{"id":3989,"date":"2017-09-20T14:50:04","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T21:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/core.humanities.uci.edu\/?page_id=3989"},"modified":"2018-08-14T18:25:20","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T01:25:20","slug":"research-in-the-humanities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/core.humanities.uci.edu\/index.php\/research-in-the-humanities\/","title":{"rendered":"Research in the Humanities"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Matt Roberts
\nRevised for 2018-19<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n

Welcome to the University of California, Irvine! As a student enrolled in the Humanities Core program, you will study a variety of cultural artifacts related to the theme of \u201cEmpire and Its Ruins.\u201d Research will be important to your engagement with course material and topics, and the UCI Libraries<\/a> is here to help you.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

The UCI Libraries is home to several research librarians, who can provide you with expert service. To learn more, please visit the UCI Libraries\u2019 Directory of Research Librarians<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To take advantage of the UCI Libraries\u2019 resources for Humanities Core, please visit the Humanities Core Research Guide<\/a>. You find the guide by visiting the UCI Libraries\u2019 home page. Then click on the \u201cResearch Guides<\/a>\u201d Quick Link.<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is Humanities Research?<\/h3>\n

It is worth asking what it means to do research in the Humanities. As David Pan (Professor of German, UCI School of Humanities) writes, \u201c[i]nterpretation is the primary method of the humanities because the meaning that humanities scholars search for is not a constant one. Rather, standards of meaning change when one moves in time and space from one cultural context to another. Negotiating this movement is the primary task in humanities inquiry\u201d (6)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As Pan emphasizes, humanities work is an interpretive process. For instance, for your first major writing assignment, you must perform a close reading <\/em>of a passage from the Aeneid<\/em>. You will describe how the selection\u2019s formal elements\u2014such as symbolism or diction\u2014support an overarching theme in the epic as a whole. While this assignment does not require that you conduct research related to the\u00a0Aeneid<\/em>, it nevertheless invites you to research the meaning of \u201csymbolism\u201d or \u201cdiction.\u201d Let us therefore assess our information need and design a process to find the definition of, for example, diction.<\/p>\n

Question: <\/strong>Where do we find the definition of a word or specialized term such as \u201cdiction\u201d?<\/p>\n

Answer: <\/strong>We find definitions in a dictionary.<\/p>\n

Note that as the\u00a0Aeneid <\/em>is an epic poem, it is important to determine what \u201cdiction\u201d means within a literary context. Therefore, let\u2019s consult a dictionary of literary terms.<\/p>\n

Question<\/strong>: How do we find a dictionary of literary terms?<\/p>\n

Answer: <\/strong>Consult the UCI Libraries\u2019 webpage<\/a>. Then search Library Search<\/a>, the new finding aid for the UCI Libraries’ catalog. Since we don\u2019t know the exact title of the dictionary that we might use, we can simply search for \u201cdictionary of literary terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

We must choose the title that best matches our information need. I chose The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms<\/a> because Oxford University Press publishes exemplary reference materials. The green “Available Online” link takes me directly to this resource. I can then use the resource to search for the definition of “Diction.”<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, what have we learned?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Research begins with a question (\u201cWhat is diction?\u201d).<\/li>\n
  2. The research question(s) that we ask helps us to discover information.<\/li>\n
  3. The kind of information that we need to discover will often determine what UCI Libraries\u2019 resource to consult (e.g., a book, reference resource, database, etc.).<\/li>\n
  4. Discovering information helps us to interpret an object of study.<\/li>\n
  5. The interpretation of the object of study enables us to craft clearly argued responses to writing assignments.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In other words, humanities research is a strategic exploration whereby information discovery facilitates your interpretive abilities.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Doing Research: Primary Sources and Secondary Sources<\/h3>\n

    As we have already noticed, the research process involves the ability to discover a source that provides information of some kind. It is therefore important to distinguish between sources so that you can readily access that information.<\/p>\n

    Scholars typically distinguish between kinds of sources, particularly between primary and secondary sources. As you will be reading a variety of texts this year, it is important to recognize that texts are not objectively primary or secondary. Ultimately, the extent to which sources are primary depends upon the questions you ask about them and the way that you use them (Arndt 93). For instance, a primary source is an object that bears witness to a historical event. Primary sources therefore call us to consider how they make meaning of the event to which they bear witness. On the other hand, secondary sources interpret a primary source. For example, if you were to write a paper that interprets how diction in the\u00a0Aeneid <\/em>characterizes human experience, you would be creating a secondary source.<\/p>\n

    Determining the difference between a primary source and a secondary source can be difficult. Let us explore each type of source in greater detail so that we can begin to understand what types of question we can ask of primary sources, and how we can engage with them in order to research secondary source material.<\/p>\n

    Primary Sources<\/h3>\n

    On your syllabus, you will find a variety of texts, or sources, that you will read over the course of the year. In the fall quarter, these texts include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n