Sociology 273

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SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE FAMILY

A Guide to Library Resources for Sociology 273

 

Background Research | Articles | Books & Journals | Citing Sources | Research Assistance

 

Social Perspectives on the Family examines the societal forces shaping aspects of stable and changing family relations in the U. S. and other countries; focuses on social-structural factors affecting marriage, divorce, co-habitation, child-bearing, the division of work and authority, and other features of life.

Welcome! This site has been created to assist you finding and using library resources for your Sociology 273 class, especially the "Final Essay" assignment. Our library is one of the largest publicly funded university library in the world. It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it is truly a treasure trove for scholars. All of the University of Illinois Library's resources are available to you as you do your research--so start exploring, have fun, and don't hesitate to ask questions!

 

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Finding background information about a topic is an important step of the research process. Consulting a handbook or subject-specific encyclopedia can help you put your research in a broader context and help point you to areas for further research.

Annual Review of Sociology - a compilation of review articles summarizing the current state of research on a particular topic. An excellent roadmap to the current state research in a particular area, this is also a great source of citations to current and retrospective publications. The online version allows you to search the full text of all issues form volume 1 (1975) to present.

Reference Materials

306.8509703 En19
Encyclopedia of Family Life. 1995.
This five-volume encyclopedia offers current articles on a full range of family issues that deal with modern society in Canada and the United States. Arranged alphabetically, these 452 articles address family subjects from a variety of perspectives. Each article, ranging in length from 250 to 4000 words, defines terms, people, and organizations, and discusses controversies, historical trends and events, or health concerns, laws and court cases. This set includes bibliographical references and an index.  

306.85 F2192  
Families Across Cultures: A 30-Nation Psychological Study. 2006.
By looking at thirty countries across the globe, each representing a different geopolitical zone, this book examines three main issues: the differences in family networks, similarities of families across cultures, and worldwide family changes as a result of social changes. Divided into two parts, part one discusses the theories, methodologies, and findings of the study, while part two looks at the results of each represented country. Includes many tables and figures, an extensive bibliography, and an appendix which includes the questionnaire used in the study.

306.85 F21222 2006  
Families in Global and Multicultural Perspective. 2nd ed. 2006.
Intended for use in an undergraduate and graduate comparative family course, the book travels across geographic, cultural, and historical boundaries to explore the diversity of the world's families. It examines a full range of topics including family origin and universality, family functions, marital structure, kinship rules, comparative research methods, family development, marriage adjustment, parenting, divorce, and aging. Includes author and subject indexes.  

306.85 H1913
Handbook of World Families.  2005.
Comparative study of family life in 25 nations covering family formation, fertility and socialization, gender, marriage, stresses and violence, divorce and remarriage, kinship, aging and death, and family and other institutions. Each chapter was written by a scholar brought up in the culture.  Countries are organized by world region and then alphabetized.  Includes an author and subject index.

Q. 306.803 In821 2003
International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family. 2nd ed. 2003.
This updated four-volume encyclopedia "is a compendium surveying the shared patterns and amazing variation in marriage and family life in a rapidly changing multicultural world" and is designed for use by general readers as well as scholars and students seeking information on global family lifestyles. Users can look for information by subject (e.g. adoption, later life families, stress) or by country name (though not every country is included). A complete list of articles and contributors is included at the front of volume 1 and an extensive index is located in volume 4.

 

FINDING ARTICLES

Plan out your search statement.

Search the database and evaluate the results.

Article Databases

Finding full-text articles; if full text isn't available online.

If the article is not available in full-text, and the database does not have a Discover or Check Your Library link, you have a couple of options:

Option 1: Easy Search:

Option 2: Find the journal using the Online Library Catalog :

If the item you need is not available at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, use the online Interlibrary Loan request services.

 

FINDING BOOKS & JOURNALS

Online Library Catalog - Look here to find books, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, DVDs, and many other resources.  In addition to the 12 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to over 70 other libraries in Illinois and request books be sent to you.

When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:

Location - in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
Call Number - this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
Status - is it available for you to check out?

Hint: Library catalogs are used for two purposes: (1) If you know exactly what you are looking for - an exact title or author - you can use the catalog to locate your material (this works for book titles and journal titles); (2) You can also use catalogs to discover material that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching. 

Library Catalog Hints

  1. Search the Online Library Catalog using one of the following SUBJECTS. Be sure to select "Subject" in the drop down box.

    • Marriage and Family
    • Unmarried Couples
    • Unmarried Couples and Family
    • Work and Family
    • Kinship and Family
    • Family Violence
    • Domestic Violence and Family
    • Poverty and Family
    • Ethnicity and Family
    • Gender Identity and Family

    Add other keywords to focus the search, e.g. "United States" or "Illinois" or "biography" or "social conditions"

  2. Browse the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library or Undergraduate Library in the following call number ranges:

    • 306.8 Marriage and family

  

CITING SOURCES

Guidelines for citing electronic and print resources are available from the Reference Library's Cite a Source page and the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library's Style and Writing Guide.

RefWorks

A great tool for writing papers, RefWorks helps you export bibliographic records from databases, change the citation styles as needed, and import the citation directly into a Word document so you can create bibliographies on the fly. 

 

RESEARCH ASSISTANCE

Ask-A-Librarian for Help with Your Research

Use our Ask-A-Librarian Service to IM, chat, email, phone or find a reference librarian.

Contact a librarian to request an appointment for an in-depth Research Consultation.

Finding Your Way Around

There are over 25 departmental libraries on our campus, and sometimes it may be difficult to determine where to find the resources you need. For your class, the library that you will be using most is the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL). We are located in SSHEL North (Room 100) and SSHEL South (Room 101) of the Main Library building. Do no hesitate to come in and ask one of our energetic and helpful information desk assistants.

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