SWG 554 Movie Analysis

This guide will help you with your movie analysis assignment by showing you how to:

• Find movies at the library.
• Find additional sources to describe the theory you are using to assess your character.
• Find scholarly references.

Helpful Reference for the Assignment

Your professor provided an article that serves as a helpful reference for the assignment. Click on the article title below to access it. 

Ballard, M. B. (2012). The family life cycle and critical transitions: Utilizing cinematherapy to facilitate understanding and increase communications. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 7(2), 141-152. 

To check if the library has a movie:

1. Use the library search box (on the library's homepage or below).
2. Enter the movie title and switch the box that currently says All Items to Video.
3. Click Search. 
4. Scan the results for your title. 

We have a few movies available streaming online. However, we have a lot more movies (not documentaries) on DVD. If we have it on DVD, it'll be located on the first floor in the IMC. If you don't have a DVD player, the IMC loans out portable DVDs (for 7 days) that can connect to your computer via regular USB. 

You can use the search box on the library homepage to find scholarly articles: 

1. Enter your topic as keywords.  Keywords are short 1-3 word phrases that cover the main aspects of your topic. For example, you might use the theory you are using to assess your character as one of your keywords.
   • Put phrases into quotation marks, like "attachment stability" or "public assistance"
   • Try synonyms to bring back different results.  "child care" "public assistance" will bring back different sources than "child care" SNAP.
2. After you enter your keywords, in the box that says All Items, select Articles instead, then click Search.
3. After you click Search, a page with results will come up. On the left, choose Scholarly/Peer-reviewed Journals under Show Only.
4. To get the full text of an article, click on links saying: Get PDF, Read Online, or Full Text Available. 
5. You can also get a citation for the article in APA style by clicking on the Citation button ().  Then choose APA as your citation format.  Be sure to double-check this citation before you submit it with your paper using the Owl at Purdue or another style guide. 

Let Google Scholar know you should have access to WCU resources by: 

1. Click on the menu ()in the upper left on the Google Scholar homepage.

2. Choose Setting from the menu that appears. 

3. Click on Library Links from the left menu. 

4. Search for West Chester University, then click on the box next to the result that says West Chester University Libraries-- Find-It @WCU, and select Save. 

After you have done this, look for links that say either Find-It @ WCU or Check Availability @ WCU, to see if full text is available through WCU.