Introduction to Areas of Study (HC)

                      Yamila Cartannilica, Statue of the writer Julio Cortázar, 2014, Buenos Aires, gardens of the Biblioteca Nacional (Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0)

The companion and handbook genre is a publication type that has flourished in the last decade.  The goal is for leading scholars to provide a thorough description of the subject matter of a field while also giving the most current interpretations of key questions.  Each essay in a companion reflects an important subject facet and identifies the books and articles which are crucial for a greater understanding

Literature reviews are a particularly useful resource when doing research.  They address the issues involved in a specific 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 for greater understanding.  It is one of the best places to find discussion of issues that are unresolved or in contention

Subject librarians make research guides for individual classes and for topics.  Browse for information on different subjects.  See this introduction to research guides video for more information.  Research guides for courses in Spanish include:

• SPAN 210: Spanish and Spanish American Film Studies
• SPAN 252:  Hispanic Caribbean Migration Tales  
• SPAN 270: Animal and Vegetal Plots in Latin American Literature