African American Studies  Tags: africanamerican studies  

One way to find ideas for political science topics is to see what has already been written. 

Political science research is first reported by researchers in academic journals and books.   Most research is published and only a few people ever learn about it.  Sometimes, the research strikes reporters as having something interesting about it for a more general audience and it will get written about in magazines, newspapers, and blogs.

Academic journals, also called scholarly journals and peer-reviewed journals, are the sources of articles you should use to support your writing. 

But, magazines, newspapers, and blogs are useful for finding topics, reading about them from interesting, engaging writers (academic writers almost never are) and seeing what research is getting attention. Politics and lawmaking are one of the main staples of newspapers and news magazines.   Reports and analysis in these differ significantly from the theoretical perspectives of academic journals.  But, it is always a good idea to get a good grounding on events before tackling academic research on a topic.

Let's start with sources for general audiences for finding topics.

There are two databases that cover newspapers.

Access World News  has major newspapers from the U.S. and around the world as well as local papers such as the  Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News

LexisNexis Academic also has major papers from around the world as well as many other sources, such as magazines and transcripts. 

CQ Researcher Online is a publication that does excellent balanced reports on all kinds of topics particularly of interest to policymaking-- with lots of help in suggesting other sources.  It's both a good source for looking for ideas and looking to see if they have covered a topic you have in mind.  

You might also try browsing for references to a topic in magazines and newspapers using a word for the topic and combine it with the phrase "political science."  In most cases, this will lead to a reference to a professor of political science that the reporter has contacted to get an expert view.  This also gives you the name of a researcher in the area of a topic, which is also a good way to search. 

A search on the phrase political science in the database Academic Search Premier gives results for academic journals, magazines, and newspapers, each of which you can select to narrow to that format.  Again, magazines and newspapers are usually the most readable. 

The mashup between ABC News and Facebook might also give you something to think about. 

1. Philadelphia Tribune Online
The Voice of the African-American Community

2. Urban Archives
The Urban Archives was established in 1967 to document the social, economic, and physical development of the Philadelphia area from the mid-19th century to the present. The Archives functions as a repository for organizational records and related materials, and as a research facility for those interested in urban studies. The Archives collections are particularly strong in areas involving social service organizations, unions, housing development, community organizations, and contain many records from organizations involved with African Americans, education, and crime. Odunde
ODUNDE, Inc. is an educational and cultural organization that provides the annual ODUNDE festival as well as year-round programs that feature African Diaspora culture.

3.Resources on African-American heritage in Philadelphia at the Blockson Afro-American Collection
For more information on Resources in the Philadelphia Area, consult the Blockson Collection
Holds over 500,000 items: books, photos, manuscripts, flyers, posters, visual and plastic arts, videos and films. Collection is second only to the Schomburg in New York city's Free Library.

4.Center for African American Research and Public Policy
African American Studies Department

Rebuilding Community: African American Development in Postindustrial Philadelphia

Temple University: Gladfelter Hall: Rooms 664 & 663
1115 West Berks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
(P) 215-204-0096; (F) 215-204-5953
tmathis@temple.edu

5. Milestones: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
News and Possibilities for Seniors
642 North Broad Street
Philadelphia PA 19130-3409
215-765-9000
LaTasha Johnson: ext: 5050