Introduction
Welcome to the course guide for HIST 408J: Global Water in the Modern Era: Capitalism, State Power, and Environmental Crises. This guide provides links to recommended resources available through the Yale University Library and the World Wide Web.
To complete your writing assignments for this course, you will need to find and utilize primary sources. Primary sources are invaluable to researchers, as they provide first-hand accounts of historic and modern events. Primary sources include (but are not limited to) personal correspondences, journal entries, interviews, transcripts from government hearings, and raw data. This page provides an overview of some of the primary sources available at Yale University: Primary Sources at Yale
Recommended Academic Databases
Databases are collections of resources - usually journal and newspaper articles. Hover over the link to learn more about each database. Click this link to view a sample search using the database Environment Complete. (Note that I searched for conserva*, which searches the database for conservation or conservancy. Note also that I used synonyms in my search. This way I cast a very wide net!)
Why databases instead of Google
- Academic databases are finite collections, whereas Google (even Google Scholar) searches the whole of the Internet, which is VAST.
- Academic databases have better quality control, as they rely on trained professionals to make sure the articles and book chapters are truly scholarly. Google, on the other hand, relies on an algorithm.
- Academic databases offer more ways to refine your search, so you get more precise results.
Primary Sources
Yale Manuscripts & Archives
These collections from Yale Manuscripts and Archives were selected because they have to do with historic water projects. Visit each link to learn more.
Government Sources
Searching the Catalog
This is a portal to the books, articles, videos, and other materials held by the Yale University Library. Searching for water projects alone yields over 15 million results, so you will definitely want to brainstorm more specific search terms! Try using the word AND to modify your searches. You can refine your search by specifying geographic location, population demographic, type of project, and much more.
Librarian for Environmental Studies
Research Guides
Use these guides to find resources on specific regions or subjects.