Research and Course Guides: COMM 366: Persuasion and Social Influence: Background Resources

Background Research

Background Resources provide excellent coverage of Hot Topics that provide a good foundation for understanding many current issues.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
A one-stop source for information on a variety of social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, as well as full-text magazine and newspaper articles.
Issues & Controversies This link opens in a new window
Issues & Controversies explore more than 800 timely, in-depth, and objective articles on topics such as politics, government, business, education, and popular culture. It is updated weekly and provides links to a 13-year backfile. Also included are links to news coverage, pros and cons statements, timelines, statistics, etc.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Political scientists, journalists & economics researchers are going to find original information on health care, criminal justice, political and social trends, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy. Each report includes an overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.

Selected Online Law Dictionaries

A Dictionary of Law by Jonathan Law (Editor)
ISBN: 9780192897497
Publication Date: 2022
The bestselling title in the Oxford Quick Reference series, A Dictionary of Law is an essential reference work, described by leading university lecturers as 'the best law dictionary' and favoured by law students and legal professionals alike. The tenth edition features over 4,900 clear and concise definitions on major terms, concepts, and processes within the English legal system, and is a useful source of information for any of the many countries that base their legal system on English law.

Online Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Reference materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries are often an excellent starting point for research. They offer reliable background information on many issues and topics.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Full-text encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Articles, journals, and books published by Wiley across a variety of disciplines.
Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new window
Biography in Context includes over 700,000 biographical entries covering more than 400,000 notable international figures from all time periods and areas of study.

Black's Law Dictionary

Black's Law Dictionary, Standard Ninth Edition by Bryan A. Garner
Call Number: Ref. KF 156 .B53
Publication Date: 2009
With a reputation for quality and authority that is without peer, Black's Law Dictionary is a must-have reference for attorneys, paralegals, judges, and law students. This ninth edition offers more than 45,000 expertly crafted legal definitions containing an additional 2,000 new terms, nearly 3,000 quotations from legal authorities, and selected terms with their date of origin in American and/or British opinions.