Research Guides: IDS 101: The World We Want: Reference Materials

The World We Want Course Description

News headlines and radio reports daily deluge us with coming catastrophes: climate change, fires, floods, global pandemics, refugees, and war. How to get out of bed in the morning? In this course, we will examine community-based solutions and efforts to build solidarity to combat the ravages of contemporary life. We will examine food co-ops, community garden projects, labor organizations, little free libraries, the tiny house movement, and many other efforts to build community and foster resilience. We will examine ideas from a number of cultures within American society: Native American, African American, Latino, and others. We will examine the projects of young people, as well as of the elderly. The materials for the course include political manifestos and histories of cooperative movements. The final project for the course will be the communal creation of a project based on the ideas that we study during the semester.

Course taught by: Jennifer Jopp Colloquium Associate: Niko Hellman

Authoritative Reference Sources vs Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content it is considered unreliable. College faculty typically do not consider Wikipedia a credible information source.

Instead, use the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your research paper. These resources have gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.

Reference E-books

Encyclopedia of American Social Movements
Call Number: Online Access
"This four-volume set examines social movements in American history - from the great struggles for abolition, civil rights, and women's equality to the more specific quests for prohibition, consumer safety, unemployment insurance, and global justice."
Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice - A-H
Call Number: Online Access
"The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice is a comprehensive and systematic collection of designated entries that describe, in detail, important diversity and social justice themes."
The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology
"Positive psychology, the pursuit of understanding optimal human functioning, is reshaping the scholarly and public views of how we see the science of psychology."
The Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History
"A collection of historical research on strikes in America comprised of two types of essays, those focused on an industry or economic sector and those focused on a theme."
Encyclopedia of Women in American History
Call Number: Online Access
"This illustrated encyclopedia examines the unique influence and contributions of women in every era of American history, from the colonial period to the present."
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology
"Written by leading scholars in the field, this comprehensive and readable resource gives anthropology students a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline."

Reference Books (Print)

Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.