The Scout Report for Social Sciences - September 23, 1997


The Scout Report for Social Sciences

September 23, 1997

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The target audience of the new Scout Report for Social Sciences is faculty, students, staff, and librarians in the social sciences. Each biweekly issue offers a selective collection of Internet resources covering topics in the field that have been chosen by librarians and content specialists in the given area of study.

The Scout Report for Social Sciences is also provided via email once every two weeks. Subscription information is included at the bottom of each issue.

In This Issue
The Scout Report
* Research * Publications
* Learning Resources * New Data
* Professional and General Interest * In the News

Research
The Data Archive
http://dawww.essex.ac.uk/
The University of Essex hosts "the largest collection of accessible computer-readable data in the social sciences and humanities in the United Kingdom," housing over 7000 datasets of information for secondary research in a variety of disciplines. Users can search the catalog and indexes by subject or keyword using the BIRON (Information Retrieval On-line) system or its associated thesarus, HASSET (Humanities And Social Science Electronic Thesaurus). Bibliographic information returned is comprehensive. The site also features links to a number of other archives and social science information services, including the CESSDA Integrated Data Catalog, "a unified collection of mainly European social science data archive catalogues, which can be searched through one common interface." Authorized users (conditions vary by dataset) can order data in a variety of formats and media. [MD]
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Cambridge University Press Journals Online
http://www.journals.cup.org/cup/html/nm_intro.htm
Cambridge University Press (CUP) has unveiled a new free service that gives users full access to its online journals. After registration, users can browse the content of all Cambridge online journals, read abstracts, download the full text in PDF format, and sign up for an alerting service. CUP plans to make at least 50 titles available by the end of 1997. At present there are several titles of interest to social scientists, including Journal of American Studies, The Journal of African History, Journal of Latin American Studies, and Journal of Social Policy. Please note that free access to full text articles will cease at an unspecified date in late 1997. However, tables of contents, abstracts and search facilities will remain free to all. [MD]
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European Association of Sinological Librarians (EASL)
http://www.uni-kiel.de:8080/ORIENTALISTIK/easl/easl.html
This site is an excellent collection of resources for both librarians and scholars interested in China. Highlights include recent and past issues of BEASL (Bulletin of the European Association of Sinological Librarians), notes from European China Library Groups, and an annotated list of selected European Sinological Libraries which includes information on holdings, focus, communication, and some hyperlinks. The site also offers telnet access to the catalogue of the Sinological Series in European Libraries Project (SSLEP). Two large collections of links are also featured: the first to libraries and East Asian Library Associations worldwide, the second to a wide variety of general and specific Asian resources. [MD]
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Working Papers--Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE) [.pdf, .ps]
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/workpap.htm
The CDE at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is "a multi-disciplinary faculty research cooperative for social scientific demographic research whose membership includes sociologists, rural sociologists, economists, and historians." CDE research focuses "on population composition and distribution within the United States, especially on changes in family structure and process and social inequality, but the total range of research and training activities of CDE members is far broader in content and scope." This page features two working paper series: CDE papers and National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) papers. Selected papers (Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] and PostScript) are avialable online, but ordering information is provided and available abstracts may be viewed without special software. [MD]
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Electronic Journal of Africana Bibliography (EJAB)
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/proj/ejab/
Provided by John Howell, International Studies Bibliographer at the University of Iowa Libraries, "EJAB is a refereed online journal of bibliographies on any aspect of Africa, its peoples, their homes, cities, towns, districts, states, countries, regions, including social, economic sustainable development, creative literature, the arts, and the Diaspora." The site currently has three bibliographies: Guides, Collections and Ancillary Materials to African Archival Resources in the US; Foreign Periodicals on Africa; and Medical/Health Periodicals and Books on Africa. Combined, they contain over 2100 entries. Anyone studying Africa will undoubtedly find numerous important resources. [MD]
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Learning Resources
CAIN Web Service--The Northern Ireland Conflict
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/index.html
