Pierce College Library: Humanities Web Starting Points

Internet Resources for the Humanities

General Humanities
Art
Composition and Writing

Writing, composition, grammar, and editing
Controversial issues, point of view, and pro/con sources
Primary sources
Sources (citations, bibliographies)
Plagiarism

Film

Journalism

Languages and Linguistics

Theater

General Humanities

Voice of the Shuttle: This is THE place to begin when doing humanities-related searching on the web. Dr. Liu has gathered here the most useful humanities web sites and organized them by academic discipline, so they're easy to browse. On each discipline page there are further categories. For example, on the Architecture page there are categories for architects, design, architectural historical preservation, museums and libraries, course syllabi, journals, departments and programs, listservs and newsgroups, and a few more. What more could you want from a diving board for your humanities searching? (Maintained by Alan Liu, English Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.)

Art

Artcyclopedia: A search engine for the fine arts?! That's right. It focuses on fine art, painting, and sculpture but other artistic media are also included. Search by artist, title of work or museums (by name or location) to find links to online exhibits about that artist, work, or museum. It's also browsable by movement, medium, subject, or nationality. (Maintained by Artcyclopedia Inc.)
Art on the Web: A good starting point when you're looking for web sites related to the arts. It provides listings of useful sites by type of resource (e.g., Art Journals Online), by art movement or period (e.g., 18th Century Art and Baroque), or by topic (e.g., Art Therapy and Computers & Art). (Maintained by Prof. Jeffery Howe in the Fine Arts Department at Boston College.)
Mother of all Art and Art History links page: Wonderful collection of links in categories like Research Resources; Resource for Visual Collections; Image Collections & Online Art; Art Museums; and New Media Art & Resources.(Maintained by University of Michigan's School of Art and Design.)
Artchive: This collection of thousands of scanned images of fine art by hundreds of artists also includes several other sections of art-related information and links. You'll find art reviews written by the author, Mark Harden; links to online exhibitions on the Artchive site; theory and criticism of a few works; reviews of CD-ROM art collections; and links to other useful art-related web resources. (Maintained by Mark Harden.)
AskART: AskART is "an online database containing more than 34,000 American artists whose lives and work span the time from pre-Columbus settlers through modern art expressionists" and includes painters, sculptors, and illustrators. Good biographical information, links to museums that display specific artists' work, and bliblographies. (Maintained by AskART.com.)
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): This site provides access to materials in a variety of the arts, not just information about the NEA. To view articles, web sites, foundations, and other information about the arts and artists, click on "ART FORMS" from the home page, then select the topic you're interested in from a list including arts education, dance, design, theatre, music, film, television, museums and visual arts. (Maintained by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).)
Design
Introduction to the Elements of Design: This site provides much more detailed descriptions of the individual elements of design. It's from the Art, Design and Visual thinking textbook, a web-based textbook designed to supplement lectures from the Department of Textiles and Apparel at Cornell University. (Maintained by Charlotte Jirousek, Department of Textiles and Apparel, Cornell University.)
Photography
American Museum of Photography: This award-winning site includes MANY works & exhibits. Plus, its information Research Center includes information on early photographic processes, preserving & protecting photographs, and links to photo-history resources. (Maintained by American Photography Museum, Inc..)
A History of Photography: from its beginnings till the 1920s: Despite the title of this site, it includes MUCH more than just the history of photography. You can also read about famous photographers and important photographic processes. (Maintained by Robert Leggat.)
Printmaking
Printmaking 101: This basic introduction to printmaking describes the art and the main types of printmaking: relief, intaglio, planography (lithography), and stencil / seriography. The description of each type is followed by information about its historical uses and a list of artists who use that method. (Maintained by Andrea Mulder-Slater for KinderArt.)
Printmaking 102: Basic printmaking supplies and materials are described, as are brayers (rollers). (Maintained by Andrea Mulder-Slater for KinderArt.)
Art Museums and Collections
Modernism: This site highlights objects from the Norwest Collection, 'the worlds most significant collection of Modernism.' Objects are divided into the major movements of the period, including Arts and Crafts (1875-1915), Art Nouveau (1880-1910), Wiener Werksttte (1903-1933), De Stijl (1917-1928), Bauhaus (1919-1933) and Art Deco (1920-1940). Each division includes an introduction to the movement and small images of selected works. Full-size images include captions. You'll also find a timeline and a list of works by artist. (Maintained by Minneapolis Institute of Arts.)
National Museum of African Art: It is the only museum in the United States devoted to the study, collection, and exhibition of African art. While the museum's primary focus is collecting and exhibiting traditional arts of Africa south of the Sahara, it also collects and exhibits the arts of other African areas, including northern Africa and the contemporary arts of the entire continent. (Maintained by Smithsonian Art Museum.)
National Museum of American Art (and Renwick Gallery): The museum's collections of some 37,500 American paintings, sculptures, graphics, folk art, and photographs-with significant concentrations of African American art and art by women artists- exhibit the broad range of artistic achievement in the United States from the 18th century to the present. (Maintained by Smithsonian Art Museum.)
National Portrait Gallery: The National Portrait Gallery, since its establishment by Congress in 1962, has traced our country's history through paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs of men and women who have made significant contributions to its development. (Maintained by Smithsonian Art Museum.)
Freer Gallery of Art / Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are the two national museums of Asian art at the Smithsonian Institution. The Freer also houses a collection of 19th-century and early 20th-century American art, including the world's largest group of works by James McNeill Whistler. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is devoted to exhibition, education, and research on the art of Asia, including cultures from the shores of the Mediterranean to Japan and from ancient times to the present. The museum sponsors changing exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and other art forms that express the diversity of Asian art. (Maintained by Smithsonian Art Museum.)
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum features changing exhibitions drawn from its own and other collections. Its collection contains more than 250,000 design and decorative art objects spanning over 3,000 years and covering most of the world's cultures. Major categories include drawings, prints, textiles, furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass, woodwork, wall coverings, embroidery, and lace. (Maintained by Smithsonian Art Museum.)
WebMuseum Network: The "Famous Paintings" collection under the "General Exhibitions" section leads you to an artist index (so you can view information about a specific artist) and to a glossary. This is a very thorough collection with many images. (Maintained by Nicolas Pioch, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, Paris.)

