Research Guides
COM 442: History of Media Technology & Regulation: Background & Context
Encyclopedias help you figure out the who, what & where of a topic. Knowing the who, what & where of a topic is the first step in researching a topic and discovering the "how" and "why". Encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings. Both print and online encyclopedias are listed below.
Three online encyclopedia collections: Gale Virtual Reference 
, Pop Culture Universe & Oxford Reference Online
History Background
- American Decades
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- Dictionary of American history
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- Gale encyclopedia of U.S. economic history
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- Historical Statistics of the United States
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- Social history of the United States
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- St. James encyclopedia of popular culture
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Technologies Background
- Advertising age encyclopedia of advertising
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- Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas
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- Companion to Television
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- Desktop encyclopedia of telecommunications
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- Encyclopedia of science, technology, and ethics
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- Movies in American History
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- Science and Its Times
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Media Studies Background
- Encyclopedia of media violence
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- International Encyclopedia of Communication
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- The international encyclopedia of media effects
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- International Encyclopedia of Media Studies, Media History, and the Foundations of Media Studies
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Children Background
- Boy Culture: An Encyclopedia
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- Encyclopedia of children, adolescents, and the media
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- Encyclopedia of children and childhood : in history and society
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- Youth Cultures in America
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