Skip to Main Content

HUM 305 Sex & Culture - Mendelman

Resources and information in support of Prof. Mendelman’s Humanities 305

Resouces for this Class

Get the most out of your Google search

Searching in Google can also help you uncover relevant articles for your research. The problem is, how to find results that will be helpful? 

SITE Searching

One way to target results in Google is to employ the site search. This requires you use a specific phrase before adding search terms to tell Google you only want results from a specific website or domain. The search always begins with site + colon + URL or Domain all without any spaces; next, add a space and insert your search terms. See the examples below - 

  • site:nytimes.com 'gender expression' AND media This search phrase tells Google that you'd like results from the New York Times website that mention gender expression as a phrase along with media.  **Site searching is one of the best ways to search for articles on a given topic in the New York Times** 
  • site:gov sex culture AND film OR movies This search phrase tells Google you'd like to see articles, commentary, etc., from government websites that includes information about sex & culture in films or movies.
  • site:edu gender satire 'American fiction'   This search phrase tells Google to retrieve articles published by or in educational institutions that focus on humor, satire and culture as a topic. Note: You could add a title, a genre, or a time period to narrow the results even further.
Other search tips in Google
  • Search for an exact phrase by putting your terms in quotes when entering them in the search bar, e.g., "gender identity" -- using the quotes will ensure you retrieve results with that exact phrase.
  • Find reviews of movies, books, etc., by putting the title of a work in quotes in Google, and adding the word review:
  • Find interviews with authors, directors, artists, etc., by listing a name plus the word interview
  • Limit the date of your results by inserting the phrase after + colon + year or date  without any spaces
    • after:2016 gender discrimination college campuses  This phrase tells Google that you'd like all your results to have been published after 2016 on this topic (Note: the after phrase can come before or after your search terms)
    • You can also limit your results to a given date range by clicking on Tools under the search bar, and then Any Time under that.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a great place to search for articles about your topic. Google Scholar includes scholarly article content, as well as chapters from authoritative books and reports. Google Scholar is a great place to search when you are not having luck in the databases. It is more forgiving, and often can help find relevant articles important to your research. After finding some articles in Scholar, you can discover how the subject matter is discussed, and revisit the databases armed with some good information and powerful search terms.

Keep in mind that full text may not always be available from Google Scholar; if you have enough time, articles that do not have accompanying full text may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

Enhance your search strategies

Strategies Why do this?
Keep track of search terms & keywords To keep track of what you've tried/where you've searched
Look for new terms as you search To keep up to date with terminology
Find key authors on your topic To understand fundamentals
Let the research shape your focus To determine how your argument fits into the scholarly conversation