Research Guides: HLI 354: American Culture: Home

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This library course guide will introduce you to the Library's resources which may inform and support your research project in Professor Pennino's class.

RESEARCH PAPER

Length: 10 pages (using Time New Roman 12 point font, double spacing between lines, 1” margins). Titles pages and work cited pages do NOT count toward your total.

Works:

On the Road. Jack Kerouac

“Howl”. Allen Ginsburg (can be found on poetryfoundation.org)

The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath

The Crying of Lot 49. Thomas Pynchon

Portnoy’s Complaint. Philip Roth

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Hunter S. Thompson

Blues for Mister Charlie. James Baldwin

The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. Lorraine Hansberry

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Tom Wolfe.

Fear of Flying. Erica Jong

Articles

American Culture - Research Guide

Types of Sources

Subject/Topic	Primary Sources	Secondary Sources
Art & Literature	Films Photographs Novels Paintings Poems	Art criticism article Literature criticism article Art history textbook

Commentary/Reviews

Commentary or Criticism: A review of a movie is typically a secondary source commenting on the film itself. However, if you are researching the critical reception of a film that review would become a primary source.

Portions of this page were adapted from Scribbr.com "Primary and secondary sources"

Finding Articles

Artstor This link opens in a new window
Artstor is JSTOR’s cross-disciplinary collection of over 2 million* rights-cleared images from around the world, discoverable alongside JSTOR’s journals, books, and other primary sources on one feature-rich platform.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR, a scholarly database, provides access to scholarly journal articles on the arts, sciences, social sciences, management, mathematics, and statistics, as well as images and primary sources. As JSTOR is an archival database, full-text availability of most journals starts from their first year of publication, while more recently published journal content is available after an embargo period.
Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Literary Reference Center, an EBSCOhost database, is a mostly full-text collection of world literature resources. In addition to critical essays, analysis, biographical information, book reviews, and plot summaries, it also provides the full text of many classic novels, plays, and poems. You will need to choose the Literary Reference Center database from the EBSCO landing page. Click on Choose Databases above the search box. Access to this database is provided by the New Jersey State Library.

You will need to choose the Literary Reference Center database from the Ebsco Landing page. Click on Choose Databases above the search box.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The MLA International Bibliography, an EBSCOhost database, collects citations and abstracts for articles, books and other scholarship on literature, modern language, linguistics, and folklore.

Journals

Americana : The Journal of American Popular Culture, 1900 to Present by Americana: The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture
Publication Date: Coverage: 2002-Present
Americana: The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to education through the publication of exceptional American Studies scholarship, 1900 to present, and creative writing. We are especially interested in publishing material that examines such issues as social action, social justice, human rights, environmental awareness, the human condition, diversity, love, compassion, ethical and moral obligations. In other words, we are passionate about projects that empower and uplift humanity.
American Studies by John Hopkins University Press
Publication Date: Coverage: 1991-Present
American Studies encourages interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scholarship in U.S. cultures and histories broadly defined. We welcome frameworks of comparative, international, and/or transnational perspectives. With an editorial staff from a number of areas of study, the journal offers provocative perspectives on a variety of issues. Frequent special sections and special issues (such as the Fall 2004 issue on Hawaii and the Fall/Winter 2005 issue, "Indigeneity at the Crossroads of American Studies.") create a space for a broad discussion on a single topic. Articles on pedagogy inform the American Studies classroom. The book review section aims at keeping readers conversant with contemporary scholarship.
The Journal of American Culture by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Publication Date: Coverage: 1991-Present
The American Culture Association (ACA) was founded to include traditional studies of American literature, the arts, and history – areas it felt were neglected in the study of popular culture. An interdisciplinary organization, the ACA includes many specialty areas, including: aesthetics, cemeteries and graveyards, theater, humor, media studies, Franco-American relations, gay and lesbian studies, Native American studies, politics, WASP culture, women's studies, and numerous others