The CAIN Project (Conflict Archive on the Internet) is in the process of creating a wonderful multimedia resource for anyone researching or teaching "the Troubles." The site is still under development, but the amount of information already offered is well worth a visit. Sections currently available include Background to the Conflict, Key Issues, Key Events, and Bibliographic Databases. Sections on Northern Ireland Society, Conflict Studies, and a Directory of Researchers are under development. Users may conduct both full text page and bibliographic searches of the entire site. Although the Key Issues and Events sections will eventually be the largest, the Background area currently has the most content. Among its offerings are a glossary and thesaurus of relevant terms, acronyms of prominent organizations, a bibliography and chronology of the conflict, a guide to research data, related links, and a photo collection which includes political wall murals. [MD]
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The Valley of the Shadow Archive: Two Communities in the American Civil War
http://jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU/vshadow2/
This ambitious and well-executed web site is the product of a University of Virginia research Project funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It seeks to document the story of the Civil War as seen by the people of two communities in the Great Valley of the United States which were separated by only a few hundred miles: Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Augusta County, Virginia. Users can take a walking tour of the archive or search its rooms, which include Public Records, Newspapers, Letters and Diaries, Church Records, Military Records, or Maps and Images. Collectively, they contain an amazing amount of primary source material. The site also features a Reference Center, which includes a bibliography, tools for using the archive, and examples from teachers who have used the project in the classroom. In addition, this site, which focuses on the period between John Brown's Raid in October 1859 and the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, is only the first of three planned installments. The project plans to document life in these counties through Emancipation and Reconstruction. [MD]
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Fieldwork--The Anthropologist in the Field
http://www.truman.edu/academics/ss/faculty/tamakoshil/index.html
This site is part of an effort by Professor Laura Tamakoshi of Truman State University to deepen her student's understanding and appreciation of fieldwork in anthropology. The content is based on Dr. Tamakoshi's five and one-half years of research in Papua New Guinea, but her experiences and advice can be applied to any region. The site is divided into four major sections, Planning, Method, Writing, and Reference, which address such topics as writing proposals, choosing field sites, setting up, adjusting to culture shock, and writing field notes and reports. The Reference section also contains a bibliography and a short list of links. This site is especially useful for Anthropology graduate students planning their research, but anyone with an interest in the field or in Papua New Guinea will find the site interesting and engaging. [MD]
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International Constitutional Law
http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/law/home.html
Hosted by the University of Wuerzburg (Germany), International Constitutional Law (ICL) provides English texts of constitutional documents and links to background information on over seventy countries. Documents are cross-referenced for comparison of constitutional provisions. Also featured are links to Constitutional Court sites, a Model Constitutional Code, a section on German Case Law, a comprehensive list of international organizations, and a strong collection of links to constitutional and international law and constitution sites. The material available at ICL is widely applicable to fields such as political science, international relations, or government, and could be very useful for research projects in both secondary and university classrooms. [MD]
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Syllabus Web
http://www.syllabus.com/
This site is produced by Syllabus Press, publishers of the free Syllabus Magazine, which covers the use of technology in secondary and higher education. Syllabus Web features full text archives of several of the company's publications and an index of case studies on technology innovation in classrooms. The site also has four sections which are updated weekly: Job Listings, Case Studies, News/Resources/Trends, and Higher Education Web Site. Additional content includes detailed information on the annual Syllabus Conference and reviews of the latest educational technology products. [MD]
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Professional and General Interest
Conference Announcements
IRISS'98 Internet Research and Information for Social Scientists
http://www.sosig.ac.uk/iriss/
March 25-27, 1998 University of Bristol, UK. The first international IRISS conference aims to bring together social scentists who are interested in the Internet, either as a means of supporting and enhancing their work, or as a focus for their research. IRISS is aimed at people working in the social sciences and they invite papers and participation from practitioners, researchers, librarians, educators, and information providers. [MD]

"Globalization From Below: Contingency and Contestation in Historical Perspective"
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/~spoons/global/
February 5-8, 1998 Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. "This conference is concerned with globalization as a dynamic, contested and often contingent process. Rather than concentrating upon the huge, apparently irresistible structures that have shaped our world in the last 500 years, we will look rather at how different people and groups in specific situations and places have struggled to come to terms with, and often conduct resistance against, the developing global system."