Composition and Writing

Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: Looking for information about the processes involved in writing? Start here. There are sections of information on Thinking (with pages on arguments and the process of writing) ; Style (with pages on clarity, concision, and Rhetoric) ; Evidence (including pages on plagiarism and using quotes effectively) ; and on a variety of citation styles. (Maintained by Michael Harvey at Washington College.)
OWL (Online Writing Lab) Handouts Indexed by Topic: Handouts galore reside on this site. A sampling of the titles will give you a good idea of the scope of this site: "Argument/Persuasion: Logic in Argumentative Writing," "Coping with Writing Anxiety, "Overcoming Writer's Block," "Using Metaphors in Creative Writing," "Proofreading Strategies," "Writing Essay Exams," "Developing an Outline," and "Using Statistics" are just a few of the dozens of topics you can read about on this site. (Maintained by Purdue University Writing Lab.)
Writer's Guide: This is a simple and well organized site providing information about many kinds of writing issues. From the first page, choose from a list of topics like essays, paragraphs, documentation, summaries, and logic. Once you've chosen one of those topics, you'll have sub-topics to choose from. For example, under the "logic" category you'll see more topics to choose from, like undefined terms, generalization, analogies, circular arguments, and non sequiturs. (Maintained by Department of English, The University of Victoria.)
Guide to Grammar and Writing: This tightly organized, easy to use site contains very helpful information for writing at the sentence, paragraph, and essay levels. You'll see sections on topics like clauses, phrases, diagramming sentences, commonly confusable words, modifiers, parallel structures, paragraph development, and more. Each section has a definition, words used when talking about that concept (and explanations of those words), examples, and quizzes! Grammar tips are also included. (Maintained by Capital Community College.)
Writing Exercises: Here, at the Bedford Handbook's companion site, you'll find exercises that will help you with writing (covering lots of issues including "Purpose and audience," "Thesis statements," "Introductions," "Topic sentences," and "Transitions") and with grammar (covering lots of issues including "Clear sentences," "Word choice," "Grammatical sentences," and "Punctuation"). It also includes model papers, links to citation style information, and other research-related information. (Maintained by Diana Hacker.)
Writing Tools: Here you'll find links to help with writing covering topics like "help for ESL students," "Developing a thesis," "How to write a comparative analysis," and much more! (Maintained by Harvard University's Writing Center.)
Composition and Writing Hotlist: Links to writing assistance web pages are on this page. The kinds of links you'll find here are "SpellWeb," "The Grammar Lady," "Writing-World.com," and more. (Maintained by The Franklin Institute.)
Writing for Specific Fields: On this page you'll see links to information about writing for specific fields, like Philosophy, Art History, Poetry Explications, Political Science. (Maintained by the Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)
Writing Tips: Paragraph Builder: This site takes the "tell me just what I need to know" approach and gives definitions and examples without giving too many gorey details. It explains the different parts of paragraphs, how to write paragraphs and different kinds paragraphs. (Maintained by ACT360° Media.)
Controversial issues, point of view, and pro/con sources
Finding Pro and Con Sources: If you are searching for controversial topics to use in an argumentative paper or speech, here are some terrific tips for finding sources, forming arguments, evaluating sources, and a comparison of our most popular pro/con sources. (Maintained by Pierce College Library.)
Controversial Issues: Here you can see a list of issues organized into categories like Jobs, Taxes, Business, Education, Poverty & Welfare, Politics, and much more. After selecting which category you're interested in, you'll see a list of topic sentences or controversies related to that issue and you'll see links to articles about that issue. This is a very useful starting point if you're still looking for a topic for a controversial speech or paper. (Maintained by SpeakOut.com.)
Hot Topics: Starting Points for Controversial Subjects: If you're still searching for a topic, this web page might help. It links to sites that list controversial contemporary issues (most of which also lead you to some web sources on those topics). A great place to get ideas and to read various viewpoints. (Maintained by Keith Stanger of Eastern Michigan University's Bruce T. Halle Library.)
NationalIssues.com: This site opens with the statement "no spin, just the facts." Which is what it is: a nonpartisan collection of articles about current national issues. You can search for articles on a specific topic, or browse by categories like "Education," "Gun Control," "President/Cabinet," and "Taxes." In each article is a table of arguments, broken into pro and con. This is a very good starting point for pro/con research on the web. (Maintained by national issues.com.)
Opposing Views: This is an excellent starting point for research on controversial issues. Their "General Sites" category lists journals and web directories that cover a variety of points of view on many issues. The "Multi-Issue Politicized Sites" section organizes sources by point-of-view (like Anarchist, Conservative, or Libertarian). Lastly, their "Single Issue Sites" section are links to journals and sites covering a specific topic (like Abortion, Gun Control, and Welfare Reform). (Maintained by University of Washington's Microforms/Newspapers Library.)
Social Issues Homework Center: This is another site that lists hot topics for Controversial Subjects, and points you to web sites about those topics: sites that are pro, con, or covering multiple points-of-view. (Maintained by Multnomah County Library.)
Justice Talking: This is the online home of the National Public Radio (NPR) show "Justice Talking," a weekly radio program which "takes an in-depth look at the cases and controversies that come before our nation's courts." If you're looking for topics (and points of view on those topics) that are currently in the courts, start here. (Maintained by NPR.)
Primary sources
Finding and Using Primary Sources: If you need to find primary sources for your research, look through this online guide. It provides descriptions of primary sources, links to sources available through the Internet, and search tips. The categories of information on this web page are: What is a primary source; Why do you need to use them; How do you find them; Finding Primary Sources in the NEOS Libraries Catalogue (these tips work in most library catalogs); and Index and Database Search Tips. (Maintained by Rutherford Library, University of Alberta.)