Books

American Culture

American Culture - Research Guide

Introduction and Guides

American Culture in the 1950s by Martin Halliwell
Publication Date: 2007
This series provides accessible but challenging studies of American culture in the twentieth century. Each title covers a specific decade and offers a clear overview of its dominant cultural forms and influential texts, discussing their historical impact and cultural legacy. Collectively the series reframes the notion of ‘decade studies’ through the prism of cultural production and rethinks the ways in which decades are usually periodized. Broad contextual approaches to the particular decade are combined with focused case studies, dealing with themes of modernity, commerce, freedom, power, resistance,
community, race, class, gender, sexuality, internationalism, technology, war
and popular culture.
American Culture in the 1960s by Monteith, Sharon
Publication Date: 2008
This series provides accessible but challenging studies of American culture in
the twentieth century. Each title covers a specific decade and offers a clear
overview of its dominant cultural forms and influential texts, discussing their
historical impact and cultural legacy. Collectively the series reframes the
notion of ‘decade studies’ through the prism of cultural production and
rethinks the ways in which decades are usually periodized. Broad contextual
approaches to the particular decade are combined with focused case studies,
dealing with themes of modernity, commerce, freedom, power, resistance,
community, race, class, gender, sexuality, internationalism, technology, war
and popular culture.
The Columbia history of post-World War II America by Mark C Carnes
Publication Date: 2007
Written by scholars in economics, foreign affairs, and other fields, this book contains essays which look at the past half century of American life. They address changes in America's response to the outside world and its exploration of space; the intersection of social practices and governmental policies; and, other issues.

Biography & History

Countering the counterculture : rereading postwar American Dissent from Jack Kerouac to Tomás Rivera by Manuel Luis Martínez
Publication Date: 2003
"In an innovative rereading of American radical politics and culture of the 1950s and 1960s, Martinez uncovers reactionary, neoromantic, and sometimes racist strains in the Beats' vision of freedom, and he brings to the fore the complex stances of Latinos on participant democracy and progressive culture. He analyzes the ways the Beats, Chicanos, and migrant writers conceived of and articulated social and political perspectives. He contends that both the Beats' extreme individualism and the Chicano nationalists' narrow vision of citizenship are betrayals of the democratic ideal, but that the migrant writers presented a distinctly radical and inclusive vision of democracy that was truly countercultural."--Jacket.
Sylvia Plath : method and madness by Edward Butscher
Publication Date: 2003
This is the first full-length biography of Sylvia Plath, whose suicide in made her a misinterpreted cause celebre and catapulted her into the ranks of the major confessional voices of her generation.
American oracle : the Civil War in the civil rights era by David W Blight
Publication Date: 2011
David Blight takes his readers back to the Civil War's centennial celebration to determine how Americans made sense of the suffering, loss, and liberation a century earlier. He shows how four of America's most incisive writers--Robert Penn Warren, Bruce Catton, Edmund Wilson, and James Baldwin--explored the gulf between remembrance and reality

Library Catalog Search

Literature Review

American Culture

American Culture - Research Guide

Literature Review

A literature review is a critical analysis and synthesis of existing research literature on a particular topic. It involves reviewing, summarizing, and evaluating the current state of knowledge in a specific field or subject, in your case a topic to one of the films or directors in class. The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide an overview of the relevant literature, identify gaps, and highlight key findings and trends.

Key to a literature review is that it is NOT the following

a summary of research sources
a grouping of broad, unrelated sources

The above definition highlights the words critical and synthesis because you are entering a scholarly conversation about your research topic, with a critical eye to similarities, differences, themes, and gaps in the knowledge that you will contribute with your paper.

MLA 9th ed.

MLA (9th ed.)

The MLA style comes from the Modern Language Association and is primarily used in the humanities and arts.

MLA Handbook Plus is available online through the Library to help you cite every source.

Log into Okta if prompted.

MLA Handbook Plus This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The go-to resource for writers of research papers and anyone citing sources is now available online through institutional subscriptions. MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook.

Works Cited

Your Works Cited page includes every item you have cited in text and provides as much bibliographic information as you're able to find so your readers can locate the sources themselves.

Page Format

Title: Works Cited
Page title is center-justified on the page, entries are left-justified with a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.
Entries listed alphabetically by author, or title of source if no author name.

Reference Format

The core elements of a journal/periodical article citation:

Author. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. n, no. n, [year], pp. n-n. [Location].

Note that if the article is from the publisher website (which is considered self-contained) the URL falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).

