LibGuides: UGS 303: Art, (Your) Money, and the Nation / Bonin-Rodriguez: Choosing a topic is research

Starting points

You're exploring broad topics - perhaps works or trends - and pulling out keywords related to:

controversies - why do people care and what are they arguing about?
people - these could be scholars or critics (hint: take a look at promising leads in the references)
unfamiliar terms, works and concepts - often the most promising leads are what one might call 'bycatch'. This is when you set out to find one specific thing, but you catch a bunch of new and strange things instead. These may be conversations to investigate because, often, they are coming up in your search results for a good reason.
dead ends and forks in the road - sometimes your first idea is not your best idea - what initially made you curious was a dead end. But rarely did you not learn something along the way. As you learn more about your initial topic, be ready to give up on it and pursue new leads.

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Drama Texts Collection This link opens in a new window
Primary sources from ancient times to today.
A foundational collection of over 14,000 dramatic texts, the Drama Texts collection spans nearly a millennium of dramatic writing covering the historical canon of Western theatre from its earliest days right up to the key figures of the early 21st century. The Drama Texts collection includes the complete drama texts of ten Alexander Street and Chadwyck-Healey collections.

Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Covers artists, movements and more.
Updated daily. Provides Web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art (1996, 34 vols.) with annual additions of new material and updates to the text, plus extensive image links.
Covers the artistic traditions of the world's leading cultures, countries, cities, towns, and regions as well as important archaeological sites, monuments, and buildings. Includes over 45,000 signed articles on every aspect of the visual arts from prehistory through the present as well as over 40,000 web links to important art images in galleries and museums around the world. Both the fine arts (painting, sculpture, and architecture) and the decorative arts (ceramics, textiles, jewellery, interior design, furniture, glass, metalwork, and more) are included.
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Encyclopedia of Popular Music This link opens in a new window
1900 to the present.
This encyclopedia's 30,000 entries cover all genres and periods of popular music from 1900 to the present day, including jazz, country, folk, rap, reggae, techno, musicals, and world music. The expanded Fourth Edition includes thousands of new entries on trends, styles, record labels, venues, and music festivals. Key dates, biographies, and further reading are provided for artists covered, along with complete discographies that include record labels, release dates, and a 5-star album rating system.

Why am I interested in this topic?
- Who writes about my topic and what do they have to say?
- If no one is writing about my specific topic (this happens all the time!), what theme or similar work can I investigate in order to draw parallels about my topic?
What does my topic have to do with art?
- What expertise am I consulting in this area?
What does my topic have to do with money?
- What expertise am I consulting in this area?
What does my topic have to do with the nation?
- What expertise am I consulting in this area?