Finding Primary & Secondary Sources: Although this site is UW-centered (with sections called Where to Begin Your Research at the UW and Specialized Areas of the Library), you'll also read tips for Finding Primary Sources using library catalogs and periodical indexes. (Maintained by University of Washington Libraries.)
Internet History Sourcebook Project: On its home page, this project is described as containing "public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use." You can use the search feature to find specific texts or authors, browse by time periods (Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History), by regions/cultures (African, East Asian, Indian, Islamic, Jewish), or themes (Global History; History of Science; Women's History; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* History; Travelers' Accounts; Legal History). Look for their link that explains how to cite documents you read at the Internet History Sourcebook Project. The site also links to historical studies web sites, and bibliographies of some themes.(Maintained by Paul Halsall of the History Department of Fordham University.)
Digitized Primary American History Sources: Here you'll find an annotated list of links to primary sources related to U.S. History. (Maintained by the Library at the University of Northern Iowa.)
American Memory: This is a collection of "primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States." Many libraries, archives, and museums are contributing to this project, which now provides more than 7 million digital items organized into over 100 different collections. Collections organize documents into topics like Agriculture, Education, Geography, Performing Arts, Religion, Politics, Law, Social Life, Migration, Technology, and MUCH more. You can search for specific topics, document titles, or author names. You can also browse by collection, region, time period (from 1400s to the present), or digital format (JPEG, MPEG, PDF, RealMedia, WAV, etc). (Maintained by the Library of Congress, National Digital Library Program.)
National Anthropological Archives (NAA): Search or browse by topic collections of documents at the NAA. Their collection includes "anthropological fieldnotes, journals, manuscripts, maps, photographs, films and works of art, as well as more than 25,000 digital images." (Maintained by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.)
Repositories of Primary Sources: Here you'll find "over 5300 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar. All links have been tested for correctness and appropriateness." What more could you ask for in a staring point for primary source information?! (Maintained by the University of Idaho Library.)
Primary sources online: Here's a thorough list of links to primary documents you can find online! (Maintained by Cambridge University Faculty of History.)
National Archives and Records Administration databases: This site provides "access to a selection of nearly 50 million historic electronic records created by more than 20 federal agencies on a wide range of topics" including primary sources. (Maintained by National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).)
Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is "the Internet's oldest producer of free electronic books." Most of the e-books are literature, but it does include a handful of documents from other subjects. Unless noted, all of the e-books are in the public domain, so you can use them however you please. (Maintained by Project Gutenberg.)
Sources (citations, bibliographies)
Citation Styles: Looking for guidelines for writing your bibliography or works cited page? Check out our page that provides links to resources on MLA and APA formats. (Maintained by Pierce College Library.)
Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement: Confused about citing or referring to your sources in your papers? This site includes information about why it's important to cite sources and examples of how to do so. It has very clear examples of different kinds of plagiarism, different kinds of citation formats (for bibliographies & works cited lists, as well as for footnotes), and different special cases (like citing works of art and computer programs). (Maintained by Dartmouth College.)
Plagiarism
See also our Sources (citations, bibliographies) Links above.
Using Sources: One-stop shopping: this site provides wonderful examples of how you can avoid plagiarism. It also provides tips for note taking that make it clear when and how you need to cite your sources. (Maintained by of Lisa Trivedi and Sharon Williams Hamilton College.)
Avoiding Plagiarism: With illustrations and charts, this site clearly explains plagiarism. It includes sections for "Actions that might be plagiarism," "Choosing when to give credit," "Making sure you're safe," and "Deciding when something is 'common knowledge'." (Maintained by Purdue University Online Writing Lab.)
Examples of Plagiarism: Useful examples of different types of plagiarism (from uncited direct quotations to paraphrasing) and explanations of why they are examples, are on this site. Plagiarism when writing computer code is also explained! (Maintained by Princeton University.)
MLA-style Citations (quoting and paraphrasing): Descriptions and clear examples of acknowledging sources by quoting or paraphrasing are featured on this site. All citations follow MLA style guidelines. (Maintained by Spokane Falls Community College Library.)
How to Avoid Plagiarism: Citing graphs, charts, and class notes properly (as opposed to plagiarizing them) are features of this site. (Maintained by Northwestern University.)
Academic Honesty and Intellectual Ownership: Definitions and examples of intellectual ownership are useful features of this site, as well as a section about "Recognizing Plagiarism" in your own work. (Maintained by University of Puget Sound's Collins Memorial Library.)
Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement: Confused about citing or referring to your sources in your papers? This site includes information about why it's important to cite sources and examples of how to do so. It has very clear examples of different kinds of plagiarism, different kinds of citation formats (for bibliographies & works cited lists, as well as for footnotes), and different special cases (like citing works of art and computer programs). (Maintained by Dartmouth College.)
Plagiarism: If you're looking for more web sites about plagiarism and avoiding it, this is the spot to start. (Maintained by Sharon Stoerger .)