Common Questions

Is an access date required?
- If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future. (See Supplemental Elements.)
When do you cite Canvas?
- A platform such as Canvas is only the container if the item has been published through it: a Library database publishes the full text of an article, but Canvas is only the means through which you might read it. However, a lecture posted to Canvas would be considered published through Canvas and you'd then include the platform as the "container" in your citation. (See Journal/Source Title.)
How do I cite a PDF?
- PDFs are not considered a separate source type in MLA as instead they're the medium through which you're reading the source itself, such as a book chapter or journal article. In general, the Location field will direct your reader to the primary version of the document through URL or DOI. But if there are multiple versions of the document, include "PDF download" at the end of your citation in the Supplemental Element field to tell your reader which version you are citing.

More info about...

Author | Document Title | Journal/Source Title (Container) | Contributor | Version | Number | Publisher | Publication Date | Location | Supplemental Elements

Find more about these topics at the MLA Handbook sections mentioned throughout.

AUTHOR

More info: MLA Handbook 5.3-22

PEOPLE
- 1 author: Surname, First.
  - Smith, Max.
- 2 authors: Surname, First, and First Surname. List in order given on the document.
  - Smith, Max, and Sam Jones.
- 3+ authors: Surname, First, et al. (which is Latin for "and others")
  - Smith, Max, et al.
- Names that start with surname: Keep as is, with a comma between surname and first unless otherwise specified.
  - Matsuo, Bashō.
- No surname: if not in Firstname Surname order, keep as is.
  - Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo.
- Online handles: add in square brackets after author name, unless author name and handle are similar.
ORGANIZATIONS
- Do not include articles (a/an/the), do not reverse names.
  - Beatles.
- Corporate author (that is, a document attributed to a company or organization rather than a single person): spell out full name of organization
  - U.S. Department of Education.

DOCUMENT TITLE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.23-30

Full title in quotations, in Title Case - every major word capitalized, with period within quotes
- “Tapping the Youth Vote.”
No title? Write a “concise but informative description of the work” (MLA Handbook)
Subtitle? Sometimes not obvious, so check the copyright page if available.

JOURNAL/SOURCE TITLE (which MLA calls the Container of the document)

More info: MLA Handbook 5.31-37

Full title in italics, in Title Case - every major word capitalized, followed by period
- Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
Container details:
- 1 container: article read in print journal, tv show aired on tv, short story read in an anthology
- 2 containers: journal article in database, tv show on platform, chapter in edited anthology read on a website
- Works considered self-contained: book read in print, manuscript read in person, movie watched in a theater
- What is not a container - things that didn’t publish the thing you’re reading. That is to say, Canvas is not a container of a link to article but it IS the container for a lecture video published in the course shell.

CONTRIBUTOR if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.38-47

Translators, editors

VERSION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.48-50

Edition, if an e-book

NUMBER if part of a sequence

More info: MLA Handbook 5.51-53

JOURNAL ARTICLE: volume and issue numbers written abbreviated, followed by commas
- vol. 12, no. 1,
MEDIA: season, episode
- season 3, episode 4,

PUBLISHER

More info: MLA Handbook 5.54-67

Publisher
Website platform
Publisher name not necessary if:
- It's ongoing - you don't need to list a publisher for a journal because it's an ongoing periodical
- The website and publisher names are the same
- It's a platform others use to put their stuff up (such as YouTube)

PUBLICATION DATE

More info: MLA Handbook 5.68-83

Day Month Year, with abbreviated month where applicable: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
- May 2021.
- Oct. 2020.
- 4 Aug. 2022.

LOCATION if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.84-99

Location makes reference to the container(s) of the work:

Journal articles from a publisher website have one container - the journal, made available by the publisher, and the location is the DOI or permalink.
Journal articles from a Library database have two containers - the journal and the database.

Formatting notes:

Sources that are PART OF A LARGER CONTAINER (article from a journal issue, chapter in a book):
- Fixed in print or in a PDF: include the page range as "pp. n-n.", ending in a period.
  - pp. 20-21.
    - No further location information needed if in print.
    - PDF or found online? Add DOI/permalink/URL.
ONLINE WORKS: DOI, permalink, URL (in order of preference). DOI = "digital object identifier" and is a unique hyperlink given to a scholarly journal article upon publication.
- DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abo3420
  - But if you can't find the DOI or one doesn't exist, use the article permalink: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.abo3420
- Online sources considered SELF-CONTAINED (such as from the publisher's website): As the DOI/URL/permalink is the location of the self-contained work, it falls within the punctuation following the page number(s).
BOOKS:
- Print books you cite in full (rather than a specific chapter) do not need a page number location:
  - MLA Handbook. 9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
- E-books you read through a database or platform will use the database or platform and URL as the location.

SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENTS if applicable

More info: MLA Handbook 5.105-119

After SOURCE:
- Contributor, original publication date, section of a work
After CONTAINER:
- Date of access for online item but only if there's no given publication date or if the website/item might disappear
- More details about the document type (publication status, whether it's a thesis or dissertation, etc.)
- PDF: "[I]f you view a file type, such as a PDF, other than the one presented as the default version of the work on a page where other versions of the work are available, include PDF download, supplementary material, or a similar description in the supplemental element." (MLA Handbook, 5.112)

Works Cited: Books and Articles

These are some commonly used source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

Source type: Print book | E-book | Scholarly article | Newspaper article | Magazine article

Newspaper article from the website; one author

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2022. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

E-book from a database; one author

Cahill, Cathleen D. Recasting the Vote : How Women of Color Transformed the Suffrage Movement. E-book. The University of North Carolina Press, 2020. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=2432685&site=ehost-live.

Newspaper article from a database; one author

Gross, Neil. “Does College Make You Vote?” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 59, 24 Nov. 2012, p. B2. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=83623976&site=ehost-live.

Scholarly article from a database; multiple authors

Larson, Lincoln R., et al. “The Future of Wildlife Conservation Funding: What Options Do U.S. College Students Support?” Conservation Science & Practice, vol. 3, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 1–12. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.505.

Magazine article from a database; one author

Padilla, Dynahlee. “Tapping the Youth Vote.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, vol. 37, no. 18, Oct. 2020, pp. 20–21. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=146573844&site=ehost-live.

Print book; two authors

Shea, Daniel M., and John Clifford Green. Fountain of Youth: Strategies and Tactics for Mobilizing America's Young Voters. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.

Scholarly article from a database; two authors

Spagnuolo, Natalie, and Fady Shanouda. “Who Counts and Who Is Counted? Conversations around Voting, Access, and Divisions in the Disability Community.” Disability & Society, vol. 32, no. 5, June 2017, pp. 701–19. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1324765.

Magazine article from a database; one author

Wolfe, Rob. “America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting.” Washington Monthly, vol. 54, no. 9/10, Sept. 2022, pp. 60–63. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=158554880&site=ehost-live.

Works Cited: Online Sources

These are some commonly used online source types and how they're formatted. Remember that your Works Cited references will require a hanging indent (second and subsequent lines indented) of a half-inch.

Notes:

Access date: If you're citing an online source, note that including the date you accessed the website is encouraged only when there's no publication date and you can't guarantee the website will still be there in the future.
Containers: For online sources, the MLA handbook states "A website is a container only when it serves as the platform of publication of the particular version of the work you consult" (MLA Handbook 5.34; emphasis added). In that case, you will include the URL/DOI/permalink within the punctuation of the original container (such as a newspaper or website).

Section of a website

“New Jersey.” Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.

Entire website

Ballotpedia, https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.

Government info from a government website

“Electoral College History.” National Archives, 18 Nov. 2019, https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/history.

Newspaper article from the newspaper website

Astor, Maggie. “What’s on the Minds of 12 Young Voters.” The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/us/politics/young-voters.html.

MLA Core Elements

MLA formats each work cited using a set of core elements that are included in the citation if applicable and punctuated appropriately.

Find more details about the core elements in the MLA Handbook Plus or use the fill-in template below.

MLA Interactive Practice Template (MLA 9)
"The template is a tool for teaching and learning MLA style, not a citation generator. To verify that your entry is correct, consult the MLA Handbook."

MLA Handbook Plus This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
The go-to resource for writers of research papers and anyone citing sources is now available online through institutional subscriptions. MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations are a brief parenthetical reference within the text of your paper that includes the author name and page number so your reader knows where to find the source of your information.

The author name points your reader to the source citation on the works cited list, and the page number shows where in the source you found the quotation or text you used.

More info on in-text citations: MLA Handbook 6.31-77

Example article used throughout:
Niemi, Richard G., and Michael J. Hanmer. “Voter Turnout Among College Students: New Data and a Rethinking of Traditional Theories.” Social Science Quarterly, vol. 91, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 301–23. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00694.x.

