

Reference Books

Reference Books

Reference books, like the ones linked below, are books that you can use in the library or photocopy or scan.

  • Look in the back of the book at the index to find where the content you are looking for can be found