Course Guides
Reference
A reference book either in print or online can be a useful tool with which to begin your research. Specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias for international affairs will give you summary articles for your topic with a bibliography of authoritative sources for further reading.
General
Country Report (Economist Intelligence Unit)
This resource provides the political, economic and market conditions of nearly 200 countries.
Encyclopedia of Globalization. Edited by Jan Aart Scholte and Roland Robertson. New York: Routledge, 2007. 4 volumes.
The cultural, economic, environmental, geographical, historical, legal, literary, political, psychological and social dimensions of globalization are covered in this comprehensive encyclopedia.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1318 .E63 2007]
Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics. London: Routledge, 2005.
There are major entries on contemporary topics including collective security, good governance, and international law. Important concepts are cross-referenced with suggestions for further reading.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1160 .E593 2005]
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Europa World Plus
This online version of the Europa World Year Book contains profiles of each country, a chronology of events, and directories of government and politics, society and media, business and commerce.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations. By Cathal J. Nolan. Westport, CT: Greenwood Pub., 2002. 4 volumes.
This work provides explanations of significant events, identifies important people and analyses seminal ideas in international relations. Articles on contemporary topics such as global security, terrorism, peace, human rights, and global health are interspersed with articles on historical subjects.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1160 .N65 2002]
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
An excellent interdisciplinary encyclopedia that covers a wide range of topics in the social and behavioural sciences. Broad subject areas such as global/institutional studies, institutions and infrastructure, nation, nationalism and citizenship, conflict, war and peace are subdivided into more focused articles, each containing an extensive, authoritative bibliography and a link to related sources.
International Relations: A Concise Companion. By David Weigall. London: Arnold, 2002.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1161 .W45 2002]
International Relations: The Key Concepts. By Martin Griffiths. New York: Routledge, 2002.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1160 .G75 2002]
Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference Online brings together language and subject reference guides into a single cross-searchable resource. It includes major political science reference works such as Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, A Dictionary of Political Biography and A Dictionary of Contemporary World History.
Statesman’s Yearbook: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JA 51 .S7]
World Factbook
This title is also available in print as part of the Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor G 122 .U56.
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SPECIAL TOPICS
International Development
Directory of Development Organizations
This online directory provides contact information for international organizations, government institutions, private-sector support organizations, finance institutions, training and research centers, civil society organizations.
Foreign Policy
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy. By Glenn P. Hastedt. New York: Facts on File, 2004.
The encyclopedia features in depth interpretive essays from experts in their fields on such topics as the origin of the Cold War, globalization and superpower diplomacy.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor E 183.7 .H28 2004]
Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations. By Bruce W. Jentleson. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997. 4 volumes.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor E 183.7 .E53 1997]
Global Political Economy
The Routledge Companion to Global Economics
Routledge Encyclopedia of International Political Economy, Edited by R.J. Barry Jones. London: Routledge, 2001. 3 volumes.
Concise entries contributed by academics cover the major issues, concepts and theories in the field. Recommendations for further reading and an extensive index makes this a useful source for students wanting an introduction to a subject.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HF 1359 .R68 2001]
Human Security
Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense. Edited by Richard F. Pilch and Raymond A. Zilinskas. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Liss, 2005.
This authoritative work provides a thorough examination of the field of bioterrorism. Articles review current knowledge across various disciplines covering such topics as bioterrorism agents, biodefense infrastructure, biotechnology, and threat analysis.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HV 6431 .E53 2005]
Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2005. 3 volumes.
The entries ranging in length from 500 to 5000 words provide historical and contemporary examples of genocide.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HV 6322.7 .E532 2005]
Encyclopedia of Terrorism. By Cindy C. Combs and Martin Slann. Rev. ed. New York: Facts on File, 2007.
In this work the authors have written a very good introduction to the persons, organizations, places and events associated with terrorism. Two chronologies entitled respectively “Major Acts of Terrorism, 1946-2006” and “U.S. and International Reaction to September 11, 2001” add to its usefulness.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HV 6431 .C6468 2007]
Encyclopedia of Terrorism. By Harvey Kushner. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2003.
The events, movements, groups and individuals important in the development of terrorism are described.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HV 6431 .K883 2003]
Human Rights Encyclopedia
Consisting of country articles (vol. 1-2), followed by thematic articles on topics from Abortion to Xenophobia (vol. 2-3), and an appendix of key human rights documents, the encyclopedia is also available in print as part of the Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JC 571 .H7698 2001.
