Welcome to the subject guide for Humanities! This guide is designed to walk you through all of the library services and resources that can help you with your research.
To get started, click on the resources page most suited to your topic needs in the main menu (example: General Resources, Humanities Resources, American Studies Resources, etc). There you will find relevant databases, websites, books, and other topic related resources.
Need more help? Contact your subject librarian, Lauren DeCelle at lauren.decelle@sjsu.edu
Most Useful Databases
Multidisciplinary full text, peer reviewed academic journals that support scholarly research in key areas of academic study.
The journals archive consists of older (at least 2-5 years) issues of core scholarly journals across a wide range of subjects including the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The eBook collections are DRM-free and allow for unlimited concurrent use and unlimited chapter downloads and printing.
Also Useful
Covers 1923 to the present. This weekly publication gives background information on current and controversial issues. Unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy.
e-Book Collections
Traces the evolution of the English language over the last millennium and includes definitions, history, and pronunciation of over half a million English words, present and past. Also known as OED. Help Guide
This dictionary includes more than 75,000 definitions, pronunciation guides and word histories for English words.
The Brill Dictionary of Religion explicitly reflects the transformation that the academic study of religion has undergone within the last twenty years. This dictionary contains 500+ entries on the different theologies and doctrinal declarations of the official institutionalized religions as well as their role in daily life and public discourse. vol. 1. Aborigines - Dualism -- vol. 2. Eastern Mediterranean - Luther, Martin -- vol. 3. Machine - Rome -- vol. 4. Sabbath - Zoroastrianism. This subscription is supported by an NEH Challenge Grant: "Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this database do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities."
Provides critical overviews discussing the nature and historical development of Gnosticism and Hermetism to Astrology, Alchemy and Magic, Christian Theosophy, Freemasonry, and more. It also contains articles about the life and work of all the major personalities in the history of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, discussing their ideas, significance, and historical influence. This subscription is supported by an NEH Challenge Grant: "Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this database do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities."
To find an encyclopedia or other reference resource for a particular topic, search your topic in OneSearch (the library's catalog) and in the left hand menu of the search results list select "Reference Entries" from the "Resource Type" dropdown menu. This will pull chapters and sections from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and textbooks that mention your topic.
This is the major newspaper in Silicon Valley. The link above provides free access to some current articles. Subscription access is available from Newsbank Mercury News Historical and Current (1884 to present). Access is also available from ProQuest Newsstand (2010 to 2016) and ProQuest Newsstream (2016-2019)