Film

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB): If you're looking for any information on nearly any film or any person in the film industry, start here. This database includes filmographies for actors, directors, writers, composers, cinematographers, editors, production designers, costume designers, producers and a miscellaneous catch all section; plot summaries; character names; movie ratings; year of release; running times; movie trivia; quotes; goofs; soundtracks; personal trivia; alternative names; certificates; color information; country of production; genres; production companies; distributors; special effects companies; sound mix; reference literature; filming locations; sequel/remake information; release dates; advertising tag lines; detailed technical data; alternative versions; laserdisc availability; languages; reviews; links to official studio pages, fan pages, image and multimedia archives; direct purchase links for movies and associated merchandise; box office grosses; movie posters and Academy Award information. (Maintained by The Internet Movie Database Ltd.)
All Movie Guide: The most useful feature of this site is that you can see lists of related movies; you can see similar movies; you can see movies that have similar casts; and you can search by name to read about which specific people in the industry a person has worked with. If you're looking for relationships between movies or for movies that have similar themes, this is a terrific starting point. (Maintained by All Media Guide.)
Greatest Films: The site owner describes this site as providing "interpretive, descriptive review commentary and historical background for hundreds of classic Hollywood and other American films in the last century." It provides more than this, but is a very useful place to begin any movie-related research about some of Hollywood's biggest films. (Maintained by Tim Dirks.)
questia: This online library searches for your search terms within the text of books, unlike most library catalogs. (Maintained by Questia Media America, Inc..)
MRQE: Movie Review Query Engine: As its name suggests, this site is a searchable database of movie reviews. Results list includes links to most reviews. (Maintained by Stewart M. Clamen.)
ForeignFilms.com: This site is very much like IMDB (above), but covers only non-American films. It is just as useful, thorough, and amazing as IMDB. (Maintained by ForeignFilms.com, llc.)
Film (Google): This leads you to collections of sites about specific film-related information like actors, awards, education, film festivals, memorabilia, reviews, and trivia (to name a few). (Maintained by Google.)

Journalism

See also our Media Links in our Reference Starting Points.
Guide to Electronic and Print Resources for Journalists: Want to see a list of journalism-related discussion lists? Read current news? Connect to other resources for journalists? Start here. (Compiled by Anne Stuart, Senior Editor CIO Magazine.)
Journalism Resources: Want to quickly find journalism job resources? Subscribe to journalism discussion lists? See other resources for journalists? You should definitely start here. (Maintained by Karla Tonella of the University of Iowa.)
Power Reporting: Resources for Journalists: This directory is useful for reporters and others as it provides links to sites that are divided into categories like government information, people finders, company research, nonprofit research, and general reference. The site is annotated and updated daily. (Maintained by Bill Dedman of Power Reporting.)
Newslink: This site includes links to over 18,000 newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and news services around the world. Browse by region (area of the U.S., by specific countries, or by continents). You can also search for specific cities. Their "Resources" section provides links to many useful journalism organizations, media reports and marketing research, publishers, academic resources and MUCH more. (Maintained by NewsLink Assoc..)
World Press Review Online: This is "the only English-language magazine giving readers a first-hand look at the issues and debates that occupy the world's newspapers and magazines." Here you can find translations of newspaper stories and sometimes analysis of the stories making headlines around the world. (Maintained by World Press Review.)
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR): FAIR is a media watch group, which exposes "well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship." Their web site states that they "work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information." (Maintained by FAIR.)
Accuracy In Media (AIM): FAIR is another media watch group, which describes itself as a "grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage." (Maintained by AIM.)
Special Topics

BlackPressUSA.com
This web site features news exclusively from African-American journalists and Black community publications. Most stories are from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) News Service. The site includes daily national news, local news, news links, and press releases; a searchable history section with articles and cartoons from black newspapers and journalists of the past, a black history time line, and black history links; and an op-ed page with letters, essays, and current cartoons. (Maintained by National Newspaper Publishers Association.)
Independent Native News (INN)
INN is a 5-minute radio program presenting current news about Native Americans. INN is produced Monday through Friday. The current program and some archived programs are available free on their web site. (Maintained by Native Voice Communications.)

WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service
WINGS "is an all-woman independent radio production company that produces and distributes news and current affairs programs by and about women around the world." On their web site, you can listen to WINGS programs and connect to links related to the stories aired by WINGS. (Maintained by WINGS.)

Workers Independent News Service (WINS)
The following description is from their website: "WINS is a unique service devoted to providing news about the issues and activities of working families and their unions to media outlets across America. Prior to the creation of WINS, there was no single nationwide news service focusing on issues that affect the daily lives of working people and their communities. WINS gives working people a voice in the news media." (Maintained by WINS.)

Free Speech Radio News (FSRN)
FSRN is an independent, progressive radio newscast that is owned and managed by news reporters. It includes over 200 journalists reporting from and 57 countries around the worldi (ncluding Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Argentina, Mexico and Nigeria) and 40 states within the U.S.. Their web site further explains that this organization "supports peace and social justice. It emphasizes decentralized production, and the collective input of Pacifica stations, affiliates and other community media. The FSRN steering committee strives for diversity in ethnicity, gender, class and sexual orientation in the staff and reporting pool. FSRN is administered by Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship (PRAC)." (Maintained by FSRN.)

Media Watchdog Reviews and Analyses
This is a list of organizations that monitor mass media, including groups like Accuracy In Media (AIM) and FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Some sites investigate popular stories and report facts that differ from those found in mainstream media, others document censorship and bias, and still others expose stories and viewpoints that they feel are neglected in the mainstream. (Maintained by Stephen D. Reese of College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.)
Journalism (Google): This leads you to collections of sites about journalism. Browse sites by categories like broadcast journalism, journalists, and education. (Maintained by Google.)

