Journal Articles

EBSCO's Points of View

a full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. The database provides 200 topics, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (affirmative argument), and counterpoint (opposing argument).

Topics covered include affirmative action, cloning, DNA profiling, HIV/AIDS status disclosure, immigration, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinians, Hurricane Katrina and FEMA's response, nuclear proliferation, the separation of church and state, standardized testing, stem cell research, tax cuts, voting machines, and many more.

To find items on a specific aspect of topics for English Composition papers, do a Word search for keywords related to your topic.

For example:

• Euthanasia

• “gun control”

• Mandatory sentencing

• Marijuana legalization

Reference Books

(Available online through the Gale Virtual Reference Library)

Dressler, Joshua, Ed. Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 1780 pp. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. 

This uniquely interdisciplinary resource covers legal, sociological, psychological, historical, and economic aspects of crime and justice worldwide. Entries cover civil and criminal issues, from domestic violence to terrorism. Entries cite pertinent legal cases as well as publications for further information. Also includes a glossary of related terms. 

Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn, M.D., Ed. Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 1863 pp. 4 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. 

Specifically addressing the new frontiers that have opened in the area of addictive studies, the volumes explore not only the biological basis for addiction, but also recent enhancements in diagnosis and treatment. 

Web Sites