LibGuides: FYS Berlin on Film: Home

Welcome

Welcome to the class research guide for FYS Berlin on Film with Dr. Cagle. You will find links to recommended information resources for this class.

You can find information on citing with the MLA style format at Snowden's Online Citation Station or at the in-person station on the first floor of the library. Librarians are also happy to help you with citing!

Let's Play a Game!

Using Snowden Library Resources Game

Books

Mothers, Comrades, and Outcasts in East German Women's Films Book Cover

Behind the Berlin Wall: East Germany and the frontiers of power Book Cover

Amnesiopolis : modernity, space, and memory in East Germany Book Cover

DEFA at the Crossroads of East German and International Film Culture Book Cover

Gender and Sexuality in East German Film Book Cover

The Triumph of the Ordinary: Depictions of Daily Life in the East German Cinema, 1949-1989 Book Cover

Politics of the Self: Feminism and the Postmodern in West German Literature and Film Book Cover

Databases

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides access to an archive of scholarly journals in all disciplines.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Provides citations to articles, books, working papers, and more on English and other languages, linguistics, literature, and folklore
1926→
Project MUSE (Basic Undergraduate Edition) This link opens in a new window
Provides full text and citations to articles in the humanities and social sciences. During COVID-19, they are also offering a number of ebooks by university presses; simply search for relevant keywords and limit the results to "books".

Web Resources

DEFA Film Library
Website of the archive and research center from UMass Amherst on the DEFA film company.
Film Portal
German-language website (can toggle to English) on films and people in the cinema industry.
DEFA Stiftung
DEFA Foundation's website, created with the goals of preserving films made by the East German DEFA studios and promoting German film culture.

SIFT

What is the SIFT method?

The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield to help you determine if sources are credible. It is a mnemonic device that stands for Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims, quotes, and media back to their original context.

All SIFT information on this page is adapted from Mike Caulfield's materials with a CC BY 4.0 license.

The SIFT Method

Stop: When encountering content from a source you do not already trust, stop yourself from clicking on it and immediately believing it. Stop before you act (retweet, use in your work, etc.) on a strong emotional response to a headline.
Investigate the source: Who is behind the information and what is their purpose and perspective? What is their reputation? What do other sources say about the creator/publisher/organization?
Find better coverage: Is the content covered by other trusted sources? Do experts agree with the coverage?
Trace the claims, quotes and media to their original source: Use image reverse searching to find the original context. Watch the full videos from which extracts are taken. Take notice of the caption presented with the media; is it misrepresenting it? Follow cited sources if you can find them.