ITAL 4150: The Decameron and the Age of Realism
- Getting Started
- Literature
- Art, Gender and Society
- Citing
- Mobile
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Once you have determined a topic, issue or subject of interest, you will need to focus the topic into a researchable question.
The following steps should help you break the process down:
- Plan your approach to the topic. Identify related issues, people, events etc. Determine your perspective. List what you know and what you need to know.
- Develop keywords that represent your topic. You'll use these to search for books and articles for your paper. Encyclopedia and reference books can help identify keywords.
- Read around your topic to develop a comprehensive understanding of your topic. Utilize reference sources to provide you with an overview and background information on a topic, the established knowledge on a topic, the most important facts about a topic, the key figures, places, or events related to your topic and a list of recommended readings on a topic
See the following sections to give further advice on developing keywords and background information.
Before you start to research a topic, you need to develop keywords that represent your research interest, question, or inquiry.
Keywords are significant words (usually nouns or noun phrases) which can be used as search terms in online catalogs or databases. Keywords will determine the quantity and relevance of results you retrieve when searching.
First you will identify and articulate your topic in your own words:
Example: I am interested in investigating feminism in medieval Italian literature and society
Next you will designate the main concepts or ideas that describe the topic:
Concept 1:
feminism
Concept 2:
medieval
Concept 3:
Italian literature
Then develop other terms and vocabulary that represent the topic. Some terms may be broader, narrower, or synonyms. Adding terms that represent geographical distincitions, time periods, or significant figures about your topic may also be useful.
Concept 1:
female
gender (relations)
girl/mother
womanhood
Concept 2:
13th/14th century
mediaeval
Middle Ages
Chivalric
Concept 3:
novella
Decameron
narrative
text
Combining Keywords
Operators:
AND: Feminism AND novella (must find both terms)
OR: Middle Ages OR medieval (must find one of the terms)
NOT: text NOT poetry (must find first term NOT second term)
Punctuation:
Phrases: “Middle Ages” (must find that phrase in that order)
Synonyms: (mother OR daughter) AND Decameron
Wildcards: feminis* will find feminist, feminism etc
You may use the UCB Search Strategy/ Keyword Worksheetto develop your own topic.
For details on combining keywords for the best results view the
A good place to find keywords is from reference sources.
Reference Universe: This is a searchable database that indexes information from specialized subject encyclopedias. It does not include the full text of reference materials but will point you to reference sources that cover your topic. It searches both the titles of reference articles as well as the encyclopedia / dictionary indexes, providing a thorough level of access to materials and potential sources. CU
Some more CU Reference Source examples:
Specialized Dictionaries:
Oxford Language Dictionaries Online
Encyclopedias
The Oxford companion to Italian literature
The feminist encyclopedia of Italian literature
REF PQ4063 .F45 1997
Encyclopedia of Italian literary studies
REF PQ4006 .E536 2007
Dictionary of Italian literature
REF PQ4006 .D45
Dizionario enciclopedico della letteratura italiana
PQ4006 .D5
For more reference source search tips, go to How do I find Reference Sources.
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Find books and articles on literary topics
CU = Available to campus IP addresses. Remote access information.
Original Works: e.g. Text of Decameron
To find books by an author do an AUTHOR search in Chinook.
To find a novel, do a TITLE search in Chinook.
To find a copy of a play, do a TITLE search in Chinook.
Opera del Vocabolario Italiano Database
Full text vernacular literature and writings dated prior to 1375, including Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, as well as many lesser-known texts.
Research and Interpretation: e.g. Articles and Books
Books
To find books about Boccaccio, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook and type in the author's name.
If something is checked out, request material through Prospector
Or do a SUBJECT search in Chinook to browse the subjects in the catalog:
Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375 Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375 -- Criticism and interpretation Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375. Decamerone
Articles
To find articles about Boccaccio and/or his work, try:
CU Oxford reference online : premium collection
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Books
To find books about the Decameron, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook under the author's name and under the title of the work (use both). E.g. Boccaccio and the Decameron
Once you find a record that looks useful you can search by the subject heading to find similar works, or physically browse the stacks around the call number.