Patterns of Global Terrorism 1985-2005: U.S. Department of State Reports with Supplementary Documents and Statistics. Edited by Anna Sabasteanski. Great Barrington, Mass.: Berkshire Pub., 2005. 2 volumes.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor HV 6431 .P3773 2005]
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Peace and Conflict
The Cold War, 1945-1991, Edited by Benjamin Frankel. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1992. 3 volumes.
Volumes 1 and 2 provide biographies of leaders and other important figures in the
Cold War while volume 3 deals with resources and topics. There is an extensive
bibliography and a chronology of the Cold War (For a more comprehensive
chronology see Chronology of the Cold War, 1917-1992 by Lester Brune).
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor D 839.5 .C65 1992]
The Encyclopedia of the Cold War: A Political, Social and Military History, Edited by Spencer C. Tucker. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2008. 5 volumes.
This comprehensive reference work on the cold war deals with political, diplomatic, military, social, economic and cultural aspects of the conflict. The entries, written by experts, begin with three essays outlining the origins and course of the Cold War. There are nearly 200 original documents, the majority from archives in China, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union as well as numerous maps, illustrations and images.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor D 840 .E63 2008]
Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social and Military History, Edited by Spencer C. Tucker. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2000. 3 volumes.
Use this source to learn about the logistics, battles, key people, organizations, and countries involved in the Korean War. It contains a large primary documents section, maps, and a historiography of the war.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor DS 918 .E53 2000]
Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social and Military History, Edited by Spencer C. Tucker. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1998. 3 volumes.
Similar in format and scope to the Encyclopedia of the Korean War it includes a bibliography of literature and film.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor DS 557.7 .E53 1998]
World at Risk: A Global Issues Sourcebook. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2002.
This excellent source provides an introduction, analysis and suggestions for further research on thirty key issues facing the world today, including arms control, war crimes, and ethnic and regional conflict. Each entry contains tables, maps, short biographies of key people and a list of relevant organizations.
[Trinity Reference Collection, Main Floor JZ 1242 .W67 2002]
World Encyclopedia of Peace. 2nd ed. [Dobbs Ferry] N.Y.: Oceana Publications, 1999. 8 volumes.
This is a comprehensive academic work on peace which begins with a historical survey of peace literature. There are five volumes of articles alphabetically arranged, one of treaties of the 20th century related to peace, one of chronological, descriptive data on events, personalities and organizations and the last a bibliography and index.
[Trinity Reference, Main Floor JZ 5533 .W67 1999]
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Catalogue
Search the University of Toronto Libraries Catalogue for books and journals. Decide on the type of search (Simple in which you can search for terms in any order that may be limited to author, title, subject, or call number; Advanced in which you can do Fielded or Boolean searches). Search results may be refined further by clicking on items listed in the left panel.
Journal Articles
Use article databases to search for articles in newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, essay collections and conference proceedings.
Canadian Foreign Relations Index
This index contains material on Canada’s foreign relations, defence, economic relations, foreign aid, international law and international environmental concerns from 1945-2005. It includes journal articles, monographs, theses, research papers, conference proceedings, unpublished papers, chapters from books, and selected government documents.
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
This database’s focus is on theory and research in international affairs. It includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, proceedings from conferences, policy briefs, case studies and course packs.
PAIS International
PAIS provides references in the field of international relations, public affairs and social policy to journals, articles, books, government documents, research reports, internet material, and publications of international agencies from 1977 on (PAIS Archives provides earlier coverage, 1937-1976). International in scope some of its major areas of coverage include ethnic cleansing, political persecution, globalization, and weapon stockpiles.
WorldWide Political Science Abstracts
This database indexes journals in political science, international relations, law and public administration. Major areas of coverage include but are not limited to: comparative politics, developing nations, politics and society, economic policy, and welfare systems. The excellent thesaurus helps in choosing appropriate search terms.
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Primary Sources
“A primary source is a document that was created at the time of the event or subject you’ve chosen to study or by people who were observers of or participants in that event or topic… The medium of the primary source can be anything, including written texts, objects, buildings, films, paintings, cartoons, etc. What makes the source a 'primary source' is when it was made, not what it is” (Elspeth Brown, Writing about History, Writing at the University of Toronto, retrieved 11 January 2008 from http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/history.html).
