Welcome! This LibGuide is probably a bit different from the ones you are used to. Rather than focus on materials available to you through Yale University Library (see my other LibGuides for that), my focus here is how to use those materials and how you can work directly with me and other area studies librarians at every step along the way. This guide will be useful for anyone working on an individual research project, including upper class undergraduates and graduate students. It can also be seamlessly integrated into faculty teaching and syllabi. Even better, reach out to the South and Southeast Asian Studies Librarian for one or multiple sessions of in-class teaching and student consultations!

Over these 8 modules, we will look at some of the most common methods used in area studies scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Each module is broken down into three sections:

1. Methods and Methodology
2. Examples of scholarship utilizing those methods
3. Resources available through Yale University and how to use them

While this LibGuide certainly branches out from the traditional mode, it is well within the purview of area studies librarianship, collection development and outreach. Importantly, this guide is designed to supplement methods courses offered through the university, by looking at how these methods can be applied with a look to our collections here at Yale. See my Guide to Fieldwork in South and Southeast Asia (forthcoming) for a look at field research recommendations and resources, specifically.

I recommend that each student work through this guide module-by-module so as to develop a familiarity with the field of South and Southeast Asian Studies more broadly. After finishing the modules, you will be well on your way to expertise in the area and familiar with scholarship concerning the region from the whole spectrum of humanities of social science research. At the end of the LibGuides, you have the option (highly-recommended!) of scheduling a consultation with the South and Southeast Asian Studies Librarian to discuss your experience and get a tailored research consultation!