Request material that is checked out through Prospector
To find more specific material do a SUBJECT search in Chinook to find relevant subject headings:
Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375. Decamerone Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375 -- Literary style Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375 -- Criticism and interpretation
Articles
To find critical journal articles about the Decameron, try the following databases. Look under the title of the work, as well as under the author's name.
Start Here: MLA international bibliography
Also:
CU International medieval bibliography online
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism Online [CU]
The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms [CU]
The Bedford glossary of critical and literary terms
A dictionary of critical theory
Introducing literary theories : a guide and glossary
A multicultural dictionary of literary terms
The Norton anthology of theory and criticism
Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory
Studying literature : the essential companion
Texts and contexts : writing about literature with critical theory
Dialogism (Literary analysis) Feminist Criticism Reader Response Criticism
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Books
To find books about other Italian literature, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook under the author's name and under the title of the work (use both).
Once you find a record that looks useful you can search by the subject heading to find similar works, or physically browse the stacks around the call number.
Request material that is checked out through Prospector
To find more specific material do a SUBJECT search in Chinook to find relevant subject headings:
Italian literature European literature -- Renaissance, 1450-1600 -- History and criticism Literature, Medieval
Articles
To find critical journal articles about the Decameron, try the following databases. Look under the title of the work, as well as under the author's name.
Start Here: MLA international bibliography
Also:
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
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Find books and articles on Italian art, gender and society
CU = Available to campus IP addresses. Remote access information.
Research and Interpretation: e.g. Articles and Books
Books
To find books about art, do a KEYWORD search in Chinook using the name of the director or do a TITLE search using the film's title.
Request material that is checked out through Prospector
To find more specific material do a SUBJECT search in Chinook to find relevant subject headings:
Use and adapt these subject keywords |
| Art, Italian |
| Christian art and symbolism -- Italy -- Medieval, 500-1500 |
| Art, Renaissance -- Italy |
Articles
To find articles or reviews about medieval or renaissance art, use the following databases:
CU Art Full Text
CU International medieval bibliography onlineCU JSTOR
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Articles
To find articles or reviews about gender studies, use the following databases:
CU Women's Studies International
CU International medieval bibliography online
CU JSTOR
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Articles
To find articles or reviews about gender studies, use the following databases:
CU International medieval bibliography online
CU JSTOR
CU Project Muse
CU = Available to CU affiliates only.
How to connect from home: Remote access information.
Modern Language Association
The MLA Style is most often used in the Humanities. Below you will find some citation examples and links to online resources. For complete guidelines, consult the MLA Handbook:
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
7th edition, New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Call number: LB2369 .G53 2009
Also see: How do I cite
EXAMPLES
Book with One Author
Author's last name, First name and Initial. Title in italics. Publication location: Publisher, year. Print.
Example:
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Harmony Books, 1980. Print.
Entire Website
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/ organization affiliated with the site, date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.
Example:
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University, 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Article in an Online Scholarly Journal (also available in print)
Author last name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Title Volume number.Issue Number (Year): Page numbers. Medium of Publication used. Day Month Year.
Example:
Smith, Mark. “Disease Outbreak in Confined Monkeys.” Zoology Monthly 6.2 (2001): 500-546. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Article from an Online Database
Author Last name, First name. “Article Title.” Journal Name Volume Number.Issue Number (year) : Page Numbers. Title of Database. Medium of Publication. Day Month Year.
Example:
Sonder, Clara. “Love in Medieval English Literature."
Historical Literature Journal 50.4 (2008): 145-187. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Many resources are now available on your smartphone!
Visit the following links or scan the barcode to access the mobile resources.
Mobile Italian Research Guide
Visit: http://ll.io/570 or scan the barcode! |
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| Art Full Text |  |
| Jstor Mobile |  |
| Humanities Full Text |  |
| Historical Abstracts |  |
| Women's Studies International |  |
| Chinook |  |
