Research Strategies in Classics: Introduction
This tutorial is chiefly aimed at beginning graduate (or advanced undergraduate) students in Classics who are about to write a major research paper. To illustrate this step-by-step approach, I have chosen a topic, Aristotle on the Function of Music in Tragedy, which was a lecture given by Prof. Gregory Sifakis in the Classics department during the Fall of 2000. It seems a particularly useful topic for our purpose since it incorporates several subjects and disciplines -- ancient Greek language and literature, philosophy, music, history, education, and politics -- and therefore offers good practice in doing research.
To illustrate these principles of research, as well
as to highlight various sources in Bobst Library, I have chosen to perform
actual searches in this tutorial. For general advice on research papers,
see Researchpapers.com
(URL: http://info-s.com/researchpapers.html)
I have not separated formats. The point is to find
pertinent materials, not in which format (print or electronic) they
may be found.
This tutorial will mainly describe research at the
New York University Libraries although it does describe strategies that
can be used in any research library. To do research at NYU's main library,
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, requires knowledge both of how the computerized
library catalog, BobCat, works, but also some basic knowledge
of the organization of materials.
