University Library at St. Cloud State University

HURL 102: Human Relations and Race

Explore Topic Ideas
African American History Month
A site devoted to "paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society." Hosted by the Library of Congress.

Colorlines
A daily news site published by Race Forward, a national organization that advances racial justice through research, media and practice.

Fusion
News stories and angles representing "the widest range of voices for today’s America."

Southern Poverty Law Center
A legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. 

Zinn Education Project
Based on the work of Howard Zinn, this site emphasizes the role of working people, women, people of color, and organized social movements in shaping history. The News and Why sections of the site include articles of current interest that look critically at historical topics and how they relate to today's society. You can also Explore by Theme.
Popular vs. Scholarly practice
Journal covers image
Image source: NCSU Libraries


From Idea to Library
Video tutorial on how scholarly articles are written, published, and made accessible to researchers and students. From the NCSU Libraries.

Teach Yourself: Understanding Scholarly Sources

Compare and contrast the following articles. What makes one popular and the other scholarly?
Search for Articles
Academic Search Premier (all topics) Restricted Resource Some full text availablefindit elm database
Full-text articles in biology, chemistry, education, engineering, humanities, physics, psychology, religion and theology, sociology, etc. Tip: Click the check box to limit to Academic (Peer Reviewed) Journals.

Ethnic NewsWatch Restricted Resource Some full text availablefindit database
Articles from over 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Provides in-depth coverage of a wide range of current and historical topics. Limit the Source Type to "Scholarly Journals" for peer-reviewed articles.

GenderWatch Restricted Resource Some full text availablefindit database
Articles on topics like sexuality, religion, societal roles, feminism, masculinity, eating disorders, day care, and the workplace that support LGBT studies, family studies, gender studies, and women's studies with a unique interdisciplinary approach. Click the check box to limit results to "Peer-reviewed" for scholarly articles.
Create Your Search Strategy
Research is a process that requires you to use trial and error to find useful resources. Here are some tips to get you started.
  • Identify the main concepts of your topic
  • Think of synonyms to describe each concept, where appropriate
  • Combine synonyms with OR and enclose in parentheses
  • Combine the different concepts with AND
  • Use truncation (*) to find multiple endings of words
     
Example topic: What are some ways activists respond to racial profiling that targets the African-American community?

Sample searches:

"racial profiling" AND activis* AND "african american*

polic* AND "black lives matter"

"racial profiling" AND (activis* OR resistance OR change) AND ("african american* OR black*)

"driving while black" AND (activis* OR resistance OR change)

"race discrimination" AND "law enforcement" AND ("african american* OR black*)

Begin by trying one to two search terms and revising your search based on your results.
Cite Your Sources
When you write papers for your college classes, it is extremely important to cite your sources using a particular citation style. APA and MLA are examples of commonly used citation styles. Always ask your professor what style you should use.

Hint: Look for the Cite link when you're searching library databases. It will format the citation for you and you can copy and paste it into your bibliography but be sure to check it over for errors.

For examples on how to format in-text citations and your bibliography/works cited page, choose one of the following guides:

APA Formatting and Style Guide from OWL at Purdue
Provides examples of formatting papers, in-text citations, footnotes and endnotes, and reference lists in APA style. Updated according to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

MLA Formatting and Style Guide (OWL at Purdue)
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities, including English. This resource offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
Library Services
View instructions and get help with troubleshooting.

Student Study Rooms
Reserve student study rooms for group work, available on the second and third floors of the Library.

Equipment Check Out
VIsit the Circulation Desk to borrow digital cameras, camcorders, projectors, and other equipment.

Multicultural Resource Center (MRC)
An academic center that supports those who are learning, researching, or teaching about the experiences of people of color in the United States. Books in the MRC collection are on Miller Center 1st floor, near MC 137. Contact Professor Darlene St. Clair if you'd like a one-on-one meeting to discuss your research topic.
Search for Books
Locating Books in the Library
Map

Library Basement

Most books on race have call numbers starting with HM, HN, or HT.

HM = Sociology (General)
HN = Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform.
HT = Communities. Classes. Races.
 

MRC map


First Floor

Most new books on race are shelved on the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) shelves, outside of MC 137.
 
Subject Specialist
Picture: Robin Ewing

Robin Ewing
Professor, Research Librarian
MC 204F
(320) 308-2093
rlewing@stcloudstate.edu

Picture: Melissa Prescott

Melissa Prescott
Professor, Diversity and Inclusion Librarian
MC 204E
(320) 308-4751
mkprescott@stcloudstate.edu

Picture: Jennifer Quinlan

Jennifer Quinlan
Associate Professor, Student Success Librarian
MC 140G
(320) 308-5626
jmquinlan@stcloudstate.edu


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