Skip to Main Content

GERMAN 278 / GNS 270 Berlin-Istanbul Connections: Reimagining Germany (Fall 2024) : Home

Start Here

WELCOME!  This LibGuide has been created to help you understand how to conduct research for papers required in Literature and Culture in Comparison and Migration.

On these pages, you will learn how to decide what speaks to you about your text, how to create meaningful search terms that follow your interests, and finally, how to find and get secondary literature pertaining to your topic.

This page is created first and foremost with the student researching within the class: GERMAN 278 / GNS 270 Berlin-Istanbul Connections: Reimagining Germany, but the suggestions are not solely for those students.  If you are taking a different course, you will find the information valid, but the examples may be slightly different than the ones given below.  

Combine Search Terms

First you need a Primary Search Term
What is most significant in your work? What speaks to you most?  Why do you like the work the most?
Gender, Personal Autonomy, Religion, Culture, Migration, etc.

 

Next you need a Second Search Term

What is special about the primary search term in the work?
Is it just Gender? Gender and Personal Autonomy? Gender and Personal Autonomy in Germany/etc.
 
How does it compare to other places, times?
20th century; Norway; France; Norway vs. Germany, The US, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, etc.
 
Start vague and then get more specific
Start off with “Gender AND Turkish-Germans,” THEN “Gender AND Turkish-Germans AND Personal Autonomy” NOT “Gender AND Turkish-Germans AND Personal Autonomy NOT Norway” – That may come later, but probably not.
 

How does it compare to other places?

Turkey vs. Germany, Asia vs. Europe, The Global South vs. The west.

Change possible secondary search terms with similar themes

First try “Migration AND Personal Autonomy” then “Migration AND Human Rights,” then ““Migration AND Women’s Rights.”

Change search terms, starting with synonyms

First try “Islam AND Migration AND Germany,” then “Islam AND Migration AND Europe,” then “Islam AND Migration AND The West.”

This will be the way you find more specific articles.

Librarian

Profile Photo
Todd Michelson-Ambelang
Librarian for Scandinavian Humanities and South Asia; Interim Librarian for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine; Liaison to the Center for the Humanities and Institute for Research in the Humanities; GLS ADA Accessibility Liaison for Public Services
Contact:
Memorial Library, 416
728 State Street
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-3475

Workshops/Classes