Background Information
You may not know a lot about every part of the world you'll be studying this semester. Here are some sources to get a quick summary of a country's or region's history and culture.
- Credo This link opens in a new windowCredo is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
- CIA World FactbookExtensive statistical information on every country in the world. Good population statistics, and click on the "Communications" link for media information.
- Countries, peoples and their cultures - Central & South AmericaFor each country, there is a 20-page country profile including colorful maps, and 10 categories of information: General Information; Environment & Geography; Customs & Courtesies; Lifestyle; Cultural History; Culture; Society; Social Development; Government; and Economy. Each profile also includes full color photographs, valuable tables of information including fun “Do You Know?” facts, and a comprehensive Bibliography.
- Countries and their CulturesAn encyclopedia that examines over 200 countries. Includes information about religion, sports, food, demographics, and all aspects of culture.
- Culture and Customs SeriesThey're a little bit old, but there's a book for your country!
Historical Guide to World Media Freedom by ISBN: 9781608717651Publication Date: 2014-06-18Brings together historical data on media freedom since World War II, providing consistent and comparable measure of media freedom in all independent countries for the years 1948 to present.
Region-Specific Introductions
There are lots of news stories, scholarly articles, blogs, and policy reports about migration around the world. Here are two about the broad regions of South America and Latin America that might be helpful.
- Migration Data in South AmericaAn overview from the Migration Data Portal, including cool infographics.
- Migration in Latin AmericaA report from the famous UK policy center Chatham House.
News from the Spanish-speaking world
Depending on your topic, you might need to find out what is happening right now in the country of your text. Newspapers are a great way to do this.
- PressReader This link opens in a new windowInstant access to 6000+ newspapers and magazines from 120+ countries in 60+ languages. These are usually daily papers; no archives.
- Onlinenewspapers.comA great list of newspapers from around the world.
- Foreign Newspapers OnlineThis website compiles all of the newspapers in the world that have their own websites. Just find your country or region and click on a title.
- Latin American Network Information CenterA site from the University of Texas that compiled a list of newspapers from all over the Spanish-speaking world. Not kept current, but a lot of the links work.
Data
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatistics, studies and reports from over 18,000 sources. Includes data from businesses, government departments, market research concerns or associations and more.
- PEW Research Center This link opens in a new windowPew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
Migration Policy Institute - The MPI is a nonpartisan thinktank that looks at global migration issues. SO much data!
Migration Data Portal - A site that brings together migration data and statistics from multiple sources.
UN Global Migration Database - The United Nations keeps excellent data on all the migrations around the world. Check out the Data and the Publications tabs.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) -- The OECD collects and analyses data and makes recommendations to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Two ways to search - search this Migration topic page or go to the Countries tab and select your country of destination.
The World Bank - The World Bank looks at global migration, especially with respect to remittance payments (sending money home.)
United Nations Statistics Division -- The UN collects statistics for every nation. This page brings together all their migration statistics.
UNESCO -- UNESCO is the United Nation's Education, Scientific, and Cultural group. The webpage is also available in Spanish if you click at the top left. Search your country under the "Countries" dropdown menu or check out the section on International Migration.
Latinobarometro -- Based in Chile, this company does annual public opinion polls of 18 Latin American countries. In Spanish!