Research on your topic to answer an analytical question (why and how) instead of a mere fact-finding question (what, who, when, etc.).

Choose an Actor or Actress and Profile Their Contributions.

Focus on a Play/a Playwright, a Film/Filmmaker, or an issue in relation to the critical discourse in African American theatre/film

 

I. Choose an Actor or Actress and Profile Their Contributions

We are researching these figures as "academic topics". (not stars and celebrities for entertainment.)

Use authoritative and credible sources. (Be careful with wikipedia and a random google search.)

Look up the bibliographies in these sources.

Search further for those authors and/or in those journals found in the bibliography for more current scholarship when relevant.

Use Library Catalogs to search further on particular figures of your choice.

Or, explore Who Might Interest You the Most?

"African American*" and (actor* or actress*)

Among the search results, there are biographies, criticism and interpretation, surveys. Here are some sample findings.

African American Actresses: the Struggle for Visibility, 1900-1960. / Charlene Regester.

Dusky Maidens: the Odyssey of the Early Black Dramatic Actress / Jo A. Tanner.

Divas on Screen: Black Women in American Film / Mia Mask.

The Politics of Paul Robeson's Othello / Lindsey R. Swindall.

Frame by frame II: a Filmography of the African American Image, 1978-1994. / Phyllis R. Klotman and Gloria J. Gibson.

II. Explore the Critical Discourse Surrounding a Play or Playwright / a Film or Filmmaker

In addition to books, you will certainly find scholarly journal articles, trade publications, popular press and so on.

Examine scholarly literature to discover:

*What are the primary themes/central debates on that work/author?

*What are the dominant assumptions?

*What evidence are examined; what are left out or less emphasized?

*Are the analysis done from a particular perspective, multiple perspectives?

e.g. How is the work/author discussed in relation to issues about race, gender, artistic creation, culture, or politics associated with that time?

There are many possible "right answers" to an analytical question, which leads to discussions and debates. You can develop your own argument or your position on why one argument is more reasonable/logical than another.

A. You may not always find scholarly articles focused on a singular specific work.

Theater/movie reviews in popular press (newspapers, magazines and trade publications) are not scholarly critiques of the works.

These reviews are likely opinion pieces. Ask yourself if these reviews are seeking to promote the playwright/filmmaker and their works, to criticize him/her, to judge his/her work, or simply to inform.

Depending on your approach to your topic, this kind of reviews may serve as your "primary sources" -- you examine these reviews as "public reception" of a work over time.

Do you notice some patterns, trends in these reviews?

How do the scholarly discussions address some of the issues you might have with these reviews?

Broaden your search of specific works to issues related to works of the same type in scholarly literature,

               e.g. performing blackness in films.

 

B. Expand your search to look at the Author and Place your topic in the historical Context

Subject Headings in a catalog/database are important clues, which lead to broader/related contexts. See the example on the right.

Examine how a particular work reflects or affects the time in which they were produced. How does the work fit in with the larger historical trends and forces in the culture that influenced the development of African American theater or film?

Here is a search on a playwright in the Catalog:

"August Wilson"

Sample findings -- a survey, a thematic study, and a monograph.

The Cambridge History of African American Literature. [Overview of literary traditions and historical context]

The Problem of the Color(blind): Racial Transgression and the Politics of Black Performance. [Related essays with a shared Theme.]

August Wilson and the African-American Odyssey. [Focused study of the playwright.]

Appendix I. Finding Full Texts

1. Click on the button in your search results screen to a window of three sequential options:

a. link to the digital full text when available;

b. link to a Library Catalog search for the print journal;

c. link to ILliad for requesting the article when the above two options are negative.

2. Search for a journal directly here:

a. Tufts Library Catalog (including e-journals)

b. Electronic journals list

c. Use ILliad to request your article, if Tufts does not have your journal.

Appendix II. Digital Images

ARTstor

Image Quest (rights-cleared images)

Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia

New York Public Library Picture Collection

New York Public Library Web Gallery of Images American Memory
Google LIFE Photo Archive 1750s -

Appendix III. Writing and Citing Sources

Writing About Film (Dartmouth Writing Program)

Writing about Literature (handout from Writing Center at UNC.)

A Short Guide to Writing about Literature by Sylvan Barnet. (2009 11th ed.) Tisch Reference: PE1479.C7 B3 2009

Chicago Style Manual (for citing sources)

RefWorks