Looking for Ideas?
Are you trying to select a topic for a media & pop culture paper?
Try some of the suggestions on this page to get overviews of pop culture and media issues, questions, and subjects that are in the news and/or of interest to scholars.
Broad Database Searches
Try a broad search like "advertising" or "violence" or "body image" during the literature search on your topic and you're likely to be overwhelmed by the results.
But do a broad search (using the databases in the Finding Books & Articles section of this guide) when trying to select a topic and it will help you get a sense of some of the many ways scholars have approached an issue.
Facts on File & CQ Researcher: Topic Overviews
The Issues & Controversies section of the database Facts.com combines factual analysis and explanations of opposing points of view
on a wide variety of topics and issues that are newsworthy, controversial,
and often complex.
Go to Facts On File (formerly Facts.com) (BC Community Only). Click Issues & Controversies, then look at "Arts, Entertainment, and the Media" in the Subject Index.
CQ Researcher provides lengthy overviews of "hot" economic, political or social issues. Each report includes charts, graphs, sidebar articles, a pro/con feature, a chronology, and more.
Go to CQ Researcher (BC Community Only). Click on Browse by Topic and look for ideas under "Communications and the Mass Media."
Browse Media & Pop Culture Encyclopedias
SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS provide concise overviews of a wide range of topics related to media and pop culture. Browse through any of the following for context and and basic information on topics that you can explore more fully.
- St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Includes more than 2,700 signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies.
- Encyclopedia of Television
(O'Neill Reference PN1992.18.E53 2004) Essays on key TV programs and personalities, genres, organizations, topics, and issues. 1999 edition online. - Encyclopedia of Radio (BC Community Only)
Covers many aspects of radio broadcasting, including technical, programming, and other topcs, as well as key shows, organizations, and individuals. Click on
next to title for search instructions. - Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. O’Neill Reference HQ784 .M3 E53 2007
A collaborative effort of 500-plus international academics and researchers, this two-volume publication contains research and facts on the media's interaction with children and adolescents. - Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications (O'Neill Reference P87.5 .E532 2003) 4 volumes. Articles on: the media in different countries; the development and use of communication technology; and concepts (such as censorship,copyright, and libel) that regulate he content and flow of information.
- Encyclopedia of Television News (BC Community Only) Includes more than 300 entries on "the people who built broadcast journalism, the programs for which they are best known, and the concepts and issues evolving from their efforts." Available as an e-book through NetLibrary and in the Reference Collection.
- Journalism: A Guide to the Reference Literature (O'Neill Reference PN4731.C373 2004) This selected annotated bibliography and guide covers English language material relating to print and broadcast journalism. The guide is arranged by broad topic area and includes author, title, and subject indexes.
- International Encyclopedia of Communication (BC Community Only) Covers communication theory and philosophy including many areas related to mass media studies. Search by topic or browse the table of contents.
- International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (BC Community Only) Select the category "Media" from the encyclopedia's main page for the largest group of communication-related articles, divided into six major sub-categories, including Communications Media, Effects & Audiences, Popular Culture, and Study of Mass Media.
- Encyclopedia of New Media : An Essential Reference to Communication and Technology (O'Neill Reference QA76.575 .E5368 2003) Describes concepts, contexts, and trends in new media, covering terms, technologies, key businesses, organizations, and individuals, laws, and social issues important in the development of new media.
- Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising O’Neill Reference HF5803 .A38 2003
Includes coverage of social, cultural, and historic issues that influence advertising- ethics, feminism, regulation, stereotyping, sex, and war, to name only some.
Communication Librarian |
Ken Liss |
Contact Info:
617-552-2183
O'Neill Library
Boston College
Send Email
Subjects:
Communication
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