Humanities
The following humanities disciplines are included in this section:
General Humanities | Art & Art History | Film
History | Literature | Music | Philosophy
General Humanities
Print Resources
Excellent introduction to the writing of a humanities paper, this short guide covers the evaluation of library resources, research methods, argument and style. An appropriate place to begin for the first undergraduate research paper.
- Researching and Writing in the Humanities and Arts -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: AZ186 .H85 1996
Very readable and useful book presenting essay writing as a set of distinct skills that can be easily learned. Also includes sections on revision and using library resources.
- Writing Essays: A Guide for Students in English and the Humanities -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: PE1408 .T87 2000 (also available as an NC State University Libraries' e-book)
Online Resources
- Writing in the Humanities (broken link) (Dartmouth College)
Print Resources
Tenth edition of this classic guide to analyzing pictures, sculpture and architectures and how to effectively present it in writing.
Fourth edition of a very useful text for writing critically about the historical context of art -- features an appendix on style and a sample essay by Erwin Panofsky.
- A Short Guide to Writing About Art -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: N7476 .B37 2011
- Writing About Art -- Design Library Stacks: N7476 .S29 2002
Online Resources
- Art History Handout (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
- Writing About Art (Marjorie Munsterberg)
Film
Print Resources
Intended to take you from concept to finished screenplay, this emphasizes process and the craft of writing: character development, structure, theme.
Enduring and accessible introduction to the writing of film criticism, featuring explanations of terminology and student/professional writing samples.
- Blueprint for Screenwriting: A Complete Writer’s Guide to Story Structure and Character Development -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: PN1996 .B37 2005
- A Short Guide to Writing About Film -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: PN1995 .C66 2004
Online Resources
- Writing About Film(broken link) (Dartmouth College)
- Yale Film Analysis 2.0(broken link) (Yale University)
History
Print Resources
Very concise and approachable introduction to historical research, with clear chapter themes including writing and citation, methods and avoiding plagiarism, as well as a useful section on historical sources.
- Pocket Guide to Writing in History -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Reference Stacks: D13.R295 2004
A short and practical guide to using primary sources, creating effective arguments, and expressing them concisely in a revised and well-written history essay.
- Writing History: A Guide for Students -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: D16 .S864 2004
Online Resources
- History Writing Handout (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
- Writing About History (University of Toronto)
Literature
Print Resources
Metre, form, rhyme, diction, and more: a lucid description of how poems work, with every chapter ending with an important concept applied to the same poem. Also features a very substantial bibliography.
- The Poetry Handbook: A Guide to Reading Poetry for Pleasure and Practical Criticism -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: PR502 .L38 1996
Very accessible anthology of writing guides that teaches critical thinking and writing strategies through case studies, with an emphasis on argument.
- Literature for composition: reading an writing arguments about essays, fiction, poetry, and drama -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: PE1417. L633 2007
Online Resources
- Writing About Literature (LitWeb)
- Writing In Literature (Purdue University)
Music
Print Resources
Covering the many different schools of music criticism, this is both a beginner's guide for undergraduates new to music literacy and for more advanced musicians seeking to improve their writing skills. Also features a very useful chapter on professional contexts of music writing: program/liner notes, summaries, press releases.
- A Short Guide to Writing About Music -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: ML3797 .B4 2000
While very useful as a research and writing guide, this also contains much useful information reagrding citations, musical terms and phrases, the use of illustrations and sources.
- Music In Words: a guide to researching and writing about music -- e-book (2009)
Online Resources
- Writing the Music Paper(broken link) (Dartmouth College)
Philosophy
Print Resources
Recently updated to cover new technologies and sources for writers of undergraduate philosophy papers, Feinberg covers logic and language, as well as concise recommendations of style and citation.
- Doing Philosophy: A Guide to the Writing of Philosophy Papers -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: B52.7 .F45 2008
Written for those confident in their writing but who need more guidance for a philosophy paper, this focuses on the kinds of papers one might write, as well as language and reasoning, along with useful appendices on editing and formal logic
- Writing Philosophy Papers -- D. H. Hill, Jr. Stacks: B52.7 .S44 2009
Online Resources
- Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper (Jim Pryor, Associate Professor - NYU)
- Philosophy Writing Handout (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)