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.
Background - Historical, Political, Cultural
- 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.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new windowAbstracts and index of international political science journals.
- 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.
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.