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PHIL 399: Senior Seminar (HC)

Philosophy 399: Senior Seminar (HC) (Macbeth, Mali Mason and Yurdin) Fall 2023

How to Start your research

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to begin your research. Using the resources delineated on this page can be helpful for finding some basic resources that can help you expand your research. 

  • Subject dictionaries focus on word definitions in a specific subject area. 
  • Encyclopedias provide basic and general background information on a topic or subject. 
  • Handbooks are subject area tools and provide facts, terms, concepts, movements, analysis, etc.
  • Bibliographies are sources that contain detailed information about where to find further information on a specific topic or subject. Sometimes these look like the bibliographies you might compile at the end of a term paper. Sometimes they are books or online resources with a list of resources. Other times they act like annotated bibliographies, with short essays or statements describing the resource and why it might be useful to a researcher. Bibliographies differ from handbooks because they go into further depth on a topic.  They may include critical essays where the author identifies the core literature of a field of study. It illustrates what is available in a given field, while a literature review often opens up questions for new inquiries. 

If you still feel confused about your topic, think about papers you wrote in the past and what stood out for you as an interesting topic. That can also help you begin to hone your project. Check out the "Search Tips" tab for more information on brainstorming your topic. 

Background

The first three encyclopedias are online and the last resource is print.  The print encyclopedia can be found in the Reference Book section in Lutnick Library, level 2.  All of the resources are fairly current and are good places to obtain an overview of your topics as well as suggestions for further reading.

Specialized/Topical Resources Related to Your Thesis Topics

Handbooks provide overviews that address major issues and topics within a field of study.  The authors not only discuss key content but they also provide a more sophisticated level of analysis and contextualization than you might find in a textbook or introductory study.  The authors are chosen for their research in specific areas and deliver authoritative essays.  The material they choose to include in their bibliographies are good points of departure for further research and reading.

Specialized / Topical Resources

Below you will find some book series which have volumes on specialized areas or topics in philosophy.  There are many areas covered, and some of the books can be found elsewhere in the Tri-Co. For more information, search in TRIPOD for "Routledge Philosophy Companions" and "Blackwell Philosophy Guides".

Develop your Literature Review

Literature reviews are a particularly useful kind of article when doing research. They address the issues involved in a particular question and the debates among scholars. They map out the intellectual terrain succinctly and give you the major landmarks in terms of key authors and significant titles.

The Oxford Bibliographies Online  Connect from Bryn Mawr College  Icon  Icon  provide literature reviews for a variety of fields including Philosophy  The essays take the form of an annotated bibliography.  It gives you the benefit of expert advice when identifying what to read for your research. 

Relevant articles that relate to your thesis topics include:

You can also Browse all the Philosophy bibliographies here!