Background Information
You may not know a lot about the country you pick. Here are some sources to get a quick summary of a country's or region's population, history, and culture.
- Countries and their CulturesAn encyclopedia that examines over 200 countries. Includes information about religion, sports, food, demographics, and all aspects of culture.
- OECDMore great background! Select your country from the top. Use the data or the "How's life in..." section.
- CIA World FactbookExtensive statistical information on every country in the world. Good demographic (population) statistics under "People and Society."
Search for information
Search Belk Library's online system to find both library materials and articles in our databases. Use the search box below to do a basic search on library materials and databases.
Databases
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowIndex and abstracts of sociology, anthropology, criminology, demography, education law and penology, race relations, social psychology and urban studies. 1963-
- SocINDEX w/Full Text This link opens in a new windowThe most comprehensive and highest-quality sociology research database. The database features millions of records with subject headings from a sociological thesaurus designed by subject experts and expert lexicographers.
- Passport (Euromonitor) This link opens in a new windowSearch your country and "consumer lifestyles" to get a great report. Or country "and children" for more general articles.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new windowHistorical Abstracts covers modern world history (excluding the United States and Canada which are covered in America: History and Life) from 1450 to the present.
Google Scholar French
You're probably familiar with Google Scholar, a way to search only scholarly resources in Google. But did you know it came in a French-only version? Remember to enter your search terms in French: for example, not "child labor" but "travail des enfants".
- Google Scholar in FrenchRemember to search this database in French! So not "teenagers" but "adolescents."
International Organizations
There is a lot of great data and context available from international organizations such as those below. All of these groups listed have French resources available:
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)A great resource for information about topics pertaining to children.
- UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
- World Health OrganizationThe WHO has a group devoted just to children, the MCA (maternal/child/adolescent) department. Also look under the "Countries" tab.
- International Labour OrganizationUnder Topics, try "Child Labour" or "Youth Employment."
- Demographic and Health Surveys from US AIDReports for many countries in the developing world about health and children's and women's issues.