Library Guides: English 1: Cultures

Elaine Rush,  Instructor
Developed by Gina Haycock, Librarian
June 3, 2008

REFERENCE COLLECTION:  Located on the first floor of the library behind the Reference Desk.  These books must remain in the library. Reference books include dictionaries, almanacs and encyclopedias. Specialized or subject encyclopedias (concentrating on a particular subject instead of covering all knowledge) are excellent starting points for research. They are focused on a particular topic, cover the major concepts of the topic, are written by experts in the field, and often have bibliographies or other references. Examples of Reference books in the COS library are as follows:

Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals and Festivals    R 203.803 E56

Sexuality and the World's Religions    R 291.178 S518

American Immigrant Cultures: Builders of a Nation   R 305.8 A512
    This two volume set takes a culture and provides a brief overview of the country of origin, immigration history, the culture's assimilation in America, and social organization. Depending on the culture, this set may also cover Socioeconomic characteristics, Housing, Health care and Education, Family and Kinship, Interpersonal Relationships, Cultural Resilience and more. Each article includes a bibliography, that can lead you to some excellent sources.

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America     R 305.8 G151  also available online in the Gale Virtual Reference Library
    This two volume set provides information on the country of origin and the circumstances surrounding major immigration waves. The articles also cover acculturation, assimilation, family and community dynamics, language, religion, employment and economic traditions, politics and government. This set extends its scope to include the Native American Groups who were here before us.

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life   R 305.8 W927
   This four volume set provides information on ethnic groups in various countries. The three-five page articles provide a brief overview of the country and then goes on to cover a variety of topics. These topics include; Rites of Passage, Family Life, Cultural Heritage, Food, and more.

Encyclopedia of World Cultures    R 306.097 En56
    The strength and weakness of this 10 volume set is that it looks at the various small cultural groups throughout the world. It doesn't necessarily follow the current political boundaries that set countries apart. The set does contain some excellent information on traditions, family units, religion and gender roles.

Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism   R 306.4 En56
    This reference set discusses both ethnic groups and topics such as Health and Medicine.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality   R 306.7 In61
    Each chapter in this book is devoted to a particular country. Each of the 31 chapters includes an overview; comparisons of life cycles between men's and women's gender roles; infancy and early childhood, school years, young adulthood, and old age.

Encyclopedia of Taboos    R 390.03 H726

You are Cordially Invited to Weddings: Dating and Love Customs of Cultures Worldwide  R 392.5 M834

Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia    R 393.03 T245

 You Eat What you Are: People   R 394.1 B248
    This book examines the history and traditions of meal patterns, eating customs, regional specialties, and distinctive methods of food preparation commonly used by more than 170 cultural groups around the world.

Tobacco in History and Culture: An Encyclopedia    R 394.14 T628

A Celebration of Customs and Rituals around the World    R 394.2 In53

African-American Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations    R 394.26973 G285

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries    R 395.52 M882
     Cultural overviews, Behavior Styles, Protocol and Business Practices.

Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife    R 398.03 G816

Death and the Afterlife - A Cultural Encyclopedia   R 398.03 T245
    This one volume set covers the funeral customs and views of death of various ethnic groups.

Facts about the World's Languages    R 403 F142

Encyclopedia of Native American Healing    R 615.8 L991

Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism: Sacred Ceremonies of North America  R 615.8 L991

The Cambridge World History of Food     R 641.309 C178

Encyclopedia of Modern Middle East    R 956.003 En56

Encyclopedia of African Nations and Civilizations    R 960.03 E56

Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes    R 970.004 W164

The Cambridge history of the Native Peoples of the Americas    R 970.00497 C178

Handbook of the Indians of California    R 970.494 Kr93

Encyclopedia of the African-American Culture and History  R 973.En56

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups  R 973.04 H339
    An older, yet useful, one volume work arranged by ethnic groups.

The Latino Encyclopedia  R 973.0468 S345

The Asian American Encyclopedia    R 973.0495 A832

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture   R 980.003 En56

Online Reference Books:
Gale Virtual Reference Library - Gale provides access to 200 reference books. All the books are full-text and cover a wide variety of topics including art, science, literature and much more. All 200 titles can be searched simultaneously or individual titles may be selected. (Cost $20,000)

Books on Reserve

Gestures: The DO's and Taboos of the Body Language Around the World   302.222 A972

American Indian Healing Arts    R 615.88 K21

Do's and Taboos Around the World for Women in Business    910.202 D722

CIRCULATING BOOKS: Located on the second floor of the library.  Some subject headings/and or key words you might use in the COS book catalog are as follows:

Also try searching for a specific ethnic group:

The Library is purchasing a series of books published by Greenwood Press on the culture and customs of various countries. We currently have about 60 books in this series. To find a book in this series, use the title search in the COS Library Catalog and type in Culture and Customs of

ONLINE BOOKS:

ALSO, through the Electronic Resources link, http://cos.edu/library/electronic.htm, on the COS Library’s Web Site, there are links to the electronic index subscription databases that the library makes available to COS students. Many of these indexes offer full-text articles, which means the entire article will be available even if the library doesn't subscribe to the periodical itself. If a student is off campus, passwords are necessary to access these databases. Passwords are available for COS students at the COS Library Information Desk or by calling the Library at (559) 737-6179.

    InfoTrac  is a periodical index database that works well when using a subject search. When entering a subject search, you can use broad terms, because the index will automatically help to narrow the search. This index is not completely full-text.

     Academic Abstracts is a periodical index database that works well when using a key-word search. When entering a key-word search, you need to use precise words and the more words you add, the narrower the search becomes. This index is not completely full-text.

    CountryWatch - provides a political and economic survey of 191 countries.  It also has updates from United Press International, other news organizations, and the CountryWatch.com staff which cover the latest economic, corporate, and environmental information on a country by country basis as they occur.

COS LIBRARY GUIDES:    Ethnic Studies - African Americans | American Indians | Asian Americans | Hispanic/Latin American

INTERNET: The Internet provides vast amounts of information, but much of it has not been submitted to an editorial process. Web Directories are helpful, because usually the linked web pages have had human scrutiny.

Examples of web directories are as follows:

Yahoo Directory
            Link is:    Directory > Society and Culture > Cultures and Groups > Cultures

Google Directory
            Link is:    Society > Ethnicity

 Librarians' Index to the Internet:    http://lii.org
            Link is:     Society and Social Science

COS Library Web Sites by Topic:
            Link is:    Web Sites by Topic: Social Sciences: World Countries and Cultures

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This page was created May 2008. This page was last updated: 10/13/2008
For questions and comments, please mail to: ginah@cos.edu