Literature for English 10A
Of Mice and Men by
A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression, in a deluxe centennial edition. Over seventy-five years since its first publication, Steinbeck's tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of America's most widely read and taught novels. An unlikely pair, George and Lennie, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression, grasp for their American Dream.
Library Resources for Your English 10A Research Project
The databases featured on this page will help you find credible, authoritative information about a social issue. All of these sources are FREE to registered GCC students in the high school programs!
Select from the menu on the left to find out more about how to use academic sources responsibly and how to cite your sources using MLA format.
Choose Your Topic
One of the most difficult things when getting started on a research paper can be coming up with a strategy to begin exploring a topic. Some topics are too broad, and need to be broken down into smaller parts, which can help a lot. Some topics are too narrow, and need to be expanded.
A just-right topic will reflect the length of a research paper (how many pages are you required to write?), the amount of time you have to complete the paper, and the number of sources you're being asked to incorporate into your paper.
Background Research
One way to come up with a topic is to do background research. This includes reading encyclopedia articles to learn more about a broad subject. Once you know more about the subject, you can make connections between topics and sub-topics. Then write a short summary of what you have learned from your background research.
It helps to think of your main topic as a starting point for your research, not a destination.
Research Ideas
Choose a social issue to research. Here are a few topics you might want to explore:
For a full list, please see your Study Guide. Feel free to ask your instructor about choosing a slightly different topic.
Essential Questions
Use an essential question to narrow your topic and develop your paper's thesis. Here are some examples of essential questions. For more, refer to your class Research Guide.
Your Works Cited Page
You'll be using MLA format to cite each of the sources used in your paper. MLA format has two primary functions:
MLA also provides guidelines on formatting your paper, from what to include on your cover page, where to place your page numbers, what size font you should use, and more!
The websites below offer detailed information on how to use MLA. And you're always welcome to ask a GCC librarian for help with MLA - or anything else!
Recommended Databases
The databases listed below are FREE to students enrolled in classes at Garfield Campus!
Databases are frequently the best place to begin your research and often have more reliable and authoritative information than what you'll find in Google.
When searching in databases, it's important to use the right keywords or phrases to describe your topic. A keyword is a single word that defines what you are seeking. A phrase is two or more words that define what you are seeking.
Depending on your topic, you can combine keywords and/or phrases to narrow or broaden your search. Here are a couple of examples related to your assignment using Human Trafficking as a main topic.
Human trafficking AND causes
Human trafficking AND prevention
Begin your research by exploring the databases below and see where they lead you!
Credo Reference provides access to many different types of sources, including dictionary and encyclopedia entries and other reference works. These sources help define and explain general topics of study. Credo Reference can be used to search many of GCC's other databases for newspaper and magazine articles, too.
To get started, type your keywords in the search box below. For example, for information about Human Trafficking, type the phrase "human trafficking" and click the search icon to the right of the search box.
Britannica Academic provides access to background information on a variety of sources and helps you gain an understanding of your topic. Click on the "Images & Videos" and "Related" tabs to find images and other related topics.
CQ Researcher, Issues and Controversies, and Opposing Viewpoints in Context offer opinion essays plus statistics, images, articles, and in some cases, primary sources. Students can use these to gather information that will help them understand both sides of social and political issues and other controversial topics.
These databases, which all GCC students have free access to, let you either enter your topic into the search box or browse the issues to find related topics and material. Click on one of the screenshots below to access a database now.
To view Kanopy videos, first click on the video above to open the GCC Sign-In portal. Once you have signed in using your Canvas username and password, Kanopy will open. To view videos, you can create a Kanopy account using your GCC student email address. Click on the red "Log In To Glendale" button. Clicking on the video image above will open the database log in page. After logging in, Kanopy will open. Once you have created your account, you can search for the video by title and view it or save it to watch later.
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