Cold War Studies at Harvard University
This research project specializes in the study of declassified documents (many of which are online) from governments involved in the Cold War. The website provides extensive links to document collections, archival publications and government and international organizations.
The CWIP (Cold War International History Project) (Woodrow Wilson Center)
The Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War especially from the former Communist Bloc.
Digital National Security Archive
This database contains over 63,000 of the most important declassified documents regarding critical US policy decisions.
Documents on Canadian External Relations
This series of volumes represents the basic published record of the foreign policy and foreign relations of the Government of Canada. To date volumes for 1946-1959 have been published online. Print volumes from 1961 on are held by the Graham Library under the call number JX1515 .A2. Earlier volumes are available in Government Documents, 5th floor, Robarts Library under the call number CA1..EA…..D51.
Foreign Relations of the United States
This publication is the official documentary historical record of major United States foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. To date volumes covering the years 1861-1972 have been published. Volumes held by the Graham Library are on the second floor under the call number JX 233 .A3. For the complete set go to Government Documents, 5th floor, Robarts Library where you will find them under the call number US1.S ……F56.
Foreign Relations of the United States Online (University of Wisconsin)
Although not complete, this digital collection provides online access from 1861-1960. Click on the volume you want and then browse the contents or index. There is also the option to search the text by keyword.
Frontline Diplomacy (The U.S. Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection)
This database contains transcripts of 1500 interviews with U.S. diplomatic personnel involving post World War II diplomacy from the late 1940s to the 1990s. Subject and full text searching is possible.
G7/G8 Economic Summit Collection
Containing original documents from the Summits collected by the G8 Research Group based at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, this unique resource represents possibly the largest collection of print documentation related to the Summits. The collection is listed in a finding aid on the website that it supports, the G8 Information Centre.
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Library and Archives Canada
National Security Archive (The George Washington University)
The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents on such topics as national security, foreign, intelligence and economic policies of the United States. Online access to its collections is available through the Digital National Security Archive.
Websites
GENERAL
This site provides links to selected internet resources in international relations with sub-sections on foreign policy, international peace-keeping, international security and the philosophy and theory of international relations. Each country profile includes a category entitled Political Resources on the Net.
This site is a portal to information about all aspects of international governance. There is extensive coverage of globalization, trade and global governance. An online media library provides video and audio files of special presentations.
FIRST: Facts on International Relations and Security Trends
A joint project of the International Relations and Security Network (ISN) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), this site covers areas in the field of international relations and security, such as armed conflicts and peace keeping, arms production, military expenditure, armed forces, nuclear weapons, and statistics. There are various search options.
Foreign Affairs Online
This database, with its extensive list of links, is useful for anyone interested in international relations, international law and U.S. foreign policy.
International Relations and Security Network ISN
The ISN's mission is "to promote greater knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration in support of the international relations and security community." There is an extensive links directory arranged by organization, subject and region and it has a substantial primary resources section divided by region, historical period and document type.
Intute: Social Sciences: International Relations
The site provides links to web resources in politics and international relations chosen and described by university subject specialists. Online tutorials on how to find relevant information are helpful.
The WWW Virtual library: International Affairs Resources
A well organized and very user friendly gateway to a diverse range of sites, this source is highly recommended. Sections on media sources, organizations, regions and countries as well as specific topics such as global environment, public health and international law are covered.
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SPECIAL TOPICS
GOVERNMENT
Governments on the WWW
There are comprehensive listings of national, regional and municipal government sites with a table listing when information was last updated for each country.
University of Michigan Documents Center
As with other web pages created by the University of Michigan Library this site is well organized and very user friendly. There are extensive links to national and foreign government sites, NGOs, IGOs, treaties and statistics.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Development Gateway
Eldis (Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex)
The focus of this site is on development policy, practice and research. Useful resource guides include such topics as corporate responsibility and globalization.
PRAXIS (School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania)
Professor Richard J. Estes' homepage contains an extensive list of links to resources for social and economic development.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
European Union Internet Resources (University of California, Berkeley)
This well organized, very accessible site containing a large number of full text documents, should be the first one to turn to when doing research on the European Union.
G8 Information Centre (University of Toronto)
Access this site for official summit documents, speeches, policy analyses and G8 news.
United Nations Official Website
Course Guides
TRN150: National vs. International
TRN151: Global Governance
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