Languages and Linguistics

Babel Fish: Need to translate a sentence or web site from English into another language or from another language into English? Try this site. Because this is machine translation rather than human, your results will be inconsistent and translations will be literal. The Babel Fish FAQ also explains that "slang, misspelled words, poorly placed punctuation, and complex or lengthy sentences can all cause a page to be translated incorrectly," so keep those details in mind. (Maintained by AltaVista Company.)
SYSTRAN translation tool: Not only can you translate words you type or paste into the translation box, you can also type in URLs (web addresses) to translate entire web pages! (Maintained by SYSTRAN S.A..)
Frizzy University Network (FUN) - English as a foreign / second language: From this site you can find out how to get help with grammar, access English dictionaries, join email discussion lists, find out how to study English in U.S.A., get help with writing, and more. (Maintained by Karla Frizler Octavio.)
iLoveLanguages: This site (formerly called "The Human-Languages Page") offers an extensive listing of resources about world languages including dictionaries and much more. The site is divided into subject categories that include the following: languages and literature, multilingual resources, text and book archives, schools and institutions, linguistic resources, commercial resources, jobs and internships, language lessons and "What's New". (Maintained by Tyler Chambers.)
LinguaWeb language centre: Looking for ways to practice your French, Spanish, German or Italian? Try this site. There are brief lessons, homework, flash card exercises, word searches, and other ways to improve, practice, and test your vocabulary and grammar skills. They also "run promotions" on other languages at times. Click on "other languages" to see which languages are currently available. (Maintained by LinguaWeb.)
The Linguist List: A variety of information about languages and linguistics can be found on this site. There are subject categories for the profession (conferences, funding sources, jobs), research listings, publications (including journals), pedagogy, language resources, and full information about the LINGUIST email discussion list. (Maintained by Martin Jacobsen.)
LOGOS Dictionary: Using this dictionary you can translate any word you type into the search box and can find translations for many languages. The database covers 150 languages and for common words, you may see translations into all of them. You can also specify which language you want to translate to. Besides translating words, it covers the "breadth of meaning of words" and includes grammar with plurals, gender, etymology, synonyms and antonyms when possible. If you like word games, you'll also find anagrams, crosswords and links to other verbal play. (Maintained by Logos Group.)
Omniglot Language learning: This site features terrific tips for learning languages presented in the following categories: Learning pronunciation; Learning vocabulary; Learning grammar; Learning a new writing system; Learning Chinese characters; Frequently Asked Questions; and Some 'useful' phrases. Back up to the Omniglot home page to read about many different writing systems (alphabetic, syllabic, logographic, undeciphered, and alternative). Another cool feature is the "Tower of Babel" section that presents one story in 50 different languages. (Maintained by Simon Ager.)
Specific Languages
Chinese (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the Chinese language (and dialects). (Maintained by Google.)
French Connection: This impressive list of links to French information: history, culture, language, literature, libraries, art, tourism, government, you name it. (Maintained by Howard University.)
French (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the French language. (Maintained by Google.)
German (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the German language. (Maintained by Google.)
Japanese (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the Japanese language. (Maintained by Google.)
Korean (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the Korean language. (Maintained by Google.)
Russian (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the Russian language. (Maintained by Google.)
Sign Languages (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about sign languages, including American Sign Language. (Maintained by Google.)
Spanish Learning Resources: This is an amazing resource for any English speakers learning to speak Spanish. Much of the information and resources on this site are free, and they are leagues beyond similar sites. In their audio course about punctuation, you hear a native Spanish speaker pronounce the sounds plus you'll hear a non-native Spanish speaker pronounce them incorrectly. Yes, they also teach you what not to say. In addition to pronunciation, you can focus on vocabulary (including a word-a-day feature), grammar, and cultural issues. Other services and features include information about about traveling in Spanish-speaking countries, list of Spanish schools, and an online translator. This site is worth your while. (Maintained by Spanish Learning Resources.)
Spanish (Google): This list of links leads you to web pages about the Spanish language. (Maintained by Google.)

