SW175 Southwest Studies   Tags: block 1, southwest studies  

Sunbelt rising : the politics of place, space, and region

Edited by Michelle Nickerson and Darren Dochuk

Interactive maps of the West are a fun way to gain historical context about what was happening in different time periods.  Open the map and then explore the West from the following varied perspectives: Physical/Environmental, Political, Urban/Travel and Native American.  Just click on the map types at the top and watch the map change:

http://0-www.americanwest.amdigital.co.uk.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/Maps/InteractiveMaps.aspx

Southwest Studies is an exciting, interdisciplinary field, with research tools often spanning many disciplines. For instance, a research topic dealing with water in the Southwest could reflect a wide variety of viewpoints, depending on the lens through which the researcher has chosen to look.  Research, therefore, may need to be undertaken in a wide variety of disciplines, such as Environmental Science, History, Sociology or Anthropology.

This guide will help you get started by giving you tips for searching the Tiger catalog to find books, and help with deciding which database to use to find articles on your subject.  Many other resources to help you save time and improve your paper is available at Tutt Library, including librarians who are anxious to help you succeed. 

Feel free to contact me personally, or sit down and have a one-on-one sesion with the librarian at the Reference Desk (located in the library lobby).

Consider variations...

When seaching for information about the Southwest, remember that the word Southwest may not appear in the title or in the abstract of an article.  Instead, you may need to be more specific, using:

• the specific name of the state (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, etc)
• a variety of terms which are often used interchangably, like "Native Americans," "Indians of North American," even "First Peoples"
• Try the name of a specific group, such as Ute, Navajo, Hopi, etc.

If you searched only the term Southwest, you might miss valuable resources.

For a fantastic guide to researching Ludlow, visit the Ludlow Guide.