Quoting or paraphrasing the source

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include author's last name and the page number where the relevant text is found.

Example:

Quote: “Traditional theories about voter turnout do not always fit well with the unique characteristics of college students" (Niemi and Hanmer 303).
Paraphrase: The voting habits of college students sometimes conflict with more general ideas about voters (Niemi and Hanmer 303).

Articles with more than 3+ authors are referred to in the parenthetical with the first author surname and et al.: (Larson et al. 2).

Attributing the author in text

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include only the page number as the author is mentioned in text through use of a signal phrase.

In the case of 3+ authors, "you may list all the names or provide the name of the first collaborator followed by 'and others' or 'and colleagues.'" (MLA Handbook Plus 6.5)

Example:

In 2010, Niemi and Hanmer noted that college students are not studied as often as older voters (303).

Signal and Lead-in Phrases (Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL))
A handy list of words and phrases from the Purdue OWL you can use to signal to your reader that you're about to cite a source.

Long quotations (more than 4 lines of prose or 3+ lines of verse)

Indent quotation half an inch from left margin. If the author name is used in text, put just the page number in parentheses following sentence punctuation. If the author name is not used in text, include in parentheses following sentence punctuation.

Example:

Niemi and Hanmer observe that

[w]ith the age of college students almost invariant and the meaning and measurement of their education and mobility questionable, several key variables used in models of voter turnout may well not account for varying rates of turnout among college students. Though there is considerable variation among students in hours worked, most student jobs do not mirror the careers they will ultimately obtain, so labor force participation may also be of limited explanatory power. (304)

Writing Help from the WCC

Using Quotations (Stevens WCC)
How to incorporate quotations into your paper from the Stevens Writing & Communication Center.
(Note: intranet site; must be logged into myStevens for access.)

Need More Help?

Schedule a consultation

If you have a question about searching for information about your project which includes finding books, articles, interviews, how to cite your information or how to make an annotated bibliography. Click on the Schedule an Appointment button below to see my availability.

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HLI 354: American Culture

Home

Articles

American Culture - Research Guide

Types of Sources

Commentary/Reviews

Finding Articles

Journals

Books

American Culture

American Culture - Research Guide

Introduction and Guides

Biography & History

Library Catalog Search

Literature Review

American Culture

American Culture - Research Guide

Literature Review

Literature Review

MLA 9th ed.

MLA (9th ed.)

The MLA style comes from the Modern Language Association and is primarily used in the humanities and arts.

MLA Handbook Plus is available online through the Library to help you cite every source.

Works Cited

Page Format

Reference Format

The core elements of a journal/periodical article citation:

Author. “Article Title.” Journal Title, vol. n, no. n, [year], pp. n-n. [Location].

Common Questions

More info about...

Author | Document Title | Journal/Source Title (Container) | Contributor | Version | Number | Publisher | Publication Date | Location | Supplemental Elements

AUTHOR

DOCUMENT TITLE

JOURNAL/SOURCE TITLE (which MLA calls the Container of the document)

CONTRIBUTOR if applicable

VERSION if applicable

NUMBER if part of a sequence

PUBLISHER

PUBLICATION DATE

LOCATION if applicable

SUPPLEMENTAL ELEMENTS if applicable

Works Cited: Books and Articles

Source type: Print book | E-book | Scholarly article | Newspaper article | Magazine article

Newspaper article from the website; one author

E-book from a database; one author

Newspaper article from a database; one author

Scholarly article from a database; multiple authors

Magazine article from a database; one author

Print book; two authors

Scholarly article from a database; two authors

Magazine article from a database; one author

Works Cited: Online Sources

Section of a website

Entire website

Government info from a government website

Newspaper article from the newspaper website

MLA Core Elements

In-Text Citations

The author name points your reader to the source citation on the works cited list, and the page number shows where in the source you found the quotation or text you used.

Quoting or paraphrasing the source

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include author's last name and the page number where the relevant text is found.

Attributing the author in text

Parentheses are placed within the sentence punctuation and include only the page number as the author is mentioned in text through use of a signal phrase.

Long quotations (more than 4 lines of prose or 3+ lines of verse)

Indent quotation half an inch from left margin. If the author name is used in text, put just the page number in parentheses following sentence punctuation. If the author name is not used in text, include in parentheses following sentence punctuation.

Writing Help from the WCC

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