(For links to additional calls for papers and conference announcements, see the Conference section of the Current Awareness Resources Page (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/index.html)).
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Job Guides
H-Net Job Guide for 22 September 1997
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/jobs/jobcats.cgi
American Studies Crossroads Project Opportunities Database
http://impian.dokkyomed.ac.jp/ml-open/new-list/1997-b/0069.html
American Sociological Association Employment Bulletin September 1997
http://www.asanet.org/eb0997.htm
(For links to additional Job Guides, see the Employment/Funding section of the Current Awareness Resources Page (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/index.html)).
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UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
http://www.un.org/icty/
The ICTY was established by the UN Security Council in May 1993 to "prosecute persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991." This site was recently established to provide information on the Tribunal's proceedings. Users can view the latest documents and news, press releases, and lists of detainees and indictments. Other features at this site include Tribunal Publications, Basic Legal Documents, Tribunal cases, the ICTY Bulletin, and links to information on the Dayton Peace Agreement. Quick access to information is provided in the ICTY at a Glance section and the entire site is also searchable. [MD]
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FinAid
http://finaid.org/
Maintained by Mark Kantrowitz and sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), the Financial Aid Information Page is one of the finest online sources of free information and guidance on student financial aid. The site is divided into categories which address various aspects of finding and securing aid. The Assistance section includes an overview of financial aid, a glossary, a bibliography, and scam alerts. Under Tools users will find Kantrowitz's financial aid calculators, which help students and their parents better plan their financial futures. The core of the site is the collection of links to databases of aid sources, lists of lenders and loan guarantors, government information, and links to major scholarship and fellowship sources such as FastWEB, SRN Express, and ExPAN. FinAid is an excellent place for students at any level to begin their electronic search for funding. [MD]
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European Museum Guide
http://www.museumguide.com:80/
Museum Media Publishers publishes this guide to the major museums in twelve European countries. The current edition describes some 1500 exhibitions planned between May 1997 and May 1998. Museums and exhibitions are listed alphabetically by country and city. Each entry describes the museum's collection, visiting information, and a description of their exhibitions through May 1998. When possible, a hyperlink to the museum's web site is also provided. Users can also view a chronological index of all the exhibitions in each country or search the site by museum or exhibition. [MD]
[Note: Resource(s)/URL(s) mentioned above is no longer available.]
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Publications
American Graduate
http://www-dept.usm.edu/~amgrad/
American Graduate, provided by the Department of History at the University of Southern Mississippi, is a new free e-journal of social and cultural history aimed at graduate students in History and related fields. Each issue will include essays written by graduate students, book reviews, news and announcements, and interviews with established historians. [MD]
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Latin American Studies Association LASA97 Papers Online [.pdf]
http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/elecpaprs.htm
No frames
http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/epapersnoframes.htm
The Latin American Studies Association has recently begun to place papers from the LASA97 meeting online in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. Papers are organized into 17 different categories, including Agrarian and Rural Issues, Latinos in the US, Gender, and Democratization. [MD]
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New Think Tank Policy Papers and Briefs
Gary Burtless, "The Future of Organized Labor"--Brookings Intstitution
http://www.brookings.edu/es/oped/burtless/8-26-97.htm

Ariel Cohen, "Russia's Assault on Religious Freedom"--Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/heritage/library/categories/forpol/bg1137.html
http://www.heritage.org/heritage/library/pdf_library/backgrounder/bg_1137.pdf [.pdf]

Keith Watson and Steven D. Gold, "The Other Side of Devolution: Shifting Relationships Between State and Local Governments"--Urban Institute
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/other.htm
.PDF version (16p.)
http://newfederalism.urban.org/pdf/other.pdf

