SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY RESEARCH PROJECT: HOME

NOT SURE WHERE TO START? You can be try out your own researching skills and start exploring on your own...or you can try Mrs. Frech's suggestions for where to start for this particular assignment.

*****BEFORE YOU EVEN BEGIN***** 1st...be sure you refer to your specific teacher's directions for this project. 2nd...realize that one of the most important/key aspects of research is finding the right search term. Don't keep trying one word/term if you're not getting the results you are seeking. Map out optional words/terms/phrases before you begin. Having options and finding the right phrasing is often the difference between a successful search or a great deal of wasted time and frustration. Go to the SEARCHING tab above and check out some searching tips as well as awesome search tools like SOOVLE. (Example: If you're advocating for less plastic being used, brainstorm your terms first: plastic / plastic consumption / reducing plastic / environmental concerns / stewardship / landfill waster / etc. The point is...your wording/phrasing matters greatly in regards to your results).

1) PRINT & E- RESOURCES: You might luck out and find a book (or e-book) right here in the Padua Library. For books and other Padua Library resources, check out the following tab > PADUA LIBRARY: Padua Library Catalog (Destiny). Many print and e-resources are available. To get the best results, use a KEYWORD search (but be careful of your spelling).

2) WEBSITES & DATABASES: Once you have checked into Padua's available print and e- resources, it's time to branch out.

• First, calm down and take a breath. Depending on your topic, you will most likely want to check out WEBSITES: Advocacy & Social Justice Resources as well as WEBSITES: Religious Specific.
• If your topic is a HOT DEBATE type topic, I would highly recommend that you check out the VIEWPOINT SITES.
• Depending on your topic (and its catergory),  you may also have luck with the DATABASES: List of All Padua Databases.   The options may seem a bit overwhelming, but the goal is always to go to the best resources for your topic...and then to narrow down that topics. If you do have a subject specific type (like a scientific topic), look for a database solely suited to that topic. (NOTE: I provide descriptions for all databases, so be sure to read the description in order to use your research time most effectively).
  • Regardless of your topic type, I would highly suggest the GALE DATABASES, because they are very informative as well as user-friendly. Gale databases are relatively easy to navigate, and they even offer topic assistance. To add to that, Gale makes it easy to save your information and also offers citation information. Based on the research success and recommendations of Padua students, I would suggest trying the the following GALE DATABASES listed below:
    • Gale: Student Resources in Context
    • Gale: PowerSearch
    • Gale: Subject Area Databases (Biography in Context, History in Context, Science in Context, etc.)
  • No luck there? Try the INFOhio DATABASES below.
    • INFOhio: Explora
    • INFOhio: ISearch
• If this is a hot and current news topic, you should also check out the NEWS tab.
• Is GOOGLE an option? We all know that wikis are not an option, but is Google? Although using Google is never a preference for any type of academic research (and some teachers will not allow it for their projects at all), good info can be found at times through Google when properly sought. So...if you must resort to it, know how to do a better Google search. To perform a better and much more (academically) effective Google search, try to stick with .edu, org, and .gov sites (in Google search box, type: plastic reduction .org .edu .gov). Once you find a website, be sure to look for author/company/date to be sure you're looking at a legitimate source (if you can’t find that info, it’s a red flag, and you won’t be able to complete your citation).

3) IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• Know where you are locating information (websites versus databases). Also, remember to keep a doc containing a breadcrumb trail of your visited sites, etc. to assist with location and citation.
• Know how to access LibGuides & Databases from home (see "Help at Home" below).
• Locate your Database Username & Password chart (it was gmailed to you/shared with you).
• Know which databases/sites are best for this project (which are listed above).
• Know how to navigate key features of databases (this is super important).
  • Know how to use any provided Advanced Search features and/or topic finders/helpers.
  • Know how to find what you need (news,academic journals, images, statistics, primary or secondary sources, etc.).
  • Know how to use the listen & translate features (if available on the particular site).
  • KNOW HOW TO SEND TO GOOGLE DRIVE TO SAVE IT (be sure you understand difference between Save, Download, and Email options so you are correctly saving the info you want).
  • Know how to use the citation tools provided on databases.
  • Always know that you can stop or email Mrs. Frech if you are having a hard time.

ACCESSING LIBGUIDES: You can access all available LibGuides, Padua Databases, and the Padua Library Catalog both at school and from any place where you have internet access. The LibGuides link and all other required information can be found in MyPad > Groups > Padua Library > Quick Links > LibGuides.

LOOKING FOR A PARTICULAR LIBGUIDE? Remember, if you are looking for a particular LibGuide, go into LibGuides and look under the class SUBJECT. 

DATABASE USERNAME & PW REMINDER: Most Padua Databases require PW info, especially if you are off school premises. This access info is private; therefore, it cannot be posted on this site, so you can find this info in MyPad > Groups > Padua Library > Quick Links > Database Usernames & Passwords

SOCIAL JUSTICE & ADVOCACY

SOCIAL JUSTICE is often defined as "promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity."  Social justice exists when "all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources." In conditions of social justice, people are "not to be discriminated against, nor their welfare and well-being constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership."  Social justice is generally equated with the notion of equality or equal opportunity in society.   (Source: http://gjs.appstate.edu/social-justice-and-human-rights/what-social-justice.)

According to the Catholicism, social justice is the virtue that inclines one to co-operate with others in order to help make the institutions of society better serve the common good. While the obligation of social justice falls upon the individual, that person cannot fulfill the obligation alone, but must work in concert with others, through organized bodies, as a member of a group whose purpose is to identify the needs of society, and, by the use of appropriate means, to meet these needs locally, regionally, nationally, and even globally. Implicit in the virtue of social justice is an awareness that the world has entered on a new phase of social existence, with potential for great good or great harm vested in those who control the media and the structures of modern society. Christians, therefore, are expected to respond to the new obligations created by the extraordinary means of promoting the common good not only of small groups but literally of all humanity.  (Source:  http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=36529.)

WHAT IS ADVOCACY?

Definitions of Advocacy