Beyond Feelings
Beyond Feelings
Beyond Feelings
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
180 PART THREE A Strategy<br />
BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE<br />
Think of several general headings under which the issue might be classified.<br />
For example, if the issue concerns criminal investigation, the<br />
headings might be “crime,” “criminology,” “police,” and one or more<br />
specific kinds of crime, such as “burglary.” Then look up those headings<br />
in the index volume of a good general encyclopedia, such as Encyclopedia<br />
Americana or Encyclopaedia Britannica. (Americana has a separate index<br />
volume. Britannica is divided into two sets of books: the macropaedia<br />
set, which contains detailed articles on a limited number of subjects,<br />
and the micropaedia set, which contains brief articles and cross-references<br />
on a large number of subjects.) The articles you will find there<br />
have been written by authorities in the various fields. At the end of each<br />
article is a list of books and other articles you can consult for a fuller or<br />
more specialized treatment of the issue.<br />
In addition to the general encyclopedias, there are numerous specific<br />
encyclopedias of art, business, history, literature, philosophy, music, science,<br />
education, social science, and many other areas. Most of these contain<br />
not only historical background but also titles of other books and<br />
articles you might find helpful.*<br />
FACTS AND STATISTICS<br />
Almanacs, published yearly, are treasuries of information on myriad subjects.<br />
World Almanac is available from the 1868 edition. Information Please<br />
Almanac, The New York Times Encyclopedic Almanac, and Reader’s Digest Almanac<br />
are more recent publications. Because any almanac is arranged very<br />
compactly for efficient use, it is important to study the index before using it.<br />
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE<br />
A number of biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias are available.<br />
Two of the most helpful ones are Current Biography: Who’s News and Why<br />
and Webster’s Biographical Dictionary.<br />
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE<br />
Many reference books are available, including the Oxford English Dictionary<br />
(OED), Webster’s New Dictionary of Synonyms, and Eric Partridge’s<br />
Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.<br />
*Remember that background reading, though a helpful start toward analyzing an issue, is<br />
never an acceptable substitute for analysis. Your instructor will expect more from you than<br />
simply background information.