History Overviews
These sources offer overviews of various historical time periods and themes. In addition to finding some basic historical details, you can use these sources to identify relevant readings to explore a particular case in greater depth.
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Blackwell CompanionsTitles of possible relevance to this course include A Companion to International History, 1900-2001; A Companion to American Foreign Relations; and A Companion to World War I.
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Very Short IntroductionsThese brief online books can help you get a quick introduction and some recommended readings for a case. For example, try searching for a particular conflict or war by name. Or try searching for a country name and see if there's a book or chapter that's relevant.
Browse for cases
If you're unsure of which historical cases might relate to the claim you're testing, you might want to browse these resources for ideas. Resources like CQ Researcher, the Political Handbook of the World, and historical reference books can give you basic information about conflicts and issues that might be interesting to analyze in your paper.
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Congressional Quarterly (CQ) ResearcherOffers overviews of current events and some historical coverage. For POLS 004, students might want to click "Browse Reports" and look at the links in the following categories: "International Relations," "Defense and National Security," and "War and Conflict."
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Political Handbook of the WorldThis online reference book offers broad overviews of each country's political history as well as its current government and political party system. It also includes entries for international organizations such as the African Union and the WTO. You can browse by region, regime type, and other categories.
Relevant books for finding cases
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An Atlas of World Affairs
by Call Number: S McCabe Reference (Main Floor) G1035 .B6 2007ISBN: 0415391687Publication Date: 2007-08-23The entirely revised and updated 11th edition of An Atlas of World Affairs describes the people, factions, and events that have shaped the modern world from the Second World War to the present day. International issues and conflicts are placed in their geographical contexts through the integration of over one hundred maps.
Available as a print book. -
Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World
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ISBN: 9780195117394Publication Date: 2001-08-02This reference work provides overviews of 20th century politics, including essays on conflicts, institutions, trade, and important people. Articles include detailed discussions of critical historical developments and events, concepts, international law, and organizations.
Available as an ebook at Swarthmore. -
The Oxford Companion to United States History
by Call Number: S McCabe Reference (Main Floor) E174 .O94 2001ISBN: 0195082095Publication Date: 2001-07-04Overviews of topics related to US history, includes useful bibliographies.
Available as a print book or as an (updated) ebook - ebook is Swarthmore only. -
Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict
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ISBN: 9781849723930Publication Date: 2009-01-27