Alan Vick, David T. Orletsky, Abram N. Shulsky, John Stillion, "Preparing the US Air Force for Military Operations Other Than War"--Rand Organization
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR842/MR842.pdf/

(For links to additional new Think Tank publications see the Think Tank Policy Papers section on the Current Awareness Resources Page (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/index.html)). [MD]
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Academia Book Releases--Baker & Taylor--September 1997
http://www.baker-taylor.com/Academia/M09/UBBS.html
(Please see the Publications section of the Current Awareness Resources Page (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/index.html)). [MD]
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33 New ERIC Digests--August 1997
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/
33 New ERIC Digests, "short reports (1,000 - 1,500 words) on topics of prime current interest in education," were added to the US Education Department's ERIC Digest Page in August 1997. The full text ERIC Digest database contains over 1,700 Digests. [JS]
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New Tables of Contents/Abstracts for recent and forthcoming issues are available for the following Journals:[MD]
Archaeology Magazine
http://www.he.net/~archaeol/9709/index.html
History and Theory
http://www.wesleyan.edu/histjrnl/forthcom.htm
Social Science and Medicine
http://www.elsevier.com/estoc/publications/store/6/02779536/SZ976801.shtml
Columbia Journalism Review
http://www.cjr.org/
Review of Politics
http://www.nd.edu/~rop/recent.forthcoming/summer97/introsummer.htm
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New Data
Basic Tables: 1990 Demographic Profile Generator
http://www.oseda.missouri.edu/uic/uicapps/xtabs3.html
The University of Missouri-St. Louis Urban Information Center has recently updated this online application, which allows users to "generate a single 1990 'Basic Tables' (demographic profile) report for any of the supported geographic units, including census tract, block group, city (no size limit), 5-digit ZIP code, state, county or metro area for anywhere in the United States. Examples are provided to assist users. [MD]
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Housing Vacancies and Home Ownership--Second Quarter 1997
http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/hhes/www/hvs.html
The Census Bureau has recently released data on housing vacancies and home ownership for the second quarter 1997. The site features the Bureau press release, tables, annual statistics for 1995 and 1996, and a graph of homeownership rates by region. [MD]
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In the News
Scottish and Welsh Devolution
The Scottish Devolution Web Site
http://www.scottish-devolution.org.uk/frame.htm
Record Campaign: Make it a Double for Scotland's Parliament
http://www.record-mail.co.uk/rm/devo/
A Voice for Wales
http://floor.ccta.gov.uk:8080/assembly/english/homepage.nsf
[Note: The Resource/URL mentioned above is no longer available.]
Scottish National Party
http://www.snp.org.uk/
Plaid Cymru
http://www.plaidcymru.org/
On 11 September the Scottish people voted strongly in favor of creating their own Parliament and granting that body tax varying powers. One week later, Wales approved its first devolved government in over 500 years by the narrowest of margins (0.6%). The first site is the official devolution site by the office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. It includes the full text of the White Paper, an explanation of the main elements of the Government's proposals, the full text of the Referendum Act and its results by region. The second site is put up by Scotland's largest-selling newspapers, the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, which strongly supported the initiative. Their site has a number of items of interest, including the latest devolution news, a chat room, a resource guide, and a history of the fight for Scottish home rule. A Voice for Wales is the official devolution site of the Secretary of State for Wales. It features full text press releases and the White Paper on Welsh devolution. The site is also available in Welsh. Naturally, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru (the Welsh nationalist party) strongly backed both initiatives. Their sites offer profiles of party leaders, party manifestos and white papers, and the latest news. [MD]
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The Scout Report for Social Sciences
Brought to You by the Internet Scout Project

The Scout Report for Social Sciences is published every other Tuesday by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences.

Susan Calcari
Jack Solock
Michael de Nie
Jeannine Ramsey
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Editor
Assistant Editor
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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report for Social Sciences provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material.

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