Literature

Biographical Sources
Literary Criticism: This amazing site will lead you to just about any literary criticism and biographical resource you need. You can browse by author, title of work, time period, or language. (Maintained by Internet Public Library.)
Literary Index: Using this site, you can find out which Gale literature series include entries on an author. Some of the Gale literature series titles are Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, and Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Or try searching for the title of a literary work to see who wrote it and which of Gale's literature criticism series includes information about it. A custom search option is also available that allows you to search for authors by name plus birth date, death date, nationality, or all three. (Maintained by Gale Group.)
Voices From the Gaps: Women Writers of Color: North American women writers of color are often left out of collections of literature and writers' biographies. If you can't find information on a writer fitting this category, try this comprehensive Web site focusing on their lives and works. You can browse the site by name, but also by birthplace, geographic location, racial/ethnic background, or significant dates. Information about each author varies, but most include biographical information, photographs, excerpts from their work, bibliographies, and links related to the specific author or issues associated with her. (Maintained by Kim Surkan, Department of English at the University of Minnesota.)
Criticism Sources
Literary Criticism: This amazing site will lead you to just about any literary criticism and biographical resource you need. You can browse by author, title of work, time period, or language. (Maintained by Internet Public Library.)
Literary Index: Using this site, you can find out which Gale literature series include entries on an author. Some of the Gale literature series titles are Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, and Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Or try searching for the title of a literary work to see who wrote it and which of Gale's literature criticism series includes information about it. A custom search option is also available that allows you to search for authors by name plus birth date, death date, nationality, or all three. (Maintained by Gale Group.)
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: This site has it ALL when it comes to scholarly Shakespeare information online. Access a biography ("Shakespeare Timeline") and get historical contexts to find out what other historical events were going on at different points in his life. Search through Shakespeare's works, find quotes or study guides, read about why attributing some works to Shakespeare is a problem, and much more! (Maintained by Terry A. Gray of Palomar College.)
Texts/Writings
Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920: The New Bartleby Library has added the texts of five additional poetry anthologies covering American and English poetry, 1250-1920, to its Verse page, which previously hosted _The Oxford Book of English Verse_. The new additions include the _Yale Book of American Verse_ (1912), _Modern British Poetry_ (1920), Modern American Poetry (1919), _Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the 17th Century_ (1921), and the _Golden Treasury_ (1875). All six anthologies are searchable by keyword or browsable by author (chronological or alphabetical), title, or first line. The anthologies are, of course, highly selective and reflect the period in which they were originally published, representing the canon as it stood in the first quarter of this century. (Internet Scout, 9/3/99)
African American Women Writers of the 19th Century: This is a collection of over 50 published works by 19th-century black women writers. The database is full-text and is searchable by key word. You can search each individual title or the entire database for any keyword. Search for "family" or "religion" to see what these women had to say about such matters. (Maintained by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library.)
Native-American Texts From the Modern English Collection: Read or search through texts written by selected Native American authors. (Maintained by Electronic Text Center at University of Virginia.)
Storytellers: Native American Authors Online: Connect to authors sites, view a calendar of upcoming readings and appearances, read book reviews of Native American authors' works, and read some traditional myths and stories. The author sites that are linked to are constructed by the authors themselves or with the author's cooperation and collaboration. (Maintained by Karen M. Strom.)
Special Topics
Voice of the Shuttle (VoS) English Literature: This section of VoS provides links to useful English literature resources that are divided into subject categories like Medieval, Renaissance, Romantics, Victorian, Modern, Contemporary, Colonial American, Drama, Poetry, and more. In each category you'll find links to general web resources about that topic, but also links to specific authors, criticism, and discussion lists. (Maintained by Alan Liu.)
African American Women Writers of the 19th Century: This is a collection of over 50 published works by 19th-century black women writers. The database is full-text and is searchable by key word. You can search each individual title or the entire database for any keyword. Search for "family" or "religion" to see what these women had to say about such matters. (Maintained by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library.)
Voices From the Gaps: Women Writers of Color: North American women writers of color are often left out of collections of literature and writers' biographies. If you can't find information on a writer fitting this category, try this comprehensive Web site focusing on their lives and works. You can browse the site by name, but also by birthplace, geographic location, racial/ethnic background, or significant dates. Information about each author varies, but most include biographical information, photographs, excerpts from their work, bibliographies, and links related to the specific author or issues associated with her. (Maintained by Kim Surkan, Department of English at the University of Minnesota.)
Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920: The New Bartleby Library has added the texts of five additional poetry anthologies covering American and English poetry, 1250-1920, to its Verse page, which previously hosted _The Oxford Book of English Verse_. The new additions include the _Yale Book of American Verse_ (1912), _Modern British Poetry_ (1920), Modern American Poetry (1919), _Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the 17th Century_ (1921), and the _Golden Treasury_ (1875). All six anthologies are searchable by keyword or browsable by author (chronological or alphabetical), title, or first line. The anthologies are, of course, highly selective and reflect the period in which they were originally published, representing the canon as it stood in the first quarter of this century. (Internet Scout, 9/3/99)
Myths and Folktales (Google): This leads you to collections of sites about mythology and folklore. Browse sites by categories like fairy tales, folktales, modern myths, and urban legends. (Maintained by Google.)
Bulfinch's Mythology: This is a hypertext, searchable version of the print book with this same title. (Maintained by Bartleby.com.)
Classical Mythology: If you're looking for great starting points for research in classical mythology (Homer, Sophocles, Euripides), start here. (Maintained by Robin Mitchell-Boyak of Temple University.)
Native-American Texts From the Modern English Collection: Read or search through texts written by selected Native American authors. (Maintained by Electronic Text Center at University of Virginia.)
Storytellers: Native American Authors Online: Connect to authors sites, view a calendar of upcoming readings and appearances, read book reviews of Native American authors' works, and read some traditional myths and stories. The author sites that are linked to are constructed by the authors themselves or with the author's cooperation and collaboration. (Maintained by Karen M. Strom.)
British Literature (Google): This leads you to collections of sites about British literature. Browse sites by century, genre, culture (like Welsh or Scottish) or other categories. (Maintained by Google.)
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: This site has it ALL when it comes to scholarly Shakespeare information online. Access a biography ("Shakespeare Timeline") and get historical contexts to find out what other historical events were going on at different points in his life. Search through Shakespeare's works, find quotes or study guides, read about why attributing some works to Shakespeare is a problem, and much more! (Maintained by Terry A. Gray of Palomar College.)
The Children's Literature Web Guide: This site provides considerable information about Children's Literature resources on the Web including discussion boards and quick reference for children's book awards, bestsellers and teaching ideas. Offers resources for teachers, parents, storytellers and writers/illustrators. (Maintained by the Doucette Library of Teaching Resources at the University of Calgary.)
Picturing Books: A Web Site About Picture Books: If you're looking for picture book authors, illustrators, or concepts (artistic, literary, or technical), this is a terrific source to start with. You can search the site by typing in your terms or names, or browse through any the categories. Some of the categories (and some of their contents) are: Resources (including What is a Picture Book, Picture Book Timeline, Bedtime Stories); Artistic Media (including Etching, Pencils, Tempera); Artistic Style (including Cartoon, Impressionism, Surrealism); Anatomy of a Picture Book (including Borders, Gutter, Typeface); Use & Application (Controversial Books, Picture Books for Young Adults); Lists! Lists! Lists! (including lists of Alphabet books, Informational Books, Wordless books); and links to other related web sites about Picture Books and Children/s books. (Maintained by Denise I. Matulka.)

Music

Music Theory Online (MTO): This site contains the articles from Music Theory Online, a refereed journal published by the Society for Music Theory. It features articles, book reviews, and reports from various "correspondents" around the world. You can also find announcements of upcoming conferences and calls for papers, a list of job opportunities, abstracts of recently completed and in-progress dissertations, and summaries of recently published books. (Maintained by the Society for Music Theory.)
The Tonal Centre: This site explains and illustrates some of the key concepts of tonality; including chords, scales, cadences, and modulation. Most of its examples are midi files, so your computer will have to have software that plays this type of file. (Maintained by Andrew Milne.)
Sites for Composers & Sites by Composers: Here you'll find links to useful sites arranged by topics like MIDI/Software, Recording Labels, Sheet Music/Software, Mixed/Performance/Interactive, Improvisation and Some Jazz, Composer Support, and Conferences/Venues/Fests. Scroll down to "The Categories" to see these sites. (Maintained by Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar.)
All Music Guide (AMG): Articles at this site are written by expert contributors and staff who are "dedicated to creating and maintaining the knowledgeable, spirited content that music lovers and industry professionals have come to expect." The AMG database covers more than 800 different styles of music; nearly 200,000 composers; almost 75,000 biographies; and allows a variety of search techniques (like name of composer or performer, title of song or album, style or genre, instruments used, among others). It covers popular, independent, and obscure music. This is definitely worth looking taking a look at.(Maintained by All Music Guide.)
Ultimate Band List (UBL): If you need any information on any musical artist, start here. Type in your keywords and UBL will provide you with a list of web sites about that artist. Most web sites are also described, so you'll know exactly what to expect when you connect. This is a good way to read about artist biographies, view photographs or videos, hear audio clips, or read lyrics. (Maintained by ArtistDirect, Inc.)
America's Jazz Heritage: This is the official site for a program, a partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution, that is focused on the preservation and presentation of the history of jazz. Here you'll find audio clips, interviews, schedules of exhibitions and performances, bibliographies of Jazz greats, and links to related sites. Several portions of the hundreds of interviews that are part of the Smithsonian's Jazz Oral History Program, a research project aiming to interview older professionals in the field, are available online. (Maintained by the Smithsonian Institution.)
Operabase: If you need to do ANY research on opera, start here! You can search a database for information about over 50,000 performances by date, composer, title, location. You can also look through a list of upcoming festivals, rarities and premieres. There is also a database that allows you to search schedules for a specified singer, role, conductor or producer and then follow links to production details, reviews, biographies, and discographies. Not to mention that you can find information about specific opera houses, read news and reviews of current performances, or do a recordings search. (Maintained religiously by Mike Gibb.)

Philosophy

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: This extensive encyclopedia provides articles about hundreds of topics and also includes a philosophy timeline. You can search for your topic or browse through the definitions. Currently, articles come from public domain sources, material written by the editor for classroom purposes, and original contributions by professional philosophers around the internet (identifiable by the authors' names at the close). Eventually all the articles will be original contributions by professional philosophers. (Maintained by James Fieser, general editor.)
Mission: Critical: This site was established to cover the basics of critical thinking, but most of what you'll find here revolves around logic: Parts of an Argument (Statements and Conversions; Vagueness and Ambiguity; Validity, Truth, and Soundness); Basic Relations (Conjunctions and Disjunctions; Options); Analysis of Arguments (Inductive and Deductive Reasoning; Causal Arguments; Conditional Arguments; Universal and Non-Universal Syllogisms); Fallacies and Non-Rational Persuasion; and Visual Models for Deductive Arguments (Veb and Venn Diagrams). (Maintained by D. Mesher of San Jose State University.)
Applied Ethics Resources: This divides ethics topics into categories and lists sites that could be of interest to people doing research in those branches of applied ethics. Some of the categories are Health Care, Business, Environmental, Moral / Ethical Decision Making, and Animal Welfare and the Ethics of Animal Use. (Maintained by Chris MacDonald, Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia.)
Philosophy (Google): This leads you to collections of sites about philosophy-related information like Ethics, Existentialism, Logic, and Hermeneutics (to name a few). (Maintained by Google.)

