Political Science Research Guide: Political Philosophy Databases

Political Philosophy (aka Political Theory) is an area of political science that deals with issues such as:

There are a few good places to look for journal articles in the areas of Political Theory and Political Philosophy. These include:

• Philosopher's Index  (Highly Recommended)
  Good resource for issues related to  Ethics, Justice, Liberty, Human Rights, Consent & Duties, (etc) - as well as  what political philosophers say are the pros and cons of various Forms of State. 
   
• SocIndex  (Also Highly Recommended)
  Use to locate Journal Articles pertaining to Peace and Conflict - or  Social Order and Citizenship - in a particular society (e.g. Rwanda).
   
• Canadian Reference Center
  Useful for Political Philosophy articles dealing with Canadian Issues
   
• LexisNexis
  Legal Database with useful information in areas such as Human Rights and Justice.
  NOTE: To access Canadian Case Law, or Canadian Legal Journals from this database, you must first select International Legal - then Canadian Cases OR Canadian Law Journals
   
• EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier
  Iinterdisciplinary full-text database indexing many Political Science journals. Also has indexing for Newsmagazines which makes it useful for current events.
   
• JSTOR
  Searchable collection of periodicals in the Humanities and Social Sciences.  Coverage is retrospective (3-5 years and older)
   
• Periodical Archive Online
  Searchable collection of periodicals in the Humanities and Social Sciences.  Coverage is retrospective (3-5 years and older)
   
• Project Muse
  Searchable collection of periodicals in the Humanities and Social Sciences. 
   
• Web of Knowledge
  Coverage:
  Interdisciplinary database that indexes the most widely respected periodicals in Academia.

At times, you may be looking fo a Historical Treatment of any one of these topics (e.g. past Fascist regimes).  If you need this type of information consult one of the following History Databases:

• America: History and Life
      Use for Political Theory and Political Philosophy topics in North American History - like the American Civil Rights movement. 
      Also useful for a discussion of the Historical Debate around the U.S. Constitution, Parliamentary Democracy, or Responsible Government in Canada.
   
• Historical Abstracts
      Use this database to locate journal articles that deal with Political Theory issues as they occurred in World  History (outside of 
      Canada and the  U.S.)  It is also very useful for issues related to Forms of State that occurred in the past (e.g. Nazi Germany,   Soviet Union, Maoist China, Monarchies, etc.) 

For a discussion of Ethics, Rights, and Social Justice issues pertaining to particular groups within society (Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Religion) also check out the list of database pertaining to Citizens Groups listed in the box Below.

Some Databases that will provide information about  different citizen groups include:

• Lexis Nexis
  Coverage:  Database that indexes Legal Journals, laws, statutes, case law.  Useful for topics deal with the legal status of citizens and citizens groups.
  NOTE: To access Canadian Case Law, or Canadian Legal Journals from this database, you must first select International Legal - then Canadian Cases OR Canadian Law Journals.
   
• LBGT Life
  Coverage: Full-text database focused on Sexual Orientation and Gender Studies. Useful for topics dealing with equality, rights, women's groups, Gay and Lesbian Groups, and gender and politics. 
   
• ATLA Religion Index
  Coverage: Database that indexes journals in the field of Religion. Useful for topics dealing with religious equality, religion, society and politics. Also useful for issues related to individual ethics.
   
• Philosopher's Index
  Coverage: Database that indexes journals in the field of Philosophy. Useful for topics dealing with human rights, the social contract, ethics and government. 
   
• Bibliography of Native North Americans
  Coverage: Database that indexes journals in the field of Native Studies. Useful for topics dealing with First Nations People, equality, and political rights, and First Nations People and Politics.

After searching a Database, you may need to learn if an article cited is in a journal held by the library. 

To learn if the library owns the journal, search our Journal Titles List.

If a journal is not in our collection, you can still get the article via Inter-Library Loans.

If you are a student or faculty member at Brandon University, you can access databases from off campus.

If you are accessing the library's web site from off campus, most links on the library's web site will first take you to the Proxy Authentication Page, where you can log in with your Brandon University username and password. Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the destination of the link. You should only have to log in once per session.

To log in, you will need your Brandon University username and password - the same username and password you use to log into the Brandon University network when you're on campus. If you have not claimed your username and password or you are having trouble logging in with those, you should contact the Brandon University Help Desk (Phone 571-8500 Monday -Friday 8:30AM to 4:30PM).

For more information, see the Off-Campus Access Page