Library Resources Supporting the Political Science & Sociology Programs
Librarian-recommended print and digital resources to support the curriculum and research needs of faculty and staff in the environmental management program. For additional assistance, library staff are here to help. Please drop by the circulation desk or send an e-mail to
RTC Library Collection
Search the Koha library catalogue for books, textbooks, government and non-governmental publications.
Searching tips: for a general search, use broad subject keywords such as: international relations , political science , sociology etc. Or search by keyword, for example 'Bhutan politics government', 'Bhutan democracy' , 'Bhutan social life custom' Once you find a relevant book, click on the ‘subject’ links in the book record to find similar, related or more narrowly focused books. To find a specific book, author or subject, click on ‘Advanced search’
Open Textbooks
Online and downloadable textbooks available freely from (primarily) North American universities and colleges. Start with a subject browse: search for ‘social sciences’ – then expand either political science or sociology sub-categories.
Some textbooks and course materials you will find include:
- Political Ideologies and Worldviews: An Introduction (2021)
- International Relations Theory (2017)
- Introduction to Political Science Research Methods 1st Ed. (2020)
- A Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences (2020)
- Beyond Race: Cultural Influences on Human Social Life (2018)
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES
Bhutan National Statistics Bureau - access to the data portal, publications and a nice tab on data literacy with explanations for each measurement.
Journal of Bhutan Studies - journal of the Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS) - "a social science research institute which conducts inter-disciplinary studies on Bhutan for advancing its social, cultural, economic and political wellbeing." (Note: print copies of the Journal of Bhutan Studies are available in the library's collection)
Bhutan Centre for Media & Democracy - online full-text access to the Centre's publications, the Druk Journal, and Media & Democracy literacy.
CIA World Factbook - "basic intelligence on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 world entities".
Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS) - online database of UN documents, first launched in 1993 and updated in 2016. ODS has full-text, born-digital UN documents published from 1993 onward, including documents of the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiaries, as well as administrative issuances and other documents. The database also includes scanned documents published between 1946 and 1993, including all resolutions of the principal organs, all documents of the Security Council and the General Assembly Official Records.
UNDP Human Development Index - Check the data centre for country profiles, thematic indices & dashboard, as well as the reports & publications tab.
UNESCO Digital Library (UNESDOC) - access to publications, documents and other materials either produced by UNESCO or pertaining to UNESCO’s fields of competence. Explore 'open access' collections, or Global Reports (look for online/open access links).
World Bank Gender Website - search for data, browse development topics and downloadable research & publications focused on gender, equality & development.
Amnesty International Country & Regional Reports - country profiles, thematic topics (eg. women) through a human rights perspective.
Freedom House - "Provides scores, reports and statistics covering democracy and freedom across the world. There are reports on civil liberties, political rights, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and countries transitioning to democracy."
World Public Opinion.org - information and analysis about public opinion on international policy issues from around the world.
Databases, Journals & Reference Materials
The Economist Online - NOTE: For Username and Password, access rtcCloud: Library PUBLIC Folder / Access Instructions for Databases (subfolder), or ask library staff.
JSTOR provides open access to journals, books, research reports, and images primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Create a personal account to access a monthly quota of articles from the subscription database.
Project Muse offers open access (OA) books, journals, and digital humanities works from several distinguished university presses, scholarly societies, and independent not-for-profit academic publishers.
Research4Life portal provides online access to academic and professional peer-reviewed content including journal articles, reviews and reference resources. A select listing of databases, reference resources and journals available through the portal can be found below: NOTE: For Username and Password access rtcCloud: Library PUBLIC Folder / Access Instructions for Databases (subfolder), or pick up a RTC Digital Resources Password Bookmark from the front desk of the library.
GOALI (Research for Global Justice Collection) - Academic and peer-reviewed journals, publications and databases on law and social sciences. Incorporating disciplines such as politics, economics, philosophy, history and many more. Log into Research4Life, choose 'Collections' on the top navigation bar and in the drop down menu, click on GOALI.
Recommended journals - Please be sure to log in to Research4Life before clicking on any of the links below.
Political Science
American Political Science Review
Annual Review of Political Science
Asian Ethnicity
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
Asian Survey
British Journal of Political Science
Comparative Political Studies
Environmental Politics
Global Environmental Politics
International Organization
Journal of Conflict Resolution
Political Theory
Studies in Indian Politics
Sociology
American Journal of Sociology
American Sociological Review
Annals of Tourism Research
Annual Review of Sociology
Asia and Pacific Migration Journal (SAGE)
Contributions to Indian Sociology
Gender & Society
History and Sociology of South Asia
Indian Journal of Gender Studies
Qualitative Research
Sociological Methods & Research (SAGE)
Sociology of Development
Sociology of Education
Youth and Society