Religion

Philosophy of Religion Resources: Created as a teaching tool for his students, Dr. Moore provides links to many online resources about the philosophy of religion. The sources are divided into time periods and topical categories: Medieval Resources (500-1500), Early Modern (1500-1800), Modern (1800-1960), Contemporary (1960-present), Popular Resources, Philosophical Concept of God, Philosophy and Biblical Studies, Journals and Magazines, and Book Reviews. (Maintained by Dr. Scott H. Moore, Department of Philosophy, Baylor University.)
Beliefnet: This amazingly inclusive site covers many faiths (including non-faith/non-beliefs). It provides information in the forms of articles, advice from experts, discussions, quizzes (you can take their online quiz to find out which denominations your beliefs coincide with best) and more - written by a variety of experts, scholars, and believers from a variety of viewpoints. It's a great starting point for any kind of religious research. They're careful to note: "We are independent. We are not affiliated with a particular religion or spiritual movement. We are not out to convert you to a particular approach, but rather to help you find your own. " (Maintained by Beliefnet, Inc..)
Adherents.com: Here you'll find a collection "of over 41,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations -- references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc." The site includes lists of religions by location and by name, as well as a site search. With the help of contributors Mr. Hunter continuously adds to this amazing reference. (Maintained by Preston Hunter.)
World religions on the Web: Here are annotated links to web sites about many religions. The sites linked to are those which the author feels are the least biased, providing balanced points-of-view and information. (Written by John Jaeger, maintained by ALA American Library Association .)
Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: This is an online edition of the handbook for chaplains, published in 1993 for the U.S. Department of Defense. It describes dozens of faith groups: Christian, Islamic, Japanese, Jewish, Sikh, other groups from India, and individually distinctive groups. Among the information given about each religion is the following: other names by which they're known, leaders, membership numbers, historical origins, basic beliefs, practices & behavioral standards, organizational structure, dietary standards (if relevant), medical treatment beliefs and standards (if relevant). The U.S. D.O.D. updated this document in 2000, but no longer makes it available online. (Maintained by Heart.)
ReligiousTolerance.org: Over 900 articles on this site describe some of the world's religions, outline religious laws, and discuss religious hot topics, morality, and spirituality. (Maintained by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.)
Individual Religions

The Atheism Web
As a "shared resource for atheists, agnostics and freethinkers," this is a wonderful, thorough introduction to atheism and agnosticism. Articles and links to other sources provide introductions to atheism, agnosticism, and freethought. This would be a good starting point for anyone interested in freethought, atheism, or agnosticism. (Maintained by Jeff Lowder.)
Bible Gateway
Use this site to search for specific passages or words in a couple dozen versions at the same time or in one particular version in English or one of another 30 languages. (Maintained by Gospel Communications International.)
CoGweb: Covenant of the Goddess
This site belongs to an international organization of Wiccan groups, covens, and solitaries. You can read about Witchcraft and Wicca in general or get information about books and link to web sites for more information. (Maintained by CoGweb.)
Judaism 101
You'll find a lot of basic information about Judaism on this site. It is organized into broad categories of specific information: Ideas; People; Places, Things; Words; Deeds; Times; Life Cycle; and more! This is a great starting point if you curious about anything Jewish.

Speech

See also our Controversial issues, point of view, and pro/con sources section above.
Overview: Informative Speaking: This is an excellent resource for finding information about informative speeches. It covers the purposes and types of informative speeches, about the parts of informative speeches, and writing and delivery techniques and tips (like "strategies for selecting a topic" and "framing your thesis statement"). (Maintained by the Writing Center at Colorado State University.)
Virtual Presentation Assistant: Looking for a tutorial to help you improve your public speaking skills? This is the one. Topics covered include determining your purpose, selecting your topic, researching your topic, analyzing your audience, supporting your points, outlining your points, using visual aids, and presenting your speech (delivery formats and controlling nervousness). You'll also find links to other public speaking web sites. (Content by Diana Carlin, maintained by the Communication Studies Department at the University of Kansas.)
Writing Speeches: Based on a handout, this page provides useful information about writing speeches, divided into these categories: prewriting, drafting, practicing, revising/editing, and delivery. (Maintained by the Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)

Theater

Playbill Online: Here you'll find feature articles on the industry; U.S., London, and Canadian theater listings; information about purchasing tickets; and much more. (Maintained by Playbill Online.)
Theatre and Drama section of The WWW Virtual Library: Links to theatre resources in more than 40 countries are arranged by category on this site. Some of the categories are: academic/training institutions worldwide, book dealers, conferences for theatre scholars, electronic text archives and plays online, organizations, journals online, mailing lists, monologues in print, newsgroups, plays in print, theatre companies worldwide, theatre image collections, and theatre studies articles. (Maintained by Barry Russell.)
Brief Guide to Internet Resources in Theatre and Performance Studies: This is an extensive, annotated listing of Theatre-related sites organized by topics like Actors and Acting, Stagecraft and Technical Theatre, Plays and Playwrights, Shakespeare, Arts Management and Non-Profit Arts Organizations, Of Regional Interest, and Finding Primary Materials. (Maintained by Prof. Ken McCoy, Communication Studies and Theatre Arts, Stetson University.)
The Costume Page: This is another site of links, this one is to costume and costuming-related sites. Categories of links include Reference Works & Museums, Costume History, Historical Topics, Ethnic & Folk Costume, Theatrical Costume, Organizations & Events, Schools & Instructions, Halloween Costuming, Sources of Costume-Making Supplies, and Sources of Costumes & Accessories. (Maintained by Julie Zetterberg.)
The Dramatic Exchange: This site was established to distribute dramatic works by amateur and professional playwrights. You can browse through available plays by author's name or by the following genres: comedies, tragedies, dramas, mysteries, one acts, full length plays, musicals, children's theatre, plays for screen, audience participation, and experimental. (Maintained by Mike Dederian and Rob Knop.)
The Northwest Playwright's Guild: This site was established to "provide a reliable forum for the exchange of information and ideas about playwriting for playwrights living in the Northwest." Find out about meetings, readings, workshops and contests in our area. (Maintained by Northwest Playwrights Guild.)
Script City: If you'd like to buy scripts from TV shows or movies (classic to current), start your search here. Script City has different drafts from different works, sometimes 1st drafts, sometimes 2nd drafts, or sometimes final revised shooting drafts. Form many scripts more than one draft is available, so be sure to ask if you have a preference. (Maintained by Script City.)


Questions/Comments about this website to: Lynn Olson, lolson@pierce.ctc.edu. Last Revised 3/14/2005 kkells.