The Women's and Ethnic Studies (WEST) department is dedicated to encouraging research and critical thinking about the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, nationality, and other hierarchies. This can be done by considering a range of different perspectives including those of marginalized individuals and communities. Research will encompass a deeper understanding of history, culture, and society.
WEST research depends heavily on primary and secondary research. These sources are used to create an argument. Tertiary sources are important, too, but are not typically part of in-depth research. They are usually used more in the initial or beginning stages.
Primary sources are direct from the time period in which they were created. These sources can give researchers insights into thoughts, feelings, actions, attitudes, culture, and more during a specific time.
Examples of primary sources include, but are not limited to, some of the following:
Typically, primary sources are found in archives. Archives are usually associated with organizations like libraries, universities, governments, or museums. They can also be independently run.
Secondary sources are resources that are developed through an evaluation of primary source evidence. These can be scholarly or for general consumption. Usually, what you are going to be using for your research will be scholarly secondary sources - though this can depend on your research needs and the instructions set by your instructor.
Examples of secondary sources include, but are not limited, to some of the following:
Secondary sources are typically found in libraries.
Tertiary sources are a collection of primary and secondary sources. Tertiary sources are usually publications that you are not intended to read from cover to cover but to get the specific information you need. Often they provide background information or starting points much like you might get from a Wikipedia article. WEST courses are often interdisciplinary in nature, because of this understanding and using shared or contested definitions and disciplinary specific nomenclature is common. Reference sources may help you as they navigate interdisciplinary language.
Examples of tertiary sources include, but are not limited to, some of the following:
Tertiary sources are also typically found in libraries.
