Tips and Resources for Academic Writing

For orientation in the field of North American literature and culture, consider taking a look at the following resources:

 

• Cambridge Companions to Literature (American Literature), available for a variety of topics, e.g. The Cambridge Companion to African American Womens Writing, The Cambridge Companion to Postmodernism, The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, etc.

• Keywords Series by NYU Press, available for a variety of topics, e.g. Keywords for American Cultural Studies (Full books available via the UB; selected essays available on the following Website)

• Heike Paul: The Myths That Made America: An Introduction to American Studies (Open Access)

• Neil Campbell & Alasdair Kean: American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture. 4th ed. (or earlier versions, if the 4th edition is not availalbe)

• Peter Barry: Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 4th ed. (or earlier versions, if the 4th edition is not available)

Moreover, remember to make use of the resources provided by the University Library, for example, the library catalogue or online archives such as JSTOR or PROJECT MUSE for browsing journal articles. Google can sometimes help you to get access to materials you have found in the databases, but it is not necessarily a good place to find relevant articles and book chapters. Here are a few links to peer-reviewed, open-access American Studies journals that you can always consult for relevant articles:

 

• Amerikastudien/ American Studies (the journal of the German Association for American Studies)

• European Journal of American Studies (the journal of the European Association for American Studies)