- University Libraries
- Research Guides
- Subject Guides
- Political science, governance, and international affairs
- Related social science resources
Political science, governance, and international affairs: Related social science resources
What's on this page
Many disciplines can approach the same question or problem, bringing their own orientations, approaches, and jargon. This page provides shortcuts to a selection of the major resources to access their literatures. It also addresses tools for learning languages. Graduate students may want to consult some additional specialized resources for research and for writing and depositing their theses or dissertatations.
Selected resources from related disciplines
- Historical Abstracts from EBSCOhostHistorical Abstracts indexes citations, abstracts, and full text from journals, books, and dissertations that cover the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present, including world history, military history, women's history, history of education, and more. Full text available as HTML and PDF. The database allows limiting results to specific time periods (not just publication dates). You can limit to peer-reviewed sources. 1800s-present.
- America: History & Life from EBSCOhostAmerica: History and Life is an index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. The database includes citations and links to journal articles, dissertations, primary documents, and book and media reviews. Some content is available full-text (PDF and HTML). Allows limiting to peer reviewed articles, those with references, and to historical periods (date ranges). 1863-present.
- Humanities International Complete from EBSCOhostHumanities International Complete indexes citations, abstracts, and full text from journals, books and book reviews, art work and images, performances and reviews, literature and criticisms, poems and short stories, and conference proceedings. Full text is available as HTML and PDF; images are available in a variety of formats. You can limit to peer-reviewed sources.
For a comprehensive list of digital collections of historical primary sources, from news media archives to collections of government documents, consult the primary sources tabs in the library's History subject guide.
- EconLit with Full Text from EBSCOhostEconLit indexes citations, abstracts, and full text of journal articles, books, dissertations, and working papers on all aspects of economics. You can do cited reference searches and limit to scholarly sources. 1886-present.
- SocINDEX with Full Text from EBSCOhostSocINDEX indexes abstracts and full text of journal articles, books, conference papers, case studies, and surveys on all aspects of sociology. Author profiles are provided. You can do cited reference searches and limit to scholarly sources. 1895-present.
- Women's Studies International from EBSCOhostWomen's Studies International indexes abstracts, citations, and full-text articles from academic journals, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, bulletins, books, conference proceedings, working papers, pamphlets, reports, theses, and dissertations in the arts, humanities, business, social sciences, and education. Full-text material is available in HTML and PDF formats. You can limit to peer-reviewed sources. 1972-present.
- HeinOnline PortalLarge and wide-ranging collections of historical and contemporary legal materials, including codes, treaties, constitutions, topical collections of historical documents, law reviews (resembling JSTOR), legal treatises from the US, Canada, and the UK. Not limited to narrowly legal topics: includes, for example, Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law.
- Public Administration Abstracts from EBSCOhostPublic Administration Abstracts indexes citations and abstracts of articles from public administration journals. 1974-present.
- Military & Government Collection from EBSCOhostThe Military & Government Collection database indexes citations, abstracts, and full text from journals, news sources, primary source documents, legislative acts and proclamations, and other publications covering all aspects of the military. Full text presented in HTML and PDF. You can limit to peer-reviewed sources. 1975-present.
- Military and Intelligence Database from GaleMilitary and Intelligence Database indexes citations and full text from scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering all aspects of the past and current state of military affairs. The database offers content in key subject areas including governmental policies, the socioeconomic effects of war, and the structure of the armed forces. 1980-present.
- Peace Research Abstracts from EBSCOhostPeace Research Abstracts indexes abstracts and some full text of journal articles and book reviews on conflict resolutions, international affairs, peace psychology, and other areas of peace research. You can do cited reference searches and limit to scholarly sources. 1964-present.
- Urban Studies Abstracts from EBSCOhostUrban Studies Abstracts indexes citations and abstracts of journal articles on all aspects of urban studies. 1973-present.
- Political Science Complete from EBSCOhostPolitical Science Complete indexes citations, abstracts, and full text of journal articles, conference papers, reference books, country reports, interviews and speeches, and book reviews on all aspects of political science. You can do cited reference searches and limit to scholarly sources. 1887-present.
Language learning systems
- Rosetta StoneRosetta Stone offers online instruction in 25 languages, including English as a second language. "My reports" function allows you to track your progress. Mobile app versions are available.
If you want to learn on the go or don't want to depend on internet access, the Virginia Tech Libraries have a large collection of language learning compact disks on the 5th floor of Newman Library that you can check out. These links will show you their call numbers and check-out status.
- Arabic (Egyptian), Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Vietnamese.
- English for Arabic speakers, English for Cantonese speakers, English for Mandarin speakers, English for Spanish speakers.
Many public libraries offer entry-level online language-learning tools like Mango Languages, Rocket Languages, and/or Babbel (among others) to residents with appropriate library cards. (Virginia Tech students qualify for cards at the Blacksburg library and other branches of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library District [MFRL] no matter where their homes are.)
- MFRL: under eLibrary: learning
- Alexandria: under Books & More: Digital Collection: Online learning
- Arlington: under eCollection: Learning Tools
- DC: under Research: Research Guides: Libguides: Language learning
- Find Maryland public libraries
- Find Virginia public libraries
Check with your local and/or hometown public library about resources it